Elegant Purple

Purple is said to be one of the most mysterious of the colours in the spectrum. And armed with her knowledge, colour consultant Samantha Bacon believes these exotic hues, associated with royalty and the spiritual world, are exciting additions to many country-style homes.

Mid-range shades of purple are very versatile as they are a combination of red and blue and therefore both 'hot' and 'cold'. Purple plays a major role in successful colour schemes as just a small amount in a palette can help cool a warm scheme or, conversely, heat up a cold look.

Deep purple is best in small amounts as it can be overpowering, particularly in a country-style setting. To use it effectively, go for a chair or sofa upholstered in purple, or a feature wall or smaller accessories in this shade. To integrate purple over a wider area, think about adding white to create a lilac that's lighter and softer, and better suited to a modern-country palette. By increasing the proportion of white to soften a hue, its function is extended as all pastels work well together regardless of their origins because they all contain so much white.

Yellow is purple's opposite colour in the spectrum so walls painted in a soft warm cream work extremely well with purple accents. Gold is another fantastic partner for purple, but crisp whites should be avoided. This is because, although it works very well, it creates greater tonal variation and gives a scheme a more contemporary aspect.

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