Decorate your living room in green

Green is soothing and relaxing, but can overwhelm a space in its darker shades, check out our golden rules for making it work in your home

Rule 1: Very pale green can look insipid so paint all walls in a shade with depth, such as a bright olive.

Rule 2: balance the colour with natural elements. Softer sage greens and rich chocolate are perfect for soft furnishings and accessories.

Rule 3: Choose white paintwork to keep the room looking fresh and continue the natural theme with a seagrass carpet.

Rule 4: Opt for a light natural-linen sofa to contrast against the green walls, but balance with darker armchairs.

Rule 5: Use fabric with large prints on a white background to break up blocks of colour.

Get the look
Walls painted in Pale Lime, £20.50 for 2.5ltr, The Little Greene Paint Company. Standard Seagrass carpet, £14.80 per sq m, Kersaint Cobb. Man Ray Sofa in Essential Linen, £1,499, Sofa Workshop. Cindy Armchair, £295, Heal's. Ripocca footstool, £250 plus 2m fabric, covered in Rosiers LMF5411, £33.95 per m, Today Interiors. Curtain made in Rosiers LMF5411, £33.95 per m, Today Interiors. Hour glass side table, from £225, Content by Conran. Oak shelves, £19.95 each, Dwell. On footstool: wooden tray, £12, Heal's. Potted plants, Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Centre. On side table: Lamp, £40, Wallace Sacks. Gibraltar Mocha tumbler, £2.50, Heal's. Wooden bowl, £5.95, Muji. Green City Vase, £12, John Lewis. Cushions on sofa from left: cushion made in Cannes RIF5257, £28.89 per m, Natasha Marshall @ Today Interiors. Green cushion made in Chester Olive, £29 per m, Jane Churchill. Tesica fern cushion, £30, John Lewis. Green cushion as before. Foliage cushion, £14.99, Homebase. On shelves: succulents in slate pots, £11.99 each, Homebase. Suede frame, £24, The Dormy House. Ribba frame, £4.99, IKEA. Oak frame, £4.99, Dunelm Mill. Miscela walnut frame, £7.50, Paperchase. Set of succulents in white pots, £14, Next.

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