Bored of decorating with the same color combinations? Color psychologist Tash Bradley has shared her two favorite 'underrated' paint pairings for a playful take on color

The right color pairings can be the key to creating a stylish room, whether that's with soft neutrals or contrasting shades. And while the most popular combinations are a safe bet, turning to the more unexpected pairings offers so much fresh inspiration.

Proving to us just how stylish the more unexpected color combinations can be, Tash Bradley, color psychologist and Director of Interior Design at Lick, recently took to Instagram to share two exciting ideas. Reflecting some of the top paint trends with rich purple, warm brown, and sky blue, these color combinations are a failsafe way to add interest and design appeal to your home this year.

Below, we've rounded up Tash's expert paint ideas – proving that going bolder with your colors doesn't need to be daunting but perfectly balanced and liveable.

Brown and purple

Although decorating with brown has made a major comeback recently, purple probably isn't the first color you'd consider pairing it with. However, the first underrated color combination Tash highlights in the video is Lick's Brown 02 with Purple 03.

'If you are doing a bedroom, color-drench it in Brown 02 and then use Purple 03 on your headboard. This is such a nice combination,' Tash shares in the Instagram video.

While purple in particular can be a daunting color to decorate with, Lick's Purple 03 offers plenty of richness so it's not too vibrant, as seen on the headboard in this bedroom. Brown 02, on the other hand, is warming and isn't as intense as some dark brown paints can be.

Blue and red

Blue and red sit opposite one another on the color wheel, making them a complementary color pairing. While this color combination can be written off with fears around its boldness, it's naturally a color combination that works well and one that Tash encourages us to explore, saying: 'you just can’t go wrong' in the video.

More specifically, Tash recommends the use of Lick's Blue 15 alongside Red 06 for kitchen color ideas: 'Blue 15 to your kitchen cabinets on the outside. If you’ve got an island or the inside of a cabinet, do it in the Red 06. This is so nice.'

Alternatively, Tash encourages this exciting color combination in nursery rooms, explaining in the video, 'if you are doing a nursery or a playroom, something that I’ve just done is a blue ceiling, a warm off-white on all the walls, and then I‘ve done my windowsill in the Red 06.'

That said, you can also take this concept beyond paint ideas. In this living room, Lick's Blue 04 is used on the walls, while red is incorporated as an accent color through furniture.

Which of these paint color pairings would you go for? While the specific shades that Tash recommends are a stylish choice, keep in mind that you can always alter the color pairing slightly by opting for different interpretations of each hue to best suit your interior design style.