Six home colour rules that work

Use those small spaces

No space is too small to be special. Cheer up a gloomy corner or a small room by introducing a distinctive pattern in an eye-catching shade, then use mirrored and shiny accessories to reflect light and colour. On the right, a chimney breast in a bedroom has been painted in pink and white stripes to create a focal point.

Pink Sexy paint, £15.99 for 2.5 litres, and matt white paint, £27.99 for 5 litres, both Dulux. Console table, £350, Laura Ashley. Jasmine chair, as before. On table (from left): Embroidered napkin, £25, Designers Guild. Florrie porcelain bowl (with sweets), £20 for two, Habitat. Lamp base, £65, Laura Ashley. Shade, £39, India Jane. Greetings card from a selection, John Lewis. Engraved hand mirror, £9.99, Tu Home at Sainsbury's. Black champagne glass, £5.50, Habitat. Jane Packer silk lotus flower in a low vase, £6, Debenhams. Small vase from a selection, Debenhams. Glass jar with silver lid, £29.50, India Jane. Pink bangles, £30 for six, Day Birger et Mikkelsen. Shell, £15, India Jane. Purple glass vase, as before. Artificial flowers, as before. Mirrored jewellery box, £13.99, Tu Home at Sainsburys