Decorate yourself happy

Did you know today is Blue Monday? Well, if you're reading this on the 16th January 2017 it is!

It's officially the most depressing day of the year. When the Christmas celebrations seem like a distant memory away and you've already broken New Year's resolutions (who needs them anyway). Things can start to feel a little blue, especially when those dark mornings and dark early evenings never seem to brighten. 

Well, I've teamed up with Dulux to bring you the antidote to the Blue Monday effect – we want to introduce happy colour into your home, so you can decorate your way to a happier home.

In this post I'm sharing 5 of the happiest colours from Dulux's new Amazing Space range, as well as some  tips on where to use them. 

Dulux Amazing Space Paint is a brand new way to buy paint. Combining years of experience in creating colour with an online shopping journey that ensures customers get the right paint for their room, with the right feature and finish – first time. Customers can choose from over 300 colours along with numerous features and finishes to create the perfect paint for them. Available exclusively online, paint is delivered to customers within two working days while the website is packed full of handy hints and tips to make decorating a breeze.

You ready to get your colour on and create a colour scheme that brings you happiness everyday?

1. Willow Creek

This fresh, apple green is one that would suit the home all year round. Teamed with navys, bronze accents and darker forest greens, it has a classic smiley and cosy feel that is perfect for either a kitchen or to freshen up a downstairs loo.  For a more contemporary look, put this colour with clean, silver industrial pendant lights and a marble worktop. It's a classic cottage shade that works so well with Belfast sinks and welsh dressers in more traditional looking homes. 

2. Javan Dawn

Yes, the colour blue carries the stereotype of being a fairly low-mood colour, but with a bright cheerful turquoise undertones like the Javan Dawn you can rest assured this will banish the blues. I adore the concept of two tone rooms, particularly in the bathroom where you can play it brave. If you're not quite sure about which colours to choose for a room, see what they look like together and get handy with some masking tape (and a spirit level!). I would opt for this colour in a bathroom. Remember, matt paint although it looks gorgeous, it's a headache in a steamy-prone room. Whatever bathroom paint colour you do choose, get it in Steam Resistant paint from the Dulux Amazing Space range to prevent bubbling or flaking. 

3. Caribbean Dawn

Just the thought about waking up to a colour this full of character fills you with happiness. It's a bold hue that would look incredible on a feature wall in a bedroom, to provide a warm and cosy feel. Mix this with similar colours on the spectrum (baby pinks, terrocottas) and classic whites for a contemporary vibe. It would also look great against gold metals for an exotic vibe. 

4. Spring Breeze

An obvious choice for instant happy vibes is yellow. The Spring Breeze 2 colour shown in this picture is paired with greys and baby blues so as not to detach from that stunning feature wall. Yellows in a close to primary colour like this work amazingly in nurseries or children's bedrooms. I would say that for a sophisticated, adult's bedroom pair it with dark charcoal accents, for a study pair it with deep navy and lighter grey, for a child's bedroom opt for candy pink and/or blue, and finally for nurseries, pair it with clean white and light grey for a calmer feel. There is so much you can do with yellow, and this shade is perfect from the Dulux Amazing Space range. 

5. Golden Jasmine 3

You don't have to go brave on colour in your home to bring happiness, a fresh lick of a soft neutral on the walls could be all your home needs to bring a peaceful mind. What I think is great about this warm, neutral by Dulux, is that it sets an incredible backdrop against bold accent colours. And any colour it seems. The colour resembles what we painted our living room a few weeks back and so far it's been very easy to live with and style. It's a versatile choice, working for a traditional or contemporary living room, or a kitchen or hallway.

If you need a little further help with your colour scheme for the room you are decorating, I recommend buying multiple tester pots of Dulux paint and filling A3 sheets of paper with each colour option to stick to the wall. This way there'll be no problem hiding samples with the colour you choose.

Collaborative post