• “Rose Bay. From the Mediterranean shrub also known as oleander, a colour much loved through the 18th and 19th centuries, this is a lovely rose-pink, ideal for our gentler climes...
• “Carragheen. A rich, deep shade named after the highly-prized edible purple seaweed found off the Irish coast. A startling colour designed for dramatic highlights...
• “Cinnabar red. From small red crystals formed in volcanic deposits and much loved by the Romans for its fiery energy and vitality, this colour makes for a bold, vivacious statement animating any room.”
• All 120 shades come as matt emulsion (water-based), eggshell (water-based), gloss (traditional oil-based), exterior masonry (water-based) and as floor paint (oil-based).

Look along the shelves of your local large DIY store and you will see that neutrals, once boringly confined to magnolia, have been joined by a host of creams, off-whites and taupes. At the other end of the spectrum are the wild colours, some even glittering, that will make a child’s room the envy of their mates. With names like Shocking Pink, Orange Explosion and Acid Lime in Crown’s Feature Wall range, you can even indulge your own colour fantasies with one eye-catching wall, chimney breast or recess, with matching accents in your soft furnishings.

Fancy a Zen-like interior? Then go for a ‘slow’ colour, or combination of slow colours. Slow shades have just a smudge, a trace, of colour – just enough to make things interesting but not enough to be definite. Pale lavender, watery blue and palest green can be used inside or out on walls and ceilings to complement beautiful wood or cork floors.

Modern paints cover superbly but they aren’t cheap. You may be tempted to use the remains of the paint you used on the kids’ bedrooms five years ago, but why expend all that effort shifting the furniture and preparing the surfaces for a less-than-perfect result? The same goes for buying cheap paintbrushes or the wrong type of roller. If it’s ages since you last opened a new tin of paint, much less wielded a roller, brush up on the new paints and techniques first. It will pay dividends.

More colour information:

• Fired Earth’s Elements of Colour paint card features samples of actual paint for perfect matching and is available through local showrooms or tel: 01295 814300.
• You can order colour swatches, calculate how much paint you need and get decorating advice on the Dulux website (www.dulux.co.uk) as well as decorate a virtual room to find a style and colour scheme you like.
• On the Crown website (www.crownpaints.co.uk) you can upload a photo of your room and try out different colour combinations. Find advice on planning, preparation and application on this website, but if you are really stuck you can also get answers to your paint decorating questions on their helpline tel: 0870 2401127.

Further information

Practical advice
BBC – www.bbc.co.uk/homes/diy
B&Q – www.diy.com
Focus – www.focusdiy.co.uk
DIY Doctor – www.diydoctor.org.uk
Homebase – www.homebase.co.uk

Courses
Trade Skills 4U, Crawley – tel: 01293 529777, www.tradeskills4u.co.uk
Women Builders, Milton Keynes – tel: 01908 374455, www.womenbuilders.co.uk

The Web page www.ivillage.co.uk/ homegarden/diy offers a range of DIY information, including courses available across the UK.

Tool parties and women-friendly tools from Tomboy Tools – tel: 029 2081 4196, www.tomboytools.co.uk

Do it at Denman
Denman College is offering a new DIY course, Learn to Fix It. Run by Peter Foss, a former teacher of engineering at Sheffield Hallam University, the course teaches how to fix simple problems
in the home, giving students the confidence to tackle home maintenance tasks, enabling them to save money in basic repairs and gain an understanding of when to call in tradesmen.

Examples of projects covered in the course: mending dripping taps; unblocking sinks and basins; changing electrical fittings, plugs, fluorescent tubes and starters; understanding fuses and contact breakers; and drilling and plugging walls to put up shelves.

Sessions will include: how the item works; how to take it to pieces; choosing and using tools; health and safety issues; possible problems encountered; risk assessment; availability of replacement parts; practical work on typical items.

The Pink Toolbox     

• hammer that packs a punch without weighing so much you can barely lift it;
• four screwdrivers, with magnetic tips, in one easy to swap handle;
• pliers;
• a set of Allen keys plus adjustable wrench;
• scissors;
• disposable craft knife;
• spirit level with magnetic base;
• 5m coiled tape measure; general purpose oil for the likes of sticky locks and squeaky door hinges;
• plus a ‘bits and bobs’ collection including extra fuses.

And there’s plenty of room in the box for you to add your own favourite tools. Price £29.99 – 10 per cent of all online and telephone sales goes to Breast Cancer care.
The Pink Toolbox Company, tel: 01983 248678 or visit www.pinktoolbox.co.uk