Original ideas for a bright family home

Add a bright welcome with a teal and watermelon scheme and a pop of zesty yellow. If you'd love to use a bold colour but worry it'll be too much, try this
trick: paint the lower third of a wall and fake a dado rail with a thin
border in a contrasting colour. Try painting a peg rail in the same
wall shade for extra impact.

Wall painted in Quartz Flint 4 matt emulsion (top), £24.49 for 2.5ltr, Paint Mixing range, Dulux; Vardo Estate Emulsion (bottom); stripe painted in Yellowcake Estate Emulsion; both £39.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. White vintage oak LPU1285 flooring, £29.49 per sq m, Largo collection, Quick-Step. Brecan grey wool-blend runner, £120, Habitat. Nornäs sideboard, £130, Ikea; painted in Ammonite Estate Eggshell, £55 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. Six-peg rail, £41, Scumble
Goosie; painted in Vardo Oil Eggshell, £55 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball.

Create a kids' art gallery in juicy fruit shades. Create a dedicated, contained space for children's artwork that's easy to update. Hang a
group of empty, glass-free frames painted in a bright colour and simply
pin each week's masterpieces in them, filing away the old ones.

Wall painted in Gauze Absolute Matt Emulsion, £37 for 2.5ltr; panelling painted in James Intelligent Eggshell, £53 for 2.5ltr; both Little Greene. Pinner table, £1,195; bench, £495; chairs, £395 for two; all Heal's. Rhubarb cabinet, £695, Loaf. Sherbet pendant, £75, Graham and Green. Baskets, from £29 each, Olli Ella. Virserum frames, from £10 each; Söndrum frames, £8 each; all Ikea; painted in Trumpet Intelligent Eggshell, £53 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene.

Frame a feature wallpaper in a vibrant, watercolour pattern. There are so many great designs out there, why not use one as artwork? Choose a
painted-effect pattern and frame it with moulding, painted to match.
This is a great way to mark out a ‘zone' in a multipurpose space.

Walls painted in Dimity Estate Emulsion, £39.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. Nova Kilim rug, £175, Olli Ella. Chelsea coffee table, £399; Marchwood sofa in Sutton Smoke, £2,695; Stanford sideboard, £999; all Content by Terence Conran. Grayson floor lamp, £160, John Lewis. Azim Indigo wall art, £26 per m, Voyage Decoration; frame painted in Aquamarine emulsion, £21.98 for 2.5ltr, Valspar range, B&Q.

Play with paint for an easy update in a sherbet colour scheme. Make a backdrop for creative play, using masking tape to design a simple
‘mountain range' effect. A pop of bright yellow on woodwork makes the
wall colour sing, while butterfly wall stickers are an easy way to add magic.

Wall painted in Brilliant White emulsion (top); Desert Bloom emulsion; both £21.98 for 2.5ltr, Valspar range, B&Q. Herringbone rug, £135, Luma. Bed, from £597, Scumble Goosie; painted in Welcome Pale Intelligent Eggshell, £53 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene. Crate on wheels, £65, Design Vintage. Playroom table, £242; Playroom chairs, £175 for two; pouffe, £120; all Nubie. Strips duvet set, £20, Habitat.

Create a pinboard wall with cork tiles and a few pastel pops. Turn your spare room, landing or a corner of the kitchen into a creative
space for work, homework and household paperwork. Self-adhesive cork
tiles are cheap and can be put up in minutes to turn a whole wall into
an ever-changing collage of notes, photos and inspirational whatnots.

Wall covered in self-adhesive cork tiles, £33.45 per sq m, Walls and Floors. Klimpen/Oddvald desk, £80, Ikea. Eames-style chair, £49, Danetti. Valje wall cabinets, £17 each, Ikea.