Róisín Lafferty’s Five Rules For Using Color

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Interior designer Róisín Lafferty shared five principles for making color choices purposeful, in an interview published by Livingetc. Her approach starts with the feeling a room should create and treats color as part of its architecture, materials and atmosphere—not just a finishing layer.

The available source describes the first three rules in detail but cuts off during the third; the final two rules cannot be verified from the material provided.

Interior designer Róisín Lafferty has set out five principles for using color intentionally, arguing that palette choices should begin with a room’s purpose and intended mood rather than a paint chart. In an interview published by Livingetc, she describes color as an architectural tool that can shape how a room feels, guide the eye and affect how spaces connect.

Lafferty says her color choices often start with something beyond paint, including stone veining, landscapes, artwork, travel or memory. The palette then develops through the relationship between color, materials, light and texture. Her central principle is that each choice should have a reason; she does not treat particular color pairings as universally allowed or forbidden.

Her first rule is to decide how a person should feel in a room before choosing what colors to use. In her examples, a bedroom might call for a softer, restorative mood, while a dining room could support a richer, more theatrical treatment. A hallway, experienced while moving through it, may suit a stronger or less expected color choice.

The second rule is to commit to a color rather than limiting it to a small accent. Lafferty describes extending color across walls, ceilings, doors and joinery so it becomes part of the room’s overall environment. She says a fully enveloping treatment can feel calmer than an isolated application, and favors tonal layering or contrast over trying to match every element precisely. Her third rule, as far as the supplied report shows, is to use color to manipulate how a space is perceived; the source excerpt ends before providing its full explanation.

Color as Part of a Room’s Design

Lafferty’s advice frames color as a design decision with effects beyond appearance. A color that continues across a ceiling or doorway, for example, can change the sense of boundaries and influence how the eye moves through a room. That makes the choice relevant to people planning a renovation or decorating project, where color may affect the perceived mood and proportions of a space.

Her approach also offers an alternative to choosing colors solely from a chart or following fixed rules about which shades belong together. Instead, it asks readers to connect palette decisions to mood, material and the way a room is used. These are the designer’s principles, not a guarantee that a particular treatment will work in every home; the results depend on the room and its specific conditions.

From Mood to Color Drenching

The interview presents Lafferty’s own design approach rather than a study or formal set of industry standards. She says color is instinctive for her and that people may feel its effects before consciously registering it. In her view, color can energize, ground or envelop a person, and can alter perceptions of a space.

One practical technique discussed is color drenching: carrying a color across multiple surfaces instead of stopping at the walls. Lafferty cites a hallway treated in a deep burgundy and a staircase in cobalt blue as examples from her work, describing the finished spaces as immersive and refined. The report also names paints used in her studio, but the supplied excerpt does not offer a complete account of all five rules or the full set of examples.

“I use color almost architecturally.”

— Róisín Lafferty, speaking to Livingetc

The Remaining Two Rules

The source material supplied for this article cuts off during Lafferty’s discussion of her third rule, “Use Color to Manipulate the Space.” It does not include the rest of that explanation or the fourth and fifth rules. Their wording and supporting examples therefore cannot be reported from this excerpt. The material also gives no publication date for the Livingetc interview and does not identify specific projects beyond the examples described by Lafferty.

Full Interview Holds More Detail

The next step for readers seeking the complete set of five principles is to consult the full Livingetc interview, which may provide the missing sections and further examples. Based on the available excerpt, Lafferty’s stated method begins with the intended mood, asks designers to commit to their chosen colors and uses color to affect spatial perception. No additional announcement or follow-up development is included in the source material.

Key Questions

What is Róisín Lafferty’s main principle for choosing colors?

Lafferty says each color choice should have a reason. She recommends deciding what feeling a room should create before settling on a palette.

Does Lafferty say certain colors should never be paired?

No. In the interview, she says she does not believe in fixed rules about which colors should or should not sit together. She emphasizes the intention behind a choice.

What does color drenching mean in the interview?

It means carrying color across several surfaces—such as walls, ceilings, doors and joinery—so it shapes the whole environment rather than appearing only as a small accent.

Are all five rules available in the supplied report?

No. The source excerpt explains the first two rules and begins the third, but ends before completing it. It does not provide the fourth or fifth rules.

Source: rss