Beige reign set to end as one fifth want to be braver with colour in the home

LONDON 20th July: Brits are playing it safe with interior design as new research reveals the domination of grey, beige and whites in the nation’s homes. In fact, 69% admit their entire home is painted in a single one of these colours.

Interior experts at Taskrabbit are calling for this reign of “basic beige” to be over. Almost one fifth of Brits (18%) admit they wish they were brave enough to inject more colour into their homes, describing colourful pads as cheerful (36%), fun (36%) and energising (25%). 

What’s stopping Brits from banning the beige is the fact that almost one in three (27%) think neutral colours are more practical, 17% aren’t confident they would know which colours make the perfect pairing and 16% say they don’t trust their DIY skills to make bold colours look good. Colour-cautious Brits are also worried about what impact bold colours can have when it comes to selling or moving on from their current place, with over 3.2million*  worrying that colours in the home could put potential buyers off. 6% also fear it will reduce the value of their home.

For the 18% who said they’re nervous to commit to painting their walls brighter colours, there is always the option to turn to furniture, soft furnishings, and finishing touches to make homes brighter. Almost half (48%) are willing to swap neutral soft furnishings for something more colourful and 39% are keen to use houseplants and flowers to bring colour into the home. 

Commenting on the findings, Begum Zarmann, Managing Director at Taskrabbit Europe said: “Whilst neutral tones are the default interior choice for many, we’re calling for people to bring back colour and have fun with their interiors. It can be daunting introducing bolder tones, but it’s clear colourful homes are viewed as more cheerful and energising. If you need a helping hand to take something off your list, or you’re one of the 16% who don’t trust their DIY skills to take on a colour-centric job, there’s always help at hand with Taskers available in your area to make those colour dreams come true.”

There is hope that the future of interiors is less grey and beige, with the colour education of the nation already being seen throughout social media. The TikTok trend of seasonal colour analysis now has a whopping 76.8m views for example. 

In fact 16% say they have used a colour analysis filter on social media to identify the colours that best suit them, indicating there is a real appetite for finding out how colour can work best. Specifically in the home environment, one in ten want help understanding what colour can be used in the home to enhance the environment.

In a bid to help the nation be braver when it comes to using colour in their homes to create a warm and colourful environment, Taskrabbit has partnered with colour expert, interior designer and TV presenter Sophie Robinson who is joining the Taskrabbit platform for a limited time offering colour consultations. 

Those looking to get bespoke advice on incorporating colour into their home can book a limited session with her here. The sessions are £15 with all proceeds going to Sophie’s charity of choice, Furnishing Futures.

Sophie has also shared her top tips on knowing which colours are going to compliment each other and how to create a colourful oasis in your home. 

1. Go with your favourite colour

When it comes to making confident colour choices for your décor, it’s worth enquiring into what colours you love that make you feel happy. It might be a colour you wear that helps you feel confident or a favourite gemstone. I love to look to nature; a favourite flower or landscape is a great place to look for colour inspiration. I have even had clients want to paint a room in their favourite football teams’ colour, and if it makes them happy I sgive them full permission to go for it. Honestly anything goes.

2. Accessories that make a splash

You don’t have to drench all the walls in bold colour to get a positive effect. Adding in some colourful cushions, rolling out a bold new rug, or switching beige lampshades for colourful ones are effective ways to punctuate your room with bold colour. Better still you can do this slowly over time, so enjoy collecting your favourite colourful pieces.

3. Say it with paint

Having said that, paint is undoubtedly the way to get the biggest transformation for the least amount of money. Rolling out a new hue across all the walls is thrilling but don’t overlook the smaller details. Using a small tin of paint to pick out your window frames in a bold new hue or a give lick of fresh colour to a tired piece of furniture are quick and easy ways to instantly update a room.

4. Pick your palette

When starting a colour scheme from scratch a great hack is to use a swatch of fabric or wallpaper as your jumping off point. They will present you with a palette of colours that you can be sure sit beautifully together, and from this you can select a colour for walls, floors, furniture and accessories that will blend harmoniously.

5. Dress the walls

Artists are masters of colour and I’m often inspired by the colour combinations they use. Hanging art is an integral part of a successful room scheme so pick a picture that enhances your overall scheme or the mood you are trying to create. I’d advise investing in one statement piece or building up a gallery wall of graphic pictures. There are plenty of tutorials on social media on how to paint your own simple murals and wall art which helps keep things creative, personal and above all affordable. 

6. Don’t let people’s judgement hold you back 

Taskrabbit found that people are nervous about embracing colour in their home as they’re worried what people will make of it and that it may impact them when they go to move. Worrying about what other people will think of your interiors is “insanity”, and my biggest piece of advice is to “go with your gut.” It’s impossible for everyone to like everything you do anyway because we all have different tastes. Do what you want in your own house and enjoy it. You’ll only be disappointed if you don’t!

7. Think in threes

I find that three is a magic number when pulling a scheme together, with the hero colour being around 60-70% of the scheme (think walls, floors or large pieces of furniture) then the secondary colour being around 20-30% (for example soft furnishings) and the final accent colour around 10-5% (that’s cushions, artwork and vases). You can add neutrals in with this, I call them a free colour, and can be found in wood flooring and furniture for example.

8. Get a helping hand

If you’re embracing a bold colour, you want to get it right. If you’re nervous about taking on a DIY job or you just want someone to take the pressure off you, bring in a helping hand. Whether that is an interior designer who can advise on the best colour combos or a handy person who can come in and get the job done in a flash, remember you don’t have to take it all on yourself. Taskrabbit has a large network of skilled Taskers on the platform who are there to help get the job done whether that is painting walls, helping reupholster furniture or hang some new colourful curtains. 

For more information, please contact: Taskrabbit@hopeandglorypr.com / 0203 588 9700

*Calculated based on the World Population Review reporting that there are 53,369,083 adults in the UK over 18 and based on 6.8% of people responding that they think a colourful home could impact the value of their home.

About Taskrabbit

Taskrabbit is the global network that connects skilled, reliable Taskers with people from their local communities seeking help with household tasks, such as furniture assembly, handy work, moving help, and much more. Acquired by Ingka Group (IKEA Retail) in 2017, Taskrabbit operates across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Monaco, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Taskrabbit is headquartered in San Francisco with European headquarters in London.

To find out more, please visit www.taskrabbit.co.uk or join the conversation with @Taskrabbit on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube.