Lyndhurst Way, London SE15

While of course there’s a place for white walls in the world, the range of sensational shades now available makes choosing a polychrome palette almost irresistible. Likely to agree with us are owners of Lyndhurst Way – 

 – who have painted their 1840s home with amazing Technicolor dream coats of different hues.

Among its rooms, we’re not sure we could pick a favourite. Instead, we’ll just have to run through the rainbow. Let’s start, naturally, with red. In this house, it’s crops up in both the library (Farrow & Ball’s rich ‘Blazer Red’) and in an upstairs sitting room, its tall shelves crammed with books. Given that red is thought to increase productivity, it seems a fitting choice for these contemplative spaces. Next up is the orangey-yellow of the upper stair hall, in all its brilliant brightness. Paired with a scarlet carpet, the sunny walls here positively sing. How could one fail to feel anything but joy upon seeing this in the morning?

Green – known for its pervading air peacefulness – springs up inside (note the pistachio kitchen walls), but is best experienced in the glorious garden, where fronds and palms crowd fulsomely planted borders. Designed by Fineline, it was conceived as “Victorian collector’s garden of ferns” and the effect is one of lavish lushness, providing a cool oasis from the urban stir.

Blue follows on – quite literally. The rear extension’s walls are painted in what we think could be Little Greene’s ‘Blue Gum’, a warm shade that looks well in the sunshine, but surely glows come nightfall, when the bare-bulb sconces are lit. Upstairs, bedrooms benefit from a calming moodier hue, as beautiful when the curtains are closed as open.

And while there isn’t an indigo (yet) in this place, we’ll let it slide, for the bathroom is painted in the luxiest gloss black, making a fine substitute. Dark, decadent and elegant, huge and handsome, this is a room of made for languorous pampering. Never has the gleam of a rolltop enamel looked so good. We’re bending the rules for violet too – we hope you don’t mind – and instead find our purple patch in a tasty shade of aubergine on the kitchen cabinets.

Having been on our spectrum safari, there’s only a few more things to do: close your eyes, draw back the curtain and realise that any dream 

do. There’s only one, and it’s right here on Lyndhurst Way.

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Punchy colours bring depth and panache to this elegant home in south-east London