In the series, "We love..."

Splashes of colour!

And when better to use them than in the winter (I've been told we're not “out of the woods”, or our winter woolies just yet...)  So inject a bit of warmth to your interior, by adding colour flashes all around your home.  Take inspiration from how you'd pep up a plain jacket, with a wonderful woollen scarf. 

Strong, bold colours lift your spirits, and add spice to your daily life.  My favourites are raspberry hues, and bursts of orange (although not necessarily in the same room!)...

Use throws and cushions, even area rugs, that compliment, or add a stunning contrast to existing base colours, to help lift your scheme from summer cool, to winter warmth.

And there are lots of places where you can add an element of “surprise” to the process. You may know from our “making an entrance” articles, that I love painting the inside of cupboards and doors with colour. The fact they're not always on show means you're less likely to get bored with them, so you can really have fun and get colourful!

C&M textiles have a wonderful range of washed wools, and felts, that make fabulous linings for existing curtains. If you're budget's tight, add a wide border to the inside edge of each curtain, or even the outside edge, if you're happy to be bolder in your use of colour. This will bring a similar effect at a fraction of the price.

But what a full lining does is add weight, which in itself adds warmth, both physical, as well as physiological.

Important note: check your curtain rails, as well as their wall fixings, before hanging up an extra layer. And talking of curtain rails, don't forget that these can be brought into your “colour picture” by being hand, or spray painted (see RustOleum range of easy-to-use spray paints).   Change your tie backs, or wrap colourful cords around your old ones, to jazz them up, then complete your look by using the same colour to paint miss-matched, and tired picture frames, to pulling together a coordinated, but far from boring, look.

So, go on, spice up your life by playing with colour.  Happy winter decorating!