How to colour-zone in multifunctional spaces

Our spaces are having to work harder than ever, with single rooms often accommodating more than one use, whether that’s cooking, working from home or working out.

Luckily, colour is one of the easiest ways to zone different areas for different tasks, while adding depth, interest and drama at the same time.

From a dining nook in a kitchen to a gym area in your living room and a work space in a bedroom, we’ve rounded-up three clever ways of creating multifunctional spaces by simply cracking open a tin of paint.

Time to stir things up.

Work the room

Hybrid-working continues for many of us, but you don’t need a dedicated home office to carve out a space for focus and concentration. Here, we’ve added a narrow desk and compact chair to an alcove in a period home and painted the surrounding walls in luxurious Decadent Damson to clearly differentiate it from the rest of the room in light Natural Hessian. Whether exams or meetings, it’s somewhere for creativity and productivity, while elsewhere it’s all about resting and sleeping. Better still, the colour of the work space will simply fade away as darkness falls, allowing you to drift off and dream…

Zone out

From curling up with a good book in an armchair to chilling out with a Hollywood blockbuster on the sofa, a living room is usually somewhere you unwind after work, but it can be a space that puts a spring in your step first thing in the morning, too. In this lounge, we’ve zoned an area especially for exercise by painting a large circular mural on the wall in bright Blood Orange. The colour has been specifically chosen for its energising qualities while contrasting White Cotton gives the shape even more stand-out. And when you’re not doing yoga, sit-ups or weights, simply retreat to a relaxing area zoned in another colour, as we’ve done here with soothing Pressed Petal.

Switch it up

As cosy as it is chic, we’ve created a snuggly spot for family breakfasts and romantic dinners in this open-plan kitchen by contrasting the White Mist walls with a Village Maze alcove, all using Dulux Easycare Washable & Tough. The addition of a built-in bench, scatter cushions, eclectic artwork and modern chandelier help to make the space feel like a restaurant at home. But the best bit? The green looks fresh by day and glamorous by night for a versatile background – whether doing homework and feeding the kids or enjoying dinner and entertaining friends – while the tablecloth and accessories can be swapped in and out accordingly. Now all you need to decide is who to invite…

Browse our collection of ready-mixed colours for the most popular shades, or take a sample in-store to have it matched then mixed, just for you.

See how shortlisted hues will look in your home with our convenient Roller Testers; easy Peel & Stick Samples; or free Visualizer app.

Inspired? Share how you’ve zoned your multifunctional spaces with colour by tagging ‘Dulux UK’ on social – you could feature on our Instagram, Facebook and TikTok pages.