Color Schemes For Your Living Room

While it’s true that neutral room schemes provide a blank canvas, there’s a lot to be said for introducing colour. Different shades can have an uplifting or calming effect and your choice of colour and soft furnishings can go a long way to reflecting your personality. If you’re feeling bold, have a look at our wallpaper ideas for living rooms.

Take on turquoise

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

Pick a vibrant shade that adds personality and character to your living room in daylight and snuggly warm cosiness at night. Pick a turquoise hue with an energising vivacity about that isn’t brash or overwhelming. It’s also a perfect partner for mid blue. Keep flooring pale for a bit of balance and continue the colour across woodwork, including shutters, architraves and skirting. Hits of white on artwork, shelving, lighting and furniture have a cooling influence on a colour-saturated scheme.

Get the look:
Buy now: Similar sofa, Jackson 3 seater sofa, £447, John Lewis

Match walls and shelving

Image credit: James Merrell

Make a feature by painting a wall and its shelves in the same shade. It’s a trick that works especially well with expansive boxed shelving that runs wall to wall and from floor to ceiling. The on-trend mid grey matt-finish paint used here makes a mellow contrast to white woodwork, while blending effortlessly with toning flooring and furniture. Use lovely autumnal shades, such as olive green and burnt orange, for a seasonal feel.

Get the look:
Buy now: Similar rug, Dunelm
Buy now: Similar paint, Purbeck Stone No.275 matt modern emulsion paint, £43.50 for 2.5l, Farrow & Ball at B&Q

Love grey living rooms? READ: Gorgeous grey living room ideas to inspire you

Seek harmony

Warm up your living room in the colder months with plum tones. Combine shades of claret and dusky rose to make the space toasty and snug. Colour-block the main wall with a port-wine red to introduce a rich, heritage element. Prevent the colour scheme going into overdrive by using softer mauve-greys, browns and greys for accessories and other elements in the room.

Get the look:
Buy now: Similar paint, Mulberry Burst matt emulsion paint, £22.93 for 2.5l, Dulux at B&Q
Buy now: Paulowina Coffee Table, £229, Maisons Du Monde
Buy now: Nova Desk Lamp, £100, Cox & Cox

Choose a hero shade

Image credit: Emma Lee

Pick a hold-on-to-your-hats shade for an instant living room transformation. This stunning emerald green is one of those precious shades that is able to make a splash both in its own right, while also making stars of the furnishings it provides a backdrop to. This collection of artwork, accessories and minimalist furniture is all the more impressive for the vibrant green it shares space with.

Get the look:
Buy now: Green Vertider Absolute Matt emulsion, £38 for 2.5L, Little Greene Paint Co at John Lewis
Buy now: Bess 2 Door Sideboard, £256, Wayfair

Keep it sweet

Opt for impact with a sugary shade – decorating with pastels needn’t mean going entirely pale. Paint an accent wall in a darker colour, which will serve to balance the lighter tone on an adjacent wall. Use matt emulsion to create a fashionable low-sheen look – a velvety, almost chalky finish – ideal for uneven walls in the living area.

Get the look:
Buy now: Sofa, Mayor sofa, £447, Arne Jacobsen at Made
Buy now: Simon Coffee Table, £425.99, Wayfair

Make it Multi-coloured

Image credit: Matthew Williams

A family space is the perfect place to go big on colour. Choose a low-slung modular sofa in a mix of pretty colours for flexible seating that will bring a sense of fun to a family room. Paint walls white to create a backdrop that makes the colours really pop. Keep other furniture minimal so the sofa takes pride of place.

Get the look:
Buy now: Maduri Multicoloured Corner Day Bed, £879, Maisons Du Monde
Buy now: Round Lattice Coffee Table, £239, Myakka
Buy now: Amelia Floral Carved Mirror, £95, Graham & Green

Stick to blue

Image credit: Simon Bevan

Create a fabulously fresh space with blue. Marry steely blues, from mineral to aqua shades, to devise a scheme you won’t want to leave. Mimic a dado or picture rail in paint – and take it all around the room for added impact. Keep the feel classic with white or natural wood furniture or create a more exotic look by adding texture and pattern for that year-round holiday feel.

Get the look:
Buy now: Wes Corner Chaise in Petrol Teal, £1,499, Made
Buy now: Casya Bamboo Pendant, £41.99 , Maisons Du Monde

Blur those lines

Image credit: Neil Mersh

Paint doesn’t have to be pedestrian so get creative with how you apply your chosen colours and you could end up with a truly individual look. Layer an accent colour over the top of a base colour and dry-brush half way up the wall to create a dip-dye effect. From ombré to watercolour washes, the two-tone trend shows no signs of fading away.

Get the look:
Buy now: Madrid Outdoor Sofa, £400, John Lewis
Buy now: Palmeral Cotton Linen, £85 m, House of Hackney

Go deep

Image credit: Malcolm Menzies

Create a brooding sense of intrigue by painting your walls and surfaces in a dramatic shade. Dare to use darker shades of paint – it may feel like a risky move but, in the right context, shadowy tones come into their own. Use a deep grey to add moody sophistication to a library or cosy nook. Create an entire backdrop that blends in by painting a radiator and a wall of shelves to match and bringing in a carpet in the same colour.

For the full scheme, visit www.idealhome.co.uk