This year is seeing a big uplift in demand for neutral paint colours, with consumers using them as a backdrop for bolder paint colours, furniture and accessories.
Neutral colours continue to go from strength to strength in British homes because of their remarkable versatility," says Joanna Bolt, head of trends at Homebase.

"They act as a blank canvas to which you can add colourful accents and accessories to create your own favourite look and style in a room. This means you can dramatically change the look of your room very simply, and is a safe way to experiment with colour."

The trend has persuaded Homebase to add nine new colours to its Home of Colour range for 2014, including shades of brown, fawn, cream and beige.

Greens and blues have also been popular with customers, and new shades of these are amongst the new Home of Colour additions too.

At the same time, the availability of existing greens, blues and greys has been extended over more paint types. Fresh Lime has been added to the hard-wearing Duracoat range, while darker colours such as the grey Urbanite are now in standard emulsion.

Light blues such as Sky have gone down well in customers' living rooms, and so has now been extended to the kitchen and bathroom range.