Gabrielle Fagan finds out why (and how) Kevin McCloud is trying to banish magnolia from Britain's homes

K evin McCloud is most commonly seen picking his way through building sites in a hard hat, appraising the efforts of people building their dream home.

Fans of Channel 4's Grand Designs love his knowledge and enthusiasm, not to mention the way he acknowledges a home fulfils its owners' hopes even if – as he seems to imply with raised eyebrows and a shrug – it might not always be to his taste.

Now he's taken on what some might regard as his toughest challenge yet – helping to wean the notoriously colour shy British off years of magnolia.

Kevin recognises that most of us are falling at the first paint-card hurdle, despite the urging of interiors experts.

"Some cultures just get colour – Med- iterranean cultures, the cultures of India, China, central and Southern America, Scand- inavia, Siberia, and Africa," he says with a sigh.

"Everywhere, in fact, except the Anglo-Saxon cultures of Northern Europe. Perhaps this has something to do with our suspicion of colour's unruliness, its resistance to categorisation, and its emotionality. Other less uptight cultures accept that same disorder."

Even so, he admits his own home, a house in a rural setting near Frome, Somerset, that he shares with his wife Suzanna and their four children, is not a temple to colour perfection.

He is surrounded by the same mess and clutter familiar to everyone and confesses his home is still a work in progress.

While Kevin confesses that his favourite colours are those of "engine oil, diggers and concrete", he's put together his own selection of winning "colour recipes" in a new decorating manual, Kevin McCloud's Colour Now.

"I want to show how one relatively small, albeit carefully selected, range of colours can, perhaps unexpectedly, supply you with pretty much all the elements of colour you'll ever need," he says. The colours illustrated all match Fired Earth paints (his paint collection, Elements of Colour, was designed for them), but they can also be matched to paints from other manufacturers.

The book is classic McCloud – informed, down-to-earth and practical. And he swats away the snobbery and pretension surrounding the cult for using "historic" paints.

"There's a vast ocean of rubbish that is talked about historical colours and, as a consequence, many factoids that need to be dispelled. Such as the myth that grubby, muddy paints are historic. They are not. Rather they just suggest an unfortunate lack of basic domestic hygiene," he says.

"Of course, if you want to suggest that yours is an historic home open to the public or you simply happen to enjoy the theatricality of dirtiness, then go ahead and use them.

"A colour is just a colour – it doesn't carry any cultural baggage. You can use a National Trust Georgian organic split-pea green in your 18th- century parlour or your 1950s semi downstairs toilet. I don't care and neither does any historical paint consultant I know."

Instead, he offers a range of palettes that work to flatter any home.

"I've kept note over the years of which colours work under greying skies in our northern climate and change colour when the lights come on or the sun comes out.

"I've found colours that are interesting, complex, beguiling and which resonate to history and to place.

"Above all, I've tried to find colours that make an interior design balanced – colours that will flatter each other and you, and will make your environment a more civilised place. When this happens our souls dance."

Follow Kevin's guide to successfully bringing colour home.

Kevin McCloud's Colour Now is published by Quadrille, priced £9.99. For more information about Fired Earth paints, call 0845 366 0400 or visit www.firedearth.com

Kevin's colour advice

Consider accessories such as cushions or a rug before setting foot in a paint shop.

A band of colour on the lower part of the wall, a practice that's been around since at least 6,000 years ago in Jericho, is a practical solution for hiding the dirt and a way of introducing strong colour to a room without overpowering it.

Once a key colour has been chosen it's not always necessary to use a paint or fabric to provide a complementary colour effect – a vase will do, or even a bowl of fruit, or simply paint a wall in a colour that matches a favourite piece of furniture."

Tint a whole batch of different shades with white to make a packet of pastels.

Don't be afraid to break the old rules. Never underestimate the importance of putting red and green together, as they're complementary and so fire off each other.

If colour on walls is still alarming, consider painting the inside of shelves or open storage units in a strong shade and contrast with white.

Monochrome (pure black and white) schemes may have found favour with designers, but Kevin's not a fan. He says they might be fine in a painting but are cold as an environment.

Instead of monochrome, use greenish greys, brownish greys and earth colours like raw umber and raw sienna.

If you love vintage styles, Kevin says choose cool mid-blues, acid yellows, black, washed-out browns and strong, dark reds.

He suggests a recipe for a "hearty post-war colour scheme" using colours like spring greens, yellows and blues.