Colour is truly magical !

Colour evokes emotion, stimulates the senses and creates atmosphere. Colour will transform your surroundings, alter perceptions and set moods.

Using colour in your home and surronding yourself with a personal palette creates a calming backdrop for daily life. You can design your own comforting sanctuary to unwide and live in.

A room doesn't have to be saturated in splashes of strong hues to achieve an impression of colour. Small accents are sometimes enough. Add some cushions, perhaps a throw or a piece of carefully selected artwork, these touches can work just as well as painting a room in a flashy colour.

When planning your scheme, search for inspiration from your surroundings. Perhaps you have a favourite rug or piece of china that you can use as a starting point. Mother Nature offers an abundance of inspiration; flowers, beaches, sky and earth are perfect examples of colour schemes that work - Mother Nature never gets it wrong !

When it comes to colour theory there are some useful guidelines you can follow to create your own successful scheme.

A monochromatic scheme is an easy method to follow for decorating. Choose one colour and add that colour in varying tones (deeper and lighter), perhaps adding some patterns or texture to create interest.

A complementary scheme works with colours that lie opposite each other on the colour wheel ie: blue is opposite to orange, red is opposite to green and yellow is opposite to purple. Thses colours contrast and when placed together create a stimulating effect. This can be a very effective technique to use in decorating.

A related scheme is using colours that lie side by side on the colour wheel. For example: greens and blues placed together or perhaps reds, oranges and yellows. Placing colours together based on a related scheme creates a subtle harmonious effect.

Take your time when desiging your colour sheme, it is a creative process. Try to incorporate the whole design of your home to add a sense of flow.

Start a scrapbook with a compilation of colours and palettes that appeal to you.  Collect examples such as magazine images, pices of fabric, leaves, feathers or colour chips. Decide what colours you love and why you love them.

Most importantly, have fun. Working with colour is an exciting and rewarding experience.

Express yourself with the magic ingredient of colour - mix together a leasing recipe of hues and tones to live with, create a place where it always feels good to be home.

Enjoy colour - life would be boring without it!