Whether you're cooking up a storm, helping the kids with their homework or enjoying a glass of wine with friends, chances are all homeowners will spend a fair amount of their time in the kitchen.

Therefore, when it comes to interior design, this is really not a room you can afford to neglect. And once you've picked out your family-size fridge, installed your sink and fitted your stylish brushed steel kitchen taps, it's a good idea to take some time to decide on the perfect colour scheme for your kitchen.

While it may be tempting to play it safe and stick to whites and neutrals, according to Rebecca Thompson, colour and design manager at Dulux, there's no reason why homeowners shouldn't experiment with bolder colours in the kitchen

"You can be a little bit braver, adding in pops of [colour]," she says. "You can have a strong contrast of colour combinations, but it adds to the quirkier edge of the space. You can be a little bit more dynamic."

This doesn't mean that you need to slather every wall with garish tones or only pick furnishings in neon shades, but instead consider injecting colour in small bursts.

Something as simple as a brightly coloured splashback or blinds in interesting hues can make all the difference to the atmosphere of your kitchen.

And while traditional tiles and glass come in a range of shades, Rebecca points out that paint is also an attractive and practical way to inject a pop of colour into your kitchen.

"In certain areas, such as behind the kitchen sink, people think you can only use tiles or glass due to splashback, but actually we've got a series of kitchen paints that are really durable, she says. "They're moisture-resistant and you can scrub them, meaning they act as a kind of defence in the kitchen as well as being a colour.