WE ALL know that light colours help rooms to feel bright and airy, but get it wrong and your space can look bland and boring.

Remember, when you are choosing your paint colours that pale-coloured walls tend to reflect any other stronger colours around them. For example, ivory walls next to deep navy curtains will take on a grey-blue tinge.

Even colours from outside can have an impact, so if your window looks out on to a bottle green garage door, your walls may take on that tone.

North-facing rooms receive a cooler, blue-toned daylight so choose a neutral colour that has a warm yellow undertone. It will cheer up the mood of the room, even on dull days.

In south-facing rooms, go for neutrals with a blue base silver or icy whites, which give the room a cool and sophisticated look. Avoid neutrals with yellow undertones as they can take on an orangey glow.

If you live in a modern house, decorating walls in a single colour tends to make the room look boxy and can be uninteresting. Create a feature wall by painting or papering one in a different tone to the rest.

The design of your furniture becomes even more important in an all-neutral scheme so it is a good idea to be consistent with the mood you want to create.

For an ornate, elegant look, choose a sofa with scroll arms and legs on show and furniture with delicate carved trims.

For a contemporary feel, furniture with clean lines and simple cubed shapes will give the best effect.

Pale curtains aren't always a practical choice, especially if they hang to the floor. You can stop the ends getting dirty by adding a band of fabric in a darker shade or pattern along the bottom to create a protective layer.

Introduce natural materials - try rattan and wicker storage, sisal and coir flooring, hessian curtains with rope tie backs and leather or suede seating.

Almost every tone of wood works in a neutral room scheme except very red woods.

You can create optical illusions with rimless mirrors, which will blend in completely with a neutral scheme so that you scarcely notice the mirror but feel the effect of twice the space.

Give neural walls and pale furniture added sophistication by teaming them with dark wood or laminate floorboards.

The darker the colour, the more pale shades in the room will stand out and the cleaner and crisper your room will feel. Use dark wood accessories to finish the look.

For details of a full House Doctor Service, contact the design team at Honeysuckle Interiors, Oakley, on 01256 780831 or visit the website honeysuckleinteriors.co.uk