14 incredibly colourful period homes

Are you looking to redecorate a period home? Would you like to be more colour confident? We've rounded up our favourite colour-filled homes spanning the whole spectrum to help get your creative juices flowing and to spur ideas for a interior refresh.

1. Bold blues brighten a kitchen diner

It was a bold move for Henry Miller and Jin Ho Kang to introduce wall-to-wall Drawing Room Blue from Farrow & Ball into their kitchen-diner, even down to the skirting, but the result is really effective as this image proves. Flooded with light on three sides, the space was able to take a dramatic hue but remain bright and airy. Discover more kitchen paint ideas to make over your room.

2. Choose pastels for a light, retro kitchen

There’s a colour at every turn in Becky Blair’s Edwardian terraced home. When designing her Howdens kitchen she chose to incorporate a bank of blue cabinets alongside white for a playful mix and match feel. To complete the look she has dotted the space with punchy furniture and retro accessories, from pendant lamps to an iconic Eames chair. Love the look? Be inspired to create a retro kitchen with our ideas.

3. Bring sunshine into a living room with yellow

When she first moved into her Edwardian terrace Becky Blair’s sitting room was one of the darker rooms in the house, but wall-to-wall Yellow Ground by Farrow & Ball gave the space a cheery new lease of life and provides a great backdrop for her quirky collectables and decorative, colourful prints.  

4. Make a family kitchen colourful with reclaimed finds

Rather than introducing colour on walls, the Morenikejis brought their kitchen to life with bright pieces of vintage furniture from Rajasthan, a blue Rangemaster cooker and colour-pop accessories. Owners of the quirky interiors store Scaramanga, their home is an extension of their passion for travel and reclaimed pieces.

5. Put bold primary shades in the living room

‘Period homes aren’t perfect, so we were relaxed about introducing pattern and colour – the busier the better!’ says Laura Clark of her Readers' Homes Award-winning transformation of a Victorian semi. Taking inspiration from the primary colours in a Minton-tiled hallway, colour-confident Laura chose a bold scheme of yellow, blue, green and grey with pops of red to run throughout the house. In the living room Laura chose a statement wallpaper from More By Design at Not on the Highstreet and to temper the busy print chose a Made sofa in a bold blue velvet teamed with a mix of scatter cushions.  

6. Create a bright bohemian bedroom

In the bedroom of their beautiful French farmhouse the Chollet’s have cleverly used colour to highlight its beautiful architectural beams but also to create a playful bohemian feel. For similar shades suitable for walls and wood try Lakeland Paints. Love the look? Be inspired by these French-style bedroom ideas.

7. Decorate a bold and blousy bathroom

Interior designer Jane Ashton fell in love with some vintage floral wallpaper and used it as the basis for a unique and head-turning bathroom scheme. To add extra wow-factor she painted her Aston Matthew’s bath tub in co-ordinating vibrant orange to create a lavish focal point. Find more inspiring traditional roll top bath ideas in our feature.

8. Paint a colourful, quirky kitchen

Pink in a kitchen? Why not! Just one of the colourful rooms in Asthall Manor, the kitchen was painted pink by owner Rosie Pearson and aptly sets the mood for the lively hub of the home. Teamed with a blueish-green, the space is further brought to life with colour pops from Rosie's large collection of hand-crafted ceramics and a kitchen table laden with fresh homegrown produce. For a similar peachy pink try French Rose by Sanderson. Copy the look by painting your kitchen cabinets.

9. Liven up a calm sitting room with colourful artwork

For lovers of colourful artwork and textiles a neutral backdrop makes a great blank canvas for displaying your cherished possessions. These prints are by street artist Maya Hayuk and the cushions are from Graham & Green. Find out how to display your favourite artwork and photos to best effect.

10. Colour blocking in a living room 

‘Mid-century colours add a Modernist look that works well with the bones of the house,’ says Julia Grant of her Victorian terrace. Using zesty yellow walls as a base, she stamped her bold style on the living room by covering a sofa in striking blue Villa Nova fabric, adding a striped rug from Habitat, and artwork picked up at fleamarkets. For a similar yellow try Earthborn's Daisy Chain. Find out how to use colour blocking to best effect in your home.

11. Create a classic kitchen with colourful accents

The Nasse family chose Little Greene's calming Bone China Blue Deep for their Shaker-style kitchen cabinetry, but have enlivened the scheme with fresh flowers, vintage Cornishware and industrial pendants (for similar try Urban Cottage Industries) to bring energy to their bustling family kitchen.  

12. Give a traditional bathroom a cheery look

Small spaces like bathrooms are a great space to have fun with colour. Painted in a vibrant yellow, this space is bound to leave you feeling invigorated in the morning and ready to face the day. For a similar shade try Tibetan Gold from Crown. Find more inspiring paint ideas for your bathroom.

13. Go for turquoise in a living room

If you're lucky enough to have rooms with grand proportions and plenty of light, then bright colours can really create impact without being overpowering. Often seen across Persian porcelain, popular pottery and jewellery of the 1930s, this Turquoise Blue shade from Little Greene serves as the perfect backdrop for the living room of  Gavin Waddell's Georgian townhouse and his collection of antiques. Discover the best living room paint ideas (in our opinion).

14. Create period drama in a dining room

Former Readers’ Homes Awards winner Leiset Kemink chose Farrow & Ball’s Rectory Red on the walls of her dining room to create a grand, dramatic feel in the occasional space. Read our guide to ensure you choose the right paint colour for all your rooms.

More inspiration on decorating with colour:

• The best paint colours from Farrow & Ball 2018
• Real home transformation: a 1920s semi becomes a unique and colourful family home
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