Take a sneak peek into the home of Darren Kennedy…

It comes as no surprise, but Darren Kennedy, TV presenter and stylist is anything but colour-shy. His Dublin 8 loft-style apartment is a reflection of his chirpy, vibrant personality, with its jovial pops of oranges, yellows, reds and greens, colour-coded bookcases and cosy, multi-hued throws. The man whose public image is a suave haircut, dapper checked shirt and beautiful leather brogues, encourages colours to play out in his private space with openness and bravery.

“One of my favourite colours in the home is green,” he says. It has a tough of drama to it – after all, it is the chief colour of nature. It’s earthy, organic and homely.” This makes green the perfect hallway colour. Try a calm, milky lime such as Whistler Green as a subtle feature wall in your hallway as Darren has done in his own home.

Darren is an advocate of taupes and keys as his key neutral with one of his main walls being Flaked Almond. This choice of neutral tones provides the perfect anchor to add accents of colour such as his striking painting combining vibrant tones of blue, red and aquamarine. “I love the contrast it brings against the neutral walls. I bring out the colours in it with accents: pops of colour in a plant pot, my personal belongings, a cushion or even the colour-coding in the bookcases!”

Trust your instincts! Darren is a worshipper of the organic approach to decorating, which follows the wisdom that if you collect things that you love to surround yourself with, a natural, effortless look will come together. “I trust my own instincts. For me, design is organic; there’s no master plan. You must allow room for your space to grow into itself.”