I want new colours at home. Where do I start?

The best start is to choose a few colours and repeat them through the home, so the rooms belong together. In one older house, the same few colours repeat from room to room, and the grey doors tie in with the band along the bottom of the walls.

If you want character without making a room feel heavy, one wall in a different colour is enough. In a living room with white walls, a column in olive green next to the TV and the same shade above the fireplace gave the room a centre.

A practical trick is to put the darker colour on the lower part of the wall, where it gets dirty more easily. In the kitchen of the older house the wall was split into two tones with the darker one below, and in an office a dark blue band low down hides the marks of everyday use.

If you are going from a strong colour to a light one, allow for extra coats. In a bedroom painted a strong mint, the green still showed after the first white coat, and it took care to stop the old colour coming through.

Keep in mind: colours change with the light in each room. A sample on a large piece of wall, seen by day and in the evening, tells you more than a colour card.