As an exterior paint it has long been associated with Suffolk and many lovely properties in this county are proudly painted Suffolk Pink. Properties ranging from little cottages to moated halls and boutique hotels are decorated in this dyed lime wash throughout the countryside.

In historic houses, strong pink has been much used to show off the paintings and collections to best advantage. A good example of this is Beaulieu in the New Forest. The paintings are hung against a deep pink with a complementary dark pink oriental carpet sporting many shades of pink.

In the normal domestic setting, there are many shades of pink to choose from to suit any room, from a pale blush to a deep cerise. One of the most subtle and flexible pinks is Farrow and Ball Setting Plaster. This brown pink will bring warmth and depth to your walls, especially when teamed with the right ceiling and wood work colour. I would suggest using an off white such as Pointing, again by Farrow and Ball, to offset this pink to make it flow better. If you want to go dramatic, Benjamin Moore’s Paradise Pink is a strong statement that would work well in a dining room or study. This colour can be dressed with a beautiful French style gold mirror to add glamour at night. Dark antiqued furniture would sit well in this colour scheme as anything too white would look harsh and tacky. Light and dark shades are complimented by the more yellowy pinks leaning towards a coral tone. Here look at the colour chart of Paint and Paper Library and try Shrimp. It’s as chirpy as its namesake bringing humour light and charm to any living space.

The colour of the year 2019 was pink and for good reason as this colour is bright and cheerful, bold and sophisticated. Move away from the Pepper Pig in the girlie bedroom and try some smart shades of pink in every room in your house.

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Farrow and Ball are the market leaders in shading up and down white neutrals.

A clean, pale background can be made more interesting by combining these white tones.

Let’s take Wimborne White from Farrow and Ball for your wall colour; use this in relief with their Shadow White on the ceiling and All White on woodwork. Here you will create a smooth serene palette against which cream, linen and faux fur fabrics will add texture and pattern.

Dulux Heritage also have a good selection of white shades to use together to layer a clear basis for an interior revamp.

Good tones that blend together are Marble White, Panel White and White Cotton. These colours work equally well in both a traditional and modern setting.
A silver or pale grey wallpaper would compliment these whites. Look at Rebeschi.

Wallpaper by Designers Guild or Nouvole by Cole and Son. Both these wallpapers have a graphic black element which will sharpen the white in your room and add interest. Silver birches on the Cole and son wallpaper woods and pears also add graphic interest to a simple white design .

The oh so cool look of a frosty day in interior terms is both elegant and stylish .

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An almost endless variation of shade means that this colour can be used anywhere and everywhere whether in wallpaper, fabrics or paint. But there is a caveat. For most homes, red at Its grandest and most vivid can be too much.

For this reason let’s look at the more manageable tones of red and the ways they can add power and impact to your design without dominating.

Firstly red can be broken up in a pattern, floral, geometric or striped. This means a second, calmer colour can be introduced to offset the vibrant red. Red can be teamed with gentle almond and linen tones.

Fabrics like Marine Coral by Thibaut show a red spiked coral motif against an off white background. Jim Thompson’s Design Turkaman achieves the same subtlety by invoking a diamond shape using both cream and green with the scarlet to add perspective.

Painting a room red is a bold move but can be a great way to display artwork and other accessories that sit against it. Colours like Farrow and Ball Lake Red make a great back cloth to framed pictures and mirrors. To go darker and into a browner tone, Incarnadine is a powerful shade that looks amazing in evening lamplight.

Marry this with accessories in a contrasting orange or pink then your room will be dramatic and a statement.

Try scarlet, burgundy, vermillion, ruby, cherry and carmine – there will be a simply red to suit you.

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