Firm design trends have not emerged so far this century, says interior designer and lighting expert, Kevin McCloud. "The first 20 years of every century through the ages have been unremarkable. That means we're destined for 20 years of mediocrity." Such sombre pronouncements are not what you'd expect to hear from an interiors guru - experts in this area are very much given to flamboyant statements about style trends.

While trends certainly aren't as obvious as they were, say in the chrome and leather 1980s or the minimalist 1990s, there is a movement among interior designers to go back to basics. Pigment and light are McCloud's big interests these days.

"It's misleading when we talk about white daylight. Even on the sunniest day, it can be a whole range of different colours. Pure natural sunlight is yellow, not white. Warm, with no fixed constant. Colours reflect back the warm end of the spectrum through the blue-tinted light. Blues work well in northern English and Irish light. My bedroom is a Fired Earth shade called Solent Blue, which is a pale lavender blue with a bit of red in it."

Primarily a lighting designer and self-styled "jack of all trades", Kevin McCloud progressed from a degree in History of Art and Architecture and a career in theatre lighting to presenting Channel Four television programmes and writing books on interior design.

He came to Dublin last week to give a talk about his work and his new link up with Fired Earth, the interiors chain which established itself in the 1980s on its range of handmade terracotta tiles but has now expanded into all areas of the home. The chain was acquired by Prudential two years ago and is now very much on the expansion trail; it has a new shop on Dublin's Lower Ormond Quay.

McCloud is one of several designers who have been commissioned by the company to produce new paint colours. "It's all about the optical effect of light. My colours are based on the way natural light in northern European countries changes as the day progresses. In this climate, we need colours that work well when blue-tinted daylight is filtered by low cloud. I wanted the colours to be timeless - not to look old, but to work with light and with grey clouds. I wanted the colour to feel right when you paint a room.

His inspiration appears to come from traditional English paint palettes and from nature.