Blokes are hard-wired to dislike wallpaper – the patterns, especially the huge swirling effects around at the moment, are too fussy and scream “picked by a girlfriend”. As for colour, well, the hassle will be eliminated if you just choose white, right?

David Oliver, the charming Aussie behind the wonderful Paint & Paper Library, disagrees. “White is indecision,” he snorts. “People are scared because it’s easy to make mistakes.

A tiny swatch of colour often looks brighter on a big area, and completely different in daylight and electric light.” This is true, and repainting mistakes is a pain, which is why I buy test pots by the dozen.

Oliver, who counts Tony Blair and Kylie among his satisfied customers, has a neat solution for the colour-scared and -impaired (a fifth of British men are colour-blind): architectural colour palettes (left).

These are paint charts arranged in tonal, colour-by-number groups, that will help you to accentuate the different decorative elements of any room. The shades are traditional, a bit like Farrow & Ball, but with added zing.

So there’s no need to phone a (girl)friend for a second opinion.

— Paint & Paper Library; www.paintlibrary.co.uk. Paint & Paper: A Masterclass in Colour and Light by David Oliver (Conran Octopus £25)

You know you want it

1 Mirrored lighting is on the up and up, and this sleek pendant shade is truly affordable.

Marks & Spencer; www.marksandspencer.com

2 Scarlet wall-mountable cabinet, from Heal’s, screams: “Get me Night Nurse” – perfect for when man-flu strikes.

Heal’s; www.heals.co.uk

3 Relive your misspent youth with Retro-Tech’s bespoke tables: they look like 1980s arcade games, but with all the efficiency of modern technology inside. They can be loaded up with any game you desire: Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Street Fighter – all the classics that make men go dewy-eyed, and cheaper than a midlife-crisis car.

Retro Tech; www.retro-tech.co.uk

4 Inspired by the tube-clad exterior of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Italian ceramicist Alvino Bagni’s 1979 Pidou vase has just been reissued by Habitat. It’s probably the only man-friendly vase in existence.

Habitat; www.habitat.net

Head for the bright lights

I’m a big fan of frilly, old-fashioned-looking lamps, but can see that such things are inappropriate for the pared-down, modern man pad. This causes a problem, as the majority of lamps are either très feminine or plain boring. Thankfully, Zero, a Swedish company, has addressed the problem with its super-cool aluminium and steel floor lamps. The stark designs are based on movie and stage lights and can be bought in bold, unfussy primary colours – frankly, the perfect boy-zone solution. The Last floor lamp was launched at 100% Design last week, so be ahead of the curve and buy it direct for £605, from Zero; www.zero.se

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