Be bold: how to decorate with colour if you're scared — by Great British Interior Design Challenge judge Sophie Robinson

Sitting on a tatty beige sofa staring at the mind-numbingly ‘safe’ magnolia walls of your less than inspiring home can be depressing, especially when your Instagram feed is brimming with glimpses into far more colourful abodes oozing personality and boldness.

“Right,” you say to yourself, “it’s time to shake this place up”, but a long scroll through thousands of paint shades and a rainbow of statement sofas later, it’s you who's feeling shaky.

Colour, it turns out, can be a bit of wild beast.

To help you tame it, we asked colour lover and Great British Interior Design Challenge judge Sophie Robinson to talk us through how to give your favourite interiors influencer a run for their money, even if you’re stuck in a cramped rental flat.

LIMITED BY BUDGET? PAINT!

The cheapest way to transform a room is with paint; you can pack a punch for the cost of a couple of tins.

“What’s the worst that could happen? You hate it and decide to paint over it. It’ll still be cheaper than buying a sofa or wallpapering,” says Sophie. My mantra is just go for it, it's only paint!”

DECIDE HOW YOU WANT THE ROOM TO FEEL

Choosing a colour, let alone the tone of that colour, can be overwhelming. There’s not just blue; there’s sky blue, baby blue, navy…the list goes on. The best question to ask yourself, says Sophie, is ‘How do I want this room to feel?’

“If you want a warm, cosy living room, look at colours with yellow and red tints in them like teal. For a starker, more dramatic look, opt for a bright cobalt blue or a cool navy.”

LOOK TO YOUR WARDROBE

Sophie’s love of colour was cemented aged seven when she was given free reign over her bedroom. She chose to decorate it in a rainbow theme and has never looked back.

“It was a seminal moment,” she says. “I went for rainbow curtains with matching rainbow bed linen.”

Though well aware that not everyone wants to go full My Little Pony on their boudoir, Sophie insists that tapping into your own personal colour palette is the key to getting over colour phobia.

“It’s really important to dig deep and work out which colours and hues resonate with you. If you’re stuck on where to begin, look in your wardrobe and note the colours you naturally pick out.”

COOL COLOURS MAKE SPACES FEEL BIGGER

Sophie recommends opting for recessive colours if you want to make a small space feel bigger — think blues, greens, lilacs and greys, which trick the eye.

She also encourages homeowners to go dark, which gives small rooms more depth. “If you’re worried about the room feeling claustrophobic, stick to cool greys and navy,” she says. “Then use lots of good lighting to brighten things up.”

GET MOOD BOARDING

Before stocking up on paint, compile a mood board. Sophie recommends Pinterest, but don’t plan everything online. “Call in some colour cards because they can look completely different on the Internet,” she says.

“Remember that colours form relationships with other colours, so it’s important to print off pictures of your rug, sofa and so on, put them all on one sheet of paper with the colour cards and make sure they sit nicely together — that's where the skill is.”

START WITH FABRIC

If you’re still feeling lost at sea, try getting hold of a colourful wallpaper swatch or fabric sample and building your colour scheme around it, suggests Sophie.

This is a great way to stumble upon a combination of colours that work well together, from neutrals through to brighter accent colours.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

Sophie often finds herself decorating with three different colours or shades – there’s the ‘hero colour’ which takes up around 60-70 per cent of the room (think walls, floors or large pieces of furniture), the secondary colour around 20-30 per cent (soft furnishings) and the final accent colour around 5 to 10 per cent (cushions, artwork, vases etc).

Think of neutrals as a “free colour” mixed in as you see fit, perhaps in wood flooring and furniture.

SMALL CAN BE SPLENDID

If you think that only big, open-plan living spaces can take colour, think again. “That’s when people tend to go neutral, because they get overwhelmed,” says Sophie. “Smaller rooms are often more exciting to decorate because you can create real drama and impact.”

Tiny, north-facing bedroom lacking in architectural details? No problem. “The more underwhelming the space, the more colour can add in terms of mood.”

JOLLY UP THE FRONT DOOR

Don’t be afraid to use colour in unexpected ways.

Sophie is obsessed with painting the doors in her house surprising colours, just because it makes her smile.

Why not start off with a cheery new hue for your front door? “Nothing gives a great first impression like a bonny bright colour,” she says.

BANNED FROM PAINTING? GO CUSHION SHOPPING

If your landlord won’t let you go colour crazy on the walls, accessorise instead. Think statement floor rugs, patterned lampshades, bright scatter cushions and wall art.

This is also a good move for the faint-hearted, who could go neutral for the big ticket items like sofas, flooring and curtains and inject colour with cheaper items that can easily be updated over time.

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Worrying about what other people will think of your interiors is “insanity”, says Sophie, whose biggest piece of advice is to “go with your gut.”

“Some people look at rooms that I design and think they’d give them a complete headache. I don’t get offended by that. It’s just not for them. It’s impossible for everyone to like everything you do anyway because we all have different tastes.

“Do what you want in your own house and enjoy it.”

If you’re proud of your efforts and fancy winning £1,000, Sophie is judging Anglian Home Improvements’ annual Styled By Me competition. More details here.