Despite the widespread availability

Despite the widespread availability of colour in every area of life, from clothing to wallpaper and paint, from bed linen to pots and pans, many people fight shy of it. While fashions in clothing and interiors do go through their periodic patches of monochrome – ‘black is the new black’ – there are those who remain ill at ease with colour regardless of what is in the shops or featured on the pages of a glossy magazine. Perhaps this is because they are daunted by the sheer choice of colours available and fear that they might get it ‘wrong’, or perhaps they are simply uncertain how to handle its emotional power, or worry about standing out from the crowd and calling attention to themselves. All of which might account for the rather depressing popularity of ‘magnolia’ as a safe wall colour. Whichever is the case, life without colour is not merely cooking without seasoning, it’s cooking without half the ingredients