Róisín Lafferty’s Five Rules For Using Color At Home

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Livingetc has published Irish interior designer Róisín Lafferty’s five principles for using color with intention, based on her approach to mood, materials and architecture. The available source details three principles; it does not provide the full text of the remaining two, so their content cannot be confirmed here.

Irish interior designer Róisín Lafferty has shared a set of five principles for using color in interiors, arguing that palettes should begin with a clear purpose rather than a paint chart. In an interview published by Livingetc, she describes color as a tool for shaping mood and spatial perception, not simply a decorative finish.

Lafferty says she first considers how a room should feel, then develops its palette. A bedroom might call for a soft, restorative atmosphere, she says, while a dining room can support a richer, more theatrical treatment. Hallways and other transitional spaces may suit stronger choices because people experience them while moving through the home.

Her second principle is to commit to a chosen color rather than confining it to a small accent. That could mean carrying it across walls, ceilings, doors and joinery. Lafferty says this fuller application can feel more enveloping and less loud than a limited splash of an intense color. She describes using deep burgundy through hallways and cobalt blue on staircases, while noting that a committed palette does not require every surface to match exactly.

The third principle described in the source is to use color to influence spatial perception. Lafferty says color can affect how a room’s proportions read, direct the eye and shape the perceived relationship between adjoining spaces. Her palettes may start with materials or references beyond paint, including stone, artwork, landscapes, travel and memory, with texture and light considered alongside color.

Color as a Design Decision

Lafferty’s advice frames color as an early design decision with practical effects on the experience of a home. For readers planning a renovation or refresh, that means starting with the intended mood and the room’s role may be more useful than choosing a popular shade in isolation. It also broadens the palette beyond paint: a rug, stone surface, lighting fixture or artwork can provide the starting point.

Her approach also offers a way to make bold choices more coherent. Rather than treating a vivid hue as a stand-alone feature, the designer recommends giving it a meaningful place in the room and considering how it relates to materials, light and adjacent spaces. These are design principles, not evidence that one palette or technique works for every home; individual results depend on the room and the people using it.

Lafferty’s Architectural Approach

Lafferty’s central argument in the Livingetc interview is that she does not follow fixed rules about which colors should or should not be paired. Instead, she says each choice should have a reason. If the intention is clear, she argues, a space can be bold and still feel balanced.

She also describes color as something that can extend beyond walls. Carrying a tone onto ceilings, doors or built-in joinery can change how enclosed or continuous a room feels. The source identifies Lafferty as the founder and creative director of an Irish design studio; it characterizes the practice as working across interior architecture, art and design.

“My rule is that there needs to be a reason for every choice.”

— Róisín Lafferty, in an interview with Livingetc

Two Rules Not Detailed

The supplied Livingetc report material introduces a five-rule framework but includes details only for the first three principles. It ends during the discussion of how color can manipulate a space, so the fourth and fifth rules cannot be identified from the material available here. The headline’s reference to five rules should not be taken as confirmation of their missing wording or substance.

The source also does not provide a publication date, project measurements, client feedback or comparative evidence showing how the described techniques affect people across different homes. Lafferty’s statements are presented as her professional approach and design advice, not as tested findings or universal rules.

Full Five-Rule Account

The next useful step for readers seeking the complete set is to consult the full Livingetc interview, which is the source for Lafferty’s comments. Based on the available material, no further announcement, project launch or follow-up from the designer is confirmed. Until the remaining sections are available, only the three principles described above can be reported with confidence.

Key Questions

What is Róisín Lafferty’s main rule for using color?

She says every color choice should have a clear reason, such as the mood or spatial effect it is meant to create.

How does Lafferty suggest choosing a room’s palette?

She recommends deciding how people should feel in the room before selecting colors. She also says a palette can begin with materials, artwork or other references, not only a paint chart.

What does committing to a color mean?

It means letting a color play a substantial role in the environment, potentially across walls, ceilings, doors or joinery. Lafferty says this does not require every surface to be exactly the same shade.

Are all five rules available in the source material?

No. The supplied report gives details for three principles and does not include the remaining two. Their content is not confirmed by the material available for this article.

Source: rss