Winter blues? No thanks! 7 ways to introduce more colour into your living room

Are you toying with the idea of buying a new sofa? Why not just make a statement out of your old one by adding a bold new colour? It’s much cheaper to give your old sofa or favourite chair a new and revamped look.

Reupholstering a chair

You’ll need: sturdy fabric, universal cutter, stapler, plus a cordless screwdriver for removing armrests and legs.

How it’s done:

• Remove the backrest(s) and legs of the chair, if possible.
• Spread out the fabric with the coloured/patterned side facing the floor and position the seat on top of it, so that the bottom of the seat is facing upwards.
• Cut the fabric accordingly, with a generous border around the sides. Remember that the fabric also has to cover the cushion of the chair.
• Staple the fabric down on one side, leaving the corners free. Now pull the fabric tightly across the seat and staple that side down too. Follow the same process with the remaining two sides.
• Fold down the corners so that the edges follow a neat 45-degree angle around the seat and are all pointing towards the centre. Pull each side tightly again and staple down the corners.

Follow the same steps if your chair has a backrest.

• If the backrest is more round than square-shaped, fold down the edges instead of making corners.
• If you are unable to remove the legs of your chair, try cutting large slits/openings in your fabric.

Small addition, big impact: pictures and prints immediately inject more life and colour into your living room. For example, a single large, expressive painting from an artist such as Mark Rothko makes a real statement. Or you can bring together several pictures in a group, all with the same primary colour.

One obvious way you can inject more colour into your living room is by painting the walls. Dark shades like moss green and midnight blue remain popular, and go well with other colourful accessories. And instead of a whole wall, you could just paint a few interior details – like the inside of a door frame, the background of a shelf or the inside of a wardrobe.

Just like pictures, lamps and lights can help you create an atmosphere – in three different ways:

• Lamps with colourful bulb sockets or vibrant shades can give your floor, wall or ceiling a varied look and feel.
• If you've painted your walls with coloured paint, you can highlight this by illuminating this part of your home
• To add more colour with minimum effort, try using colourful tea light or candle holders.

Just like pictures and lamps, a new rug can give your home a fresh new look – as if you’ve recently renovated. And the rug doesn’t have to be brightly coloured; even one with a subtle pattern will inject some colour.

With multi-coloured curtains, cushions or throws, you can easily create new colour schemes in your living room and keep up with the latest interior design trends. Why not experiment with textures, as well as colours? In winter, thicker fabrics like velvet or wool are better suited, while lighter materials such as linen and silk are ideal come summer time.

Want to add some more colour to your living room, without making a commitment? Then flowers are just the thing! You can use them to change things up on a weekly basis. Our tip: instead of a bouquet, opt for a large bunch of flowers in your favourite colour – it’s cheaper and more eye-catching. Alternatively, you could put some white flowers in a colourful vase.