How to use 2023’s colours of the year in your decor schemes

Embrace all-out pink maximalism with a top-to-bottom colour wash (including walls, ceilings and skirting) to fully envelop a room in rose-tinted warmth. For a subtler approach, use magenta or raspberry as an accent shade for instant mood-boosting mojo.

You only need a small dose to make a serious statement, from simple touches like a flower-filled vase to a changeable assortment of hot pink cushions. A colourful lamp, such as Pooky’s Pat table lamp in Cosmo Pink, will inject personality into a boring corner, or perhaps paint the inside of a cupboard in a shade like Annie Sloan’s Capri Pink Chalk Paint for a cheerful colour pop every time you open the door. Go big with Sofology’s Alchemist sofa in Fuchsia, a modern riff on the classic Chesterfield shape and upholstered in a tactile yet durable textured velvet.

Bolder pinks will complement the paler shades of blush and grey that have dominated decor trends in recent years. Feeling fearless? Colour lovers can embrace a dopamine-drenched clash by combining a trio of shades that sit close together on the colour wheel, such as magenta, scarlet and orange.

If you’re worried about picking a pink that’s too saccharine, try Dulux’s Terra-rose, an earthy, grown-up shade which works well with historic mid-greens – a colour coupling that’s centuries old. Fans of this dusky pink should consider the modern lines of Sofology’s Finchley sofa, upholstered in Drift Plum durable woven fabric – a compact design ideal for tighter spaces.

Forget sludgy shades and channel Seventies chic with enlivening tones of terracotta, rust and paprika; brownish colours which can transport you (figuratively, of course) from drizzly Blighty to a sunbaked Tuscan palazzo in June.

Paint and wallpaper maker Graham and Brown picked Alizarin as its colour of the year 2023, a “refreshingly warm auburn hue” which sits somewhere between russet red and spicy terracotta. Wood furniture works perfectly with this organic vibe. Alizarin is a timeless, versatile shade which makes an impact without being shouty about it. You can pair it with royal blue or go tonal with the cinnamon hues of Sofology’s Weekend sofa in Biba Rust premium velvet, a clever, modernist-inspired design featuring customisable back cushions that you can pop anywhere you like.

Layer sunny shades of amber into a design scheme for a failsafe feelgood factor. Mellow yellow hues work well in more neutral settings such as a bedroom; artfully drape a mustard throw over white bed linens and dress windows in honey-coloured curtains or blinds.

Painting a front door in amber says “welcome” like no other colour, while a sunshine makeover for kitchen cabinets is an uplifting, confident look that doesn’t take itself too seriously. From intense turmeric, to softer shades like Dulux Heritage Brushed Gold, the amber palette compliments greys, terracottas and pinks. Indeed, the yellow tones of Sofology’s Fluted Isla accent chair in Mustard velvet fabric make it a splendid companion shade to Raspberry Blush.