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Interior designer Róisín Lafferty shared five principles for using color with intention in a Livingetc report. Her approach starts with the mood a room should create, then treats color as part of the architecture and connects it to materials, light and texture rather than relying on fixed color-pairing rules.
Interior designer Róisín Lafferty has shared five principles for using color to shape the mood and perception of a room, in a Livingetc report. Rather than relying on strict rules about which shades belong together, Lafferty says designers should have a clear reason for each choice and consider how color works with architecture, materials, light and texture.
Lafferty’s first principle is to decide how people should feel in a room before settling on a palette. She describes color as an emotional as well as visual decision: a bedroom might call for a soft, restorative atmosphere, while a dining room could support a richer, more theatrical treatment. Hallways, experienced in motion, may suit a stronger or less expected choice.
Her second principle is to commit to a chosen color instead of restricting it to a small accent. That can mean carrying a shade across walls, ceilings, doors and joinery, though it does not require every surface to be identical. Lafferty says layered tones or high contrast can create a more considered result than attempting to match every element precisely.
The remaining principles in the report frame color as an architectural tool, encourage drawing palettes from materials and references beyond paint charts, and call for a clear intention behind each decision. The supplied report excerpt gives detail on the first three principles, but does not include the full text of the final two. Lafferty’s general position is that color can shift perceived proportions, mark or soften boundaries, and guide the eye from one room to another.
Color as Part of the Architecture
Lafferty’s guidance addresses a familiar design choice: whether color should be treated as a finishing layer or built into a room’s overall plan. Her approach puts it alongside proportion, movement and atmosphere, giving readers a way to think beyond selecting a wall shade in isolation.
That distinction can affect how a space feels and how its parts relate. Continuing a color onto a ceiling or door may make it feel more enveloping, while a deliberate shift between rooms can shape the experience of moving through a home. These are design principles, not guaranteed outcomes; the effect depends on the room, its light, materials and the specific colors used.
interior wall paint colors for mood
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Lafferty’s Color-First Approach
In the Livingetc report, Lafferty says her palettes often begin with sources other than a paint chart, including stone veining, landscapes, artwork, travel and memory. She then considers how the resulting colors relate to materials, light and texture. This process reflects her broader view that color is not simply decoration added at the end of a project.
She gives examples from her studio’s work: a hallway wrapped in a deep burgundy paint she calls Moves Like Jagger, a staircase treated in cobalt blue, and a studio where Zallal on the walls continues into Dahana on the ceiling. The report presents these as examples of her practice, not as universal prescriptions for every interior.
“I use color almost architecturally.”
— Róisín Lafferty, in the Livingetc report
Two Rules Not Detailed in the Excerpt
The supplied source material does not include the complete wording or supporting examples for the fourth and fifth rules. It also gives no publication date, so the timing of the report cannot be narrowed beyond its appearance on Livingetc. The article presents Lafferty’s professional advice and examples; it does not cite research testing how particular colors affect mood or perceived room dimensions.
Applying the Principles Room by Room
The report offers a framework readers can apply to their own spaces: define the intended mood, identify a starting point for the palette, and decide whether color should continue across more than one surface. Lafferty’s examples suggest considering walls, ceilings, doors and joinery together, while checking how materials, light and texture interact.
No further announcement or follow-up is identified in the supplied material. Readers looking for the complete five-rule list can consult the original Livingetc report; the excerpt provided here does not spell out the final two principles in full.
Key Questions
What is Róisín Lafferty’s first color rule?
She recommends deciding how people should feel in a room before choosing specific colors, then building the palette around that intended atmosphere.
What does committing to a color mean?
It means giving the color a meaningful role in the room rather than limiting it to a small accent. Lafferty describes carrying color across surfaces such as walls, ceilings, doors and joinery; she does not say every surface must use exactly the same shade.
Does Lafferty follow fixed rules about which colors go together?
No. She says she does not believe in fixed rules about which colors should or should not sit together. Her stated rule is that each choice should have a clear reason.
Where does Lafferty find inspiration for color palettes?
She cites stone, landscapes, artwork, travel and memory as possible starting points, alongside paint. She then considers how colors relate to materials, light and texture.
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