Blue
Associated with: calming and soothing; promotes intellectual thought; believed to keep hunger at bay; loyalty, serenity, authority, protection, contemplative, prevents nightmares
Best for: bedrooms, bathrooms, studies
Pitfalls: can look cold and unwelcoming. Make sure it doesn't look too chilly by choosing a blue with a warm undertone
Yellow
Associated with: sunshine and energy, stimulates the intellect
Best for: kitchens, dining rooms or north-facing rooms
Pitfalls: not very restful for a bedroom. Yellow is thought to enhance feelings of emotional distress
Lilac
Associated with: spiritual matters - suggests the misty area between the sky and heaven, feminine
Best for: bedrooms and bathrooms to create a stress-free sanctuary
Pitfalls: can be insipid. Liven it up with black or silver, or both
Purple
Associated with: creativity, fertility, joy, but also magic, evil, death and sex
Best for: bedrooms
Pitfalls: can be overpowering
Browen
Associated with: security, stability and very practical
Best for: living rooms
Pitfalls: introduce a livelier colour for mental stimulation such as green or blue
Black
Associated with: death, eccentricity, drama. It's a non-colour that absorbs colour and reflects nothing back
Best for: using in moderation
Pitfalls: depressing - think of all those angst-ridden teenage bedrooms. Use it to temper the sweetness of other sugary colours such as pink, but don't use it as a base colour