Soft Blue at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

Soft blue is an easy-to-live-with shade that gives this plain and simple kitchen heaps of style. A slightly paler blue than the units has been painted on the walls to create a little depth and glass splashbacks have been fixed in place, allowing the colour to be seen while adding a little sparkle. White, chrome and plum accessories lift the look and a wooden worktop adds warmth, which is important as some shades of blue can be cold.

There's plenty of white in this room but, rather originally, not on the walls. The table, chairs and shelving unit are all in clean white, as is the Mirror frame. Floorboards are pale and subtle and the walls are where the soft lilac colours are introduced. Cool tones make walls appear further away and here, the soft grey and misty lilac enhance the feeling of space. A lilac tablecloth and napkins, plus the odd splash of blue and purple on glassware and china, add more soft colour.

Such variations make a huge difference to the effect of color combinations; different intensities of one basic color create a completely different feel. Take an apparently simple association of blue and yellow. Pale blue and pale yellow is a soft, unchallenging combination with a restful and airy feel to it. Now consider a mixture of golden yellow and violet blue and you have a far more vibrant and challenging effect which makes much more of a statement.