Learn to follow the 10 commandments

Colour expert, interior designer and Taubman's colour creative director Shaynna Blaze said research shows 70 per cent of Australians lack the confidence to experiment with colour, a statistic she'd like to help change.

Blaze has recently compiled the 10 commandments of colour to give homeowners the knowledge, tips and rules they need to confidently choose colours for their homes.

"I like to think of it as a visual guide to selecting the right colour," she said.

"Including how to manipulate space with colour, how to get colour proportions right in your room and which colour combinations might work for your home."

Ms Blaze picked three of the commandments she found most useful.

■ When picking your colour scheme get the proportions correct.

"There's the 60-30-10 rule — divide your room into 60 per cent of a dominant colour, 30 per cent of a secondary colour and 10 per cent of an accent colour," she said.

"You'll capture your overall theme with the 60 per cent hue, provide visual interest with the 30 per cent colour and your 10 per cent shade, much like jewellery, provides a little sparkle and pop."

■ Manipulate space with colour combinations.

"The rule to remember is that cool colours appear to recede, whereas warm colours seem to come towards you.

"So to make a space seem bigger, use a cool colour on the walls but to make a large room seem cozier, use warm colours."

■ Add to a colour palette by using black.

Colours like indigo and blue are also on trend this year.

"They're dramatic moody colours which, when contrasted with crisp grey-whites, give a very sophisticated look.

"Other on-trend colours that I love at the moment are pastel shades like teals, baby pinks and coral-like salmons."

Taubmans has a Paint Your Own Room Tool on its website so visitors can upload a picture of their room and select colours and paints for the space.

Details: taubmans.com.au