Often, when decorating, there is the question of what colour something should be painted in relation to the overall colour scheme. I'm not talking so much here about walls, ceiling or general wood work such as doors and skirting boards, but rather, fixtures, fittings, conduits, pipes etc.

I find the following question helpful in making a decision: Do you want to make a feature out of that item? If not, then you may want to blend it in to the background by using the same colour as the background.