Feb. 26, 2016 | Deborah Harrison

Colour calm to fight the 'winter blues'

Reinvigorate your space with a personal hue

There's nothing like a downturn in the economy to make you rethink your priorities.

Yet you don't have to give up on great style. Instead, you just have to find new ways of spending less on great things, as well as you determine what can and cannot live without – in other words, become a creative director of your own fabulous space.

Start with the backdrop. There isn't much that invigorates a room more than a fresh new coat of colour. I have my go-to colours, which are tried and true: timeless shades of whites and grays; greens and blues that evoke serenity, soulfulness and calm.

If you want a hint of glam or mood, be brave choose a saturated palette. Use a rebellious colour, introducing a passionate and romantic mix that will add sophistication and attitude to your room. Paint a master bathroom with deep turquoise blue high gloss so candlelight reflects off the walls, impersonating that of a moonlit ocean. Embrace your place. Accept the original architecture and celebrate your home. It will become a work of art.

Be authentic, Make your home your own. Find your personal style and consider the wall colour to be the ultimate accessory in your house.

Start with finding something that inspires you or you especially love – maybe a piece of fabric or a piece of cake? There would be nothing more delicious than a chocolate brown dining room with butter cream trim.

Consider not only your inspiration piece, but the flooring, natural light and even the colour of the largest pieces of furniture in that room.

Now you can pick your paint.

Get excited about beginning to claim your colors, which are unique to you and reflect your personality. It's much easier to custom match a colour to a fabric swatch, keeping the thread running through your home in subtle ways.

The more personal your inspiration piece, the more meaningful your space will become. The colour doesn't have to be the most prominent or obvious one in the fabric. You could consider the more subtle of them, creating a sense of serenity and soul.

An inspiration piece creates a jumping off point of reference you can be passionate about.

Whatever selection, whether bold or quietly understated, commit to a colour you love. If you're not sure, select a shade lighter. Buy a tester and paint a corner – that's where shadow color lives and where you'll see it's darkest side.

Most designers and artists, me included, draw inspiration from others in our fields. I once read a quote from a well-known fashion designer who said, "designers who think they are uniquely original in their construction have no memory." We are all inspired by something, but that's not to say we don't have our own original interpretations.

A change is as good as a rest, whether it's a great new coat you wear or a fabulous new coat you paint on the wall. Remember, colour is the most important accessory after all.

What I know to be true is that home is a space holding many memories – a mixture of furnishings, objects, art and colour that speaks about your personality and represents you. Be authentic. Embrace your place. Embrace your face.

As Coco Chanel once said, the best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.

Deborah Harrison is an interior designer with Inside Out Design. Send your thoughts, ideas and inspirations to soulifydesign@gmail.com.

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