Serious interiors goals at Grand Designs Live and the Ideal Home Show

One year since becoming a home owner, I still haven't fully decorated and put my own stamp on the property. And in today's Instagram culture where you are inundated with picture after picture of interiors perfection, that alone has been hard. But I stick by my beliefs. I'm a firm believer of living in dwellings as they are for a bit, rather than making any structural or aesthetic changes right from the offset. It gives you the best chance to learn what works for you and what doesn't. And which rooms get the best light, compared to those that perhaps don't.

This house doesn't have the biggest of rooms and for this reason, I have shied away from bolder colours. I always thought that pale colours would suit these rooms better and make them seem less small. And it's for this reason I have always eyed up a palette of soft greys, looking to emphasise clean lines with white ceilings and white skirting boards.

That was until I got my house and home fix at the Ideal Home Show and Grand Designs Live earlier this year.

Lots of the show rooms at both events featured rooms the same sort of size - if not smaller - with dark, bold colours. And they worked well. Contrary to popular belief, they didn't make the space seem smaller. These darker shades actually gave the walls a warmth that I never thought possible from a darker colour. I suddenly started liking colours I'd never considered before. Take this Blackadder inspired room for example.

I love the opulence of the dark blue walls against the
dark brown flooring and the metallic details.

And oh to have a bathroom like this...

That gold bath though
And can we please talk about the sink? (below)

And how about this room for a celebration of colour? Not exactly the dark walls 

we have been nattering about, but an inspiring use of colour all the same. 

But now you see what I mean. I never once considered having dark or colorful walls (read: walls that aren't white!) but they inject so much soul and personality into a property. I have always been so scared to make that leap but what I've come to realise is that paint is just paint. It's not the be all and end all. What's the worst that could happen? That you don't like it and that you have to re-paint? That is part of the fun of decorating. Your sense of style will evolve over time, so it's not unreasonable to try something now and re-decorate again later. Be bold. Take a leap of faith.

*To Homebase for dark sample pots of paint!*