Mixed seasons

Living alone you can decorate everything true to your season, but what happens when you live with others who may have completely different colour personalities?

Ever seen a couple trying to redecorate their home and select colours? If they both agree readily on the same colours they will generally share a common colour personality, which means that the combinations that appeal to one will generally appeal to the other. If they both can't agree on anything, chances are they have different colour personalities. If this sounds like your household, don't despair! Accommodating the personalities of different family members is easy when you know how:

• Allocate each family member a favourite room, such as their bedroom, and let them select furnishings and colours for that space that suit their colour personality. That way in at least one part of the house they will feel truly at home in. Bedrooms are an ideal room for this.
  

• To incorporate the seasons of other family members accessorise the room with one item from each family member's dominant season. For example, to appeal to an Autumn personality in a Spring room you might add an ethnic artefact to reinforce their dominant personality.
  

• Colour personalities do overlap. Look for the common ground and use that as the basis for your colour scheme. For example, Springs and Summers both like curved shapes, Springs and Autumns both like warm palettes, creams, ivories and wooden furniture, Springs and Winters like large windows with simple window treatments and cool palettes, Summers and Autumns like mid toned woods and share taste in mellow muted colours, while Autumns and Winters enjoy intense dark colours and opt for textures rather than patterns.