NAVY, PURPLE & OYSTER
Wisteria + denim + navy
Colour scheming is all about successful pairings and combinations. When drawn to a tricky hue, let coordinated fabrics do the hard work for you. Here, a purple-pink and blue living room can reach its full potential with embroidered statement patterns, geometric motifs and abstract watercolours. Solid blues, greys and white ground the space.
Purple + blue + oyster
Take to a wall or a large canvas with your fave colour and create a fun free-form dip-dye effect. You can go from dark to light from the bottom up or the top down. To tame a wall of deep purple to palest pink, look to dark timber flooring or furniture and team with blue, silvery eucalypt green and/or oyster accents.
FUCHSIA, LIPSTICK & WATERMELON
Berry crush + orange + aqua
Rich pink-purples, oranges and aqua are a stunning combination. The warm hues make for a cosy, romantic and feminine space while the dash of aqua cools and freshens it.
Palest pink + blue + grey
There’s nothing kiddie about these pale pink and blue pastels at least not when you take a playful or unexpected approach to your decorating. Try including grown-up touches – like a grey on a multicoloured chest, gold mirror and black houndstooth rug.
Rose reds + gold
Lovers of vintage will appreciate this archive-inspired wallpaper featuring stylised roses set off by a ‘gilver’ (a mix of gold and silver) background. When accessorising, take your colour cues from the design and team it with rosy through to salmon reds. Warm leather tones speak to this scheme as do highlights of gold, bronze or champagne.
Crimson + watermelon + lipstick red
Layer your bedroom – or any room – in vivacious red hues. White introduces freshness but, if you are so inclined, look to its opposite number on a colour wheel – green – for a fail-safe contrast.
AMBER, CORAL, PUMPKIN, RUSSET, SALMON & TERRACOTTA
Peaches + cream + charcoal
Getting this colour combo right so it’s feminine yet sophisticated is a simple exercise. Team it with charcoal – check out abstract bed curtains – or navy with just a hint of zingy green. Choose clean‑lined furniture, mid-tone wood and rose-gold finishes for contemporary appeal.
Earth + charcoal
Does your living area or reading nook need a cosy pick-me-up? Look no further than a brown-orange for your walls. Along with creams and grey neutrals, this shade of burnt orange plays nicely with navy, turquoise, yellow, khaki and olive green.
Tangelo + butter yellow
Any room with clear sightlines to another space needs to maintain good flow to prevent jarring. Here, a vivid orange walls of a room can lead you effortlessly to the buttery yellow living room. Classified as warm colours, they sit alongside each other on the colour wheel, guaranteeing success.
BUTTERCUP, CANARY, GOLD & LEMON
Banana + pistachio green
Think of colours as actors in a play. Yellow can be just as effective in a supporting role as when it is the star of the show. You’ll naturally gravitate toward a sunny yellow sofa, brilliantly set against a canvas of white. Perking up the room further is its neighbour on the colour wheel with pistachio green on the French doors leading you outdoors. Doesn’t it just set the scene?
AVOCADO, EMERALD, GRASS, JADE, LIME, SPEARMINT & KHAKI
Spearmint + denim blue
Give your living space a cool refreshing vibe with an invigorating mint hue. A denim blue fabric on the sofa will create a kick-off-your shoes, relaxed feel. And look to spring greens and crisp white to add pop and hints of navy to ground the scheme.
Green-blue + citrus
Neighbours on the colour wheel, this combo of greens and yellows – punctuated with fresh white accents for contrast – makes for a seriously serene sleeping space. As for pattern and texture, they will help layer your scheme. Use the largest pattern where it can be properly shown off then choose coordinating mid and small-scale designs for your pillows and cushions.
Khaki + paprika + yellow
Like a stroke of eyeliner, black works magic in this scheme. It enhances colours and delivers sophisticated designer pizzazz. And if you decide on a feature wall, it’s unlikely to date if you colour the adjacent walls with an analogous hue of similar intensity. Add a dash of an earthy or spice shade and the whole room will come alive!
CERULEAN, NAVY, OCEAN, PEACOCK
Teal blue + lively lime
With lashings of white and neutrals, this lively duo is a marriage made in heaven. Classic furnishings ensure the look is crisp. It proves the old saying, ‘Green and blue should never be seen together,’ is just plain wrong.
Turquoise + orange
Opposites really do attract! Choose complementary hues directly across from each other on the colour wheel – one hot, one cool – for a dynamic scheme.
Navy + white
A monochromatic scheme is by far the easiest to pull together. That’s not to say it’s not complex. Here, a mix of blue block fabric prints can provide the interest while a navy sideboard and timber table ground it. A pared-back palette adds a laid-back vibe.
Aqua + hot pink
For a little eye candy, revive a beautiful but battered piece of furniture in the most colourful of ways. It will need a good sand, a coat with a primer sealer undercoat and topcoats in a vivid hue – or two. It’s up to you whether you go for a matt, low-sheen, semigloss or gloss paint.
AZURE, COBALT, INDIGO, ROYAL & SEAFOAM
Hydrangea blue + cream
No need to work up a sweat painting or redecorating. Simply import your colour scheme into your home with art and flowers.
Navy + burnt orange
This classic combination is a no-brainer – in truth you can pair any colour with white. It brightens so the contrast between it and the darkness of this navy is highlighted. While the patterns add interest, you will really energise your room with a complementary colour of equal intensity. Burnt orange does the trick here!
Sky + chartreuse
Let artwork inspire your decorative palette. You don’t have to take up every single colour – use it to select your main wall colour then add the rest by way of fabrics, ornaments and even flowers.
