Build your own house of gold

Houses painted sunny shades of golden yellow can be found all around the globe. Izamal in Mexico, for example, is known as ‘The Golden City’ because almost every building is painted the same shade of glorious gold. In the Italian city of Parma, the golden buildings came about in the 18th century, when architect Alexandre Petitot wanted to recreate the golden splendour of the palace of Versailles, France.

Sunny yellow and gold colours give nearly any home a feeling of warmth. Yellows are also easy to use because they coordinate well with brick and stone. Deep golden yellow shades will shine when paired with browns and plum reds. If pale, buttery yellows are your style, choose a crisp white or slate grey as accent colours for interior design features such as stairs or alcoves.