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Adding SOUL to your New Build (part 3)

This post is part 3 of my New Build series – missed the first two?

Read Parts 1 & 2

Lets add some SOULFUL COLOUR to your new build home.

There are endless blogs and advice about colour schemes for your home, but there seems to be something particularly challenging about adding colour to new build interiors.

I’ts not entirely clear why this is. 

In theory, you have a perfectly (usually) smooth set of walls and ceilings to splash colour onto with cheerful confidence.

And yet, something about these homes having no architectural history, no particular era to pull from, can make bright colours feel a little cheap or insipid, neutrals feel too cold and rich heritage paint tones can sometimes feel out of place.

Having no colour in your home is not a great option, so here’s what I would do to combat this first world problem:

  1. Choose wallpaper over paint – it usually offers more depth and texture than paint alone, and combines more than one tone of colours. Pick a heavily embossed paper and you might even get shadows, highlights or metallic details – much more interesting that flat paint colour anyway.
Embossed paper is more interesting than flat paint, adding both colour and texture which comes to life when illuminated.
  1. Make your colours muddier, dirtier and moodier. Choosing the bright peacock blue accent colour will never give your new build character, it just screams high street.   So take it down a few shades and go for the darker sister of the colour you think.

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Muddier colours have more depth and feel cosier in new build homes, like Farrow & Ball Bancha shown here
Explore this New Build Project and all its colour!
  1. Paint your skirtings and woodwork to match your walls – instantly looks more chic. Just trust me on this.
  2. Choose ultra dark for cosy small rooms – when I say dark, I mean burgundy wine, chocolate brown, black-green and inky blues. Be confident, layer texture and finishes on top of the dark colours and watch your artwork just pop off the walls beautifully.
Don't shy away from dark colours in smaller spaces - it can bring the whole room to life. Shown here is The Tobacconist by Coat
  1. Pick out unexpected features with a bolder colour, such as inside the window reveal, the bedroom ceiling, or doors on the landing, And please, please move away from the one-colour painted accent wall – in 2026, we commit to colour all over or just put the paint brush down.
  2. Use paint to create zones – an ideal technique to break up an open plan space. Paint a wide stripe or corner of the room in your chosen (dark and moody) colour and extend onto the ceiling. Not only does this visually play with the space and add dimensions and shape, but shows your guests how confident you are in your design choices.
Use paint to zone your room in unexpected ways

So be brave and play with colour to add interest, surprise and SOUL to your home.

And do remember -its only paint.

Part 4 of this mini New Build series is coming soon!

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