Róisín Lafferty’s Five Rules For Intentional Color

TL;DR

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In a Livingetc interview, Irish interior designer Róisín Lafferty outlined five principles for using color in interiors. Her approach starts with the intended mood of a room, then uses color across materials and architectural surfaces to shape its atmosphere and perception.

Irish interior designer Róisín Lafferty has shared five principles for using color in interiors, arguing that choices should begin with a room’s intended feeling and have a clear purpose. In an interview with Livingetc, she described color as an architectural tool that can influence how people experience a room, its proportions and its connection to adjoining spaces.

Lafferty’s first principle is to decide how people should feel in a room before choosing a palette. She said a bedroom might call for a soft, restorative mood, while a dining room could suit a richer, more theatrical treatment. Hallways, experienced in motion, can accommodate stronger or more unexpected color, she said. The starting point need not be paint: stone, glass lighting, rugs and artwork can help establish a room’s emotional register.

Her second principle is to commit to a color rather than limiting it to a small accent. That does not mean using one identical shade on every surface. Lafferty said carrying color across walls, ceilings, doors and joinery can make it feel immersive. She cited a hallway finished in her warm burgundy paint, Moves Like Jagger, and a staircase in cobalt blue as examples from her work, describing the results as enveloping rather than overly loud.

The third principle is to use color to affect how a space is perceived. Lafferty said color can alter the apparent proportions of a room, guide the eye and shape transitions between rooms. The supplied Livingetc excerpt ends partway through this point and does not provide the remaining detail of her explanation. The report’s headline identifies five rules, but the source material available here does not include the full descriptions of rules four and five.

Color as Part of the Room’s Structure

Lafferty’s advice treats color as more than a finishing layer: it is a way to shape how a room feels and how its features relate. For readers planning a renovation or redecoration, that shifts the decision from simply asking which paint shade is appealing to considering the room’s use, lighting, materials and connection to nearby spaces.

Her examples also point to a practical distinction between committing to a color and matching every item precisely. A palette can carry a central color through different materials and related tones, rather than repeating one shade everywhere. That approach may help readers think beyond a single feature wall while still making clear that the interview presents Lafferty’s design principles, not a tested formula or universal standard.

Lafferty’s Approach to Palette Building

Lafferty said her palettes rarely begin with a paint chart. In the Livingetc interview, she described finding starting points in stone veining, landscapes, artwork, travel and memory, then considering how colors interact with materials, light and texture. She said she does not believe in fixed rules about which colors should or should not go together; instead, she looks for a reason behind each choice.

The article presents the principles as guidance from Lafferty’s own practice. It identifies her as the founder and creative director of an Irish design studio working across interior architecture, art and design. The source includes examples of color-drenched projects, but does not provide independent assessments of their results or evidence that the approach produces the same effect in every home.

““I use color almost architecturally.””

— Róisín Lafferty, speaking to Livingetc

The Missing Three Rule Descriptions

The supplied source text is incomplete: it stops during Lafferty’s explanation of using color to manipulate a room and does not include the full text of rules three, four and five. The headline says she shares five rules, but the available material does not establish the content of the final two or the complete wording of the third. No publication date is included in the material provided, and the interview does not report measurements or research testing the effects Lafferty describes.

Full Interview Holds Further Detail

Livingetc’s original interview is the source for Lafferty’s five-rule feature. The complete article would be needed to report the remaining advice and the full explanation of how she uses color to change spatial perception. Until that material is available, the confirmed account is limited to the principles and examples included in the supplied excerpt.

Key Questions

What are the color rules attributed to Róisín Lafferty?

The supplied excerpt details three principles: decide how a room should feel before choosing colors, commit to a color rather than using it only as a small accent, and use color to influence how the space is perceived. The excerpt does not include the complete five-rule list.

Does Lafferty recommend painting every surface the same color?

No. She says commitment does not require making every surface exactly the same shade. Her examples include carrying color across different surfaces and using related tones or contrasts.

Where does Lafferty find inspiration for palettes?

She told Livingetc that palettes may begin with stone, a landscape, artwork, something seen while traveling or a memory. She then considers the relationships between color, material, light and texture.

What remains unknown about the five rules?

The provided source text does not contain the complete description of the third rule or the details of rules four and five. It also does not state when the interview was published.

Source: rss