Feeling low? It may be because the colours in your home are not creating the right environment, writes KATHERINE MacALISTER. Certain rooms crave specific colours and without them you could cause unnecessary stress.

That's the thinking behind colour theory, which is fast replacing feng shui in trendiness. And now that winter is drawing in, what better time to cheer up your home?

We consulted interior designer Suk Dosanjh to advise what colours might be right up your street.

She said: "It is very tempting and reassuring to choose light colours when redecorating, but they could be having more of an effect on your life than you realise.

"In order to inject that extra bit of sparkle into our lives it is essential to combine a cheerful colour combination. That does not mean we paint the whole house tangerine, but a splash of colour can add dimension and do us good. "Prison cells, for example, had always been painted white until pyschologists suggested that pink - associated with peace and creativity - would reduce aggression in jails.

"The results were startling and many companies followed suit and painted their offices the same colour."

Suk, 29, works for colour theory company Arjan Saness, which is opening in Oxford soon. She said: "We have received so many calls from people interested in colour therapy. It has really taken off." She was recently called in by a client whose sitting-room was all blue, but no-one ever used it. "We used yellow to complement it and it suddenly became much friendlier. Before it was cold, not somewhere you could relax."

Suk advises home-makers never to use all the same colour in one room, such as the walls, sofas, and carpet.

"Instead you could contrast with another colour in the curtains and cushions and accentuate with gold and silver frames."

*Arjan Saness can be reached on 0118 9756002. Consultations cost £40 an hour.

SUK'S TOP COLOUR TIPS

ORANGE - Creates a cosy, social atmosphere, ideal for dining rooms

TURQUOISE - Ideal for any room and renews energy levels; a great balancer

YELLOW - A great welcoming, happy colour, good for halls and bedrooms

BLUE - Can be very tranquil, especially in the bathroom

GREEN - Great for a study or sitting-room, good for people who enjoy reading; creates a calm, relaxing ambience, depending on the shade used - deeper bottle greens should be used only for accessories or alongside a lighter colour

PINK - Soothing and calming, so great for an office or bedroom, where it is seen as romantic

VIOLET - Good for spiritual development

WHITE - Can be very stark; best as a canvas for photos, paintings etc

CREAM - A lonely colour on its own, but great to complement brighter or darker colours

RED - Creates stress

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