One living room, four moods with Dulux blues for 2026

Have fun with your living room walls (and ceilings) with a scheme that's joyful and unexpected. Here, Colour blocking techniques using yellow and green from the multicoloured Feel Free colour story create a light-hearted, modern backdrop while our vibrant Free Groove™ adds clever contrast. Extending from the corridor into the living room, this brilliant blue creates a visual connection between the two spaces and helps the scheme hang together.

To master this bold look:

1. Use colour blocking to create sections of green and yellow on walls and ceilings
2. Incorporate Free Groove™ as hero colour for contrast.
3. Extend Free Groove™ from the corridor to the living room for cohesion.

Painted in the warm neutrals and terracottas of the Flow colour story, this is a room that says 'come in, sit down, make yourself at home' – perfect for entertaining. In the background, the soft sky blue, Mellow Flow™ the lead blue in this palette – balances out the warm colours and brings a refreshing, modern touch.

To create this welcoming atmosphere:

1. Use warm neutrals and terracottas as your base colours
2. Add Mellow Flow™ as an accent to balance the warmth
3. Incorporate cozy textures in furnishings to enhance the inviting feel

Our Slow colour story is all about creating a switch-off space – somewhere quiet where you can relax and recharge your batteries. Here, misty blue gives a restful, cocooning feel while the dark blue of the corridor floor that extends into the room gives it a dash of contemporary blue interior design. This meditative blue - Slow Swing™ is the hero in this palette. Rich and grounding, it is the perfect shade to bring a sense of stability to a neutral scheme.

To achieve this look:

1. Paint the walls in a soft, misty blue
2. Extend Slow Swing™ from the corridor to the living room floor
3. Add neutral furniture to complement the calming atmosphere

Our Colours of the Year blues work brilliantly together to create a natural flow in a living room. Sharing the same cooling, calming qualities, they bring a restful balance to a room but also offer scope for any number of different moods. By playing with the proportions of each, you can create just the feel you need. Dulux has easy-to-use options for every wall. 

To orchestrate this blue symphony:

1. Use Free Groove™ as your primary colour
2. Layer Mellow Flow™ and Slow Swing™ to create depth and interest
3. Adjust the proportions of each blue to fine-tune the room's atmosphere

Find out how to transform the mood of your living room with our 2026 colour stories, discover quick and ingenious colour tricks for every room in your home,  and pick the perfect indigo shade for you here