Colour Me Happy

The interior world has been dominated by neutrals for a long time, but now we are beginning to see colour come back into our homes, on the walls, floors, furniture and accessories. People are becoming a little gutsier with their choices, and we are singing their praises. While there is nothing wrong if you like a simple palette for your home, but by adding in accents of colour it’s a way to add life into the scheme as well; and we’re not just talking about electric, bright colours necessarily, but the involvement of deeper, darker tones that can complement a neutral backdrop while giving your home warmth and a welcoming sense. That being said, with our fear of colour slowly lifting, and the experimental phase creeping through, there are some fantastic colour combinations out there that’ll add a sense of individuality and just the right amount of quirkiness to your home, and give it an exciting atmospheric feel; I’ve picked five of my favourite colour combinations to show you that keeping your home classic and stylish doesn’t mean shying away from bright and beautiful.

Orange and Blue Combination, Image from Cote de Texas via Pinterest

An absolute favourite combination of mine if orange and blue, but it’s all about finding the right shade of each. The perfect blue in my eyes to combine with an orange is a dusky one with a hint of green grey in it; the best accompanying orange, a pastel-toned, soft orange. Imagine a crumpled, vintage orange velvet that’s become a little faded from the sun and has a few dust marks on it, that’s the perfect orange. The key to combining colours in your interior is to be open to the wide spectrum of tones, hues and shades; blunt orange and a primary blue will look harsh together, constantly fighting for attention and eventually giving you a headache, but the soft tones of the two shades in the photo above, show that the right shade can create a serene and relaxing space. For a beautiful shade of blue, try Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue and for that dusty orange, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint’s Brick is a great choice.

Dark Green and gold is a rich combination, it’s has an historical, timeless yet completely current sense to it. The strong stature of a dark green wall placed together with an iridescent gold counter, table or lighting fixture gives an interior a grand sense of glamour. The natural forest foliage and natures prize procession blend together to create the most sophisticated of combinations; both in traditional and contemporary settings. A dark green kitchen with aged gold hardware, taps and accessories, is a look that’ll forever be timeless. The kitchen below uses contemporary details to keep the space feeling current, while the dark tones are contrasted against the pale wood floor, showing off the depth and tones of the colours. For a beautifully dark green, you’re spoilt for choice, try Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green, Fired Earth’s Malachite or Sanderson’s Amsterdam Green.

Green and Gold Combination, Image from Apartment Therapy via Pinterest

Pink has been a big interior trend for a few years now, and I can’t help but to have been suckered in by it; it’s turned the idea of pink from being innately girly and babyish, to a shade that is quite sophisticated, current and cool. From deep pinks to blush to pastel, there are plenty of ways to involve the colour into your interior, and a winning combination for me is to pair it with blue. Pink and blue will look fantastic together in a whole range of depths and shades, but the key fact to remember is to match the weight of both colours; a deep blue with a deep pink, or a pastel blue and pink, so that one doesn’t get lost against the other and appear a little wishy-washy. The image below beautifully shows off how colour blocking the two shades in the same space gives a modern and playful feeling. Take a look at Paint & Paper Library’s Temple and Blue Pearl for a beautiful pink and blue look.

Pink and Blue Combination, Image from House & Garden via Pinterest

A thick, deep grey mixed with a golden, rich yellow is an interesting way to create a contemporary, alternative-glamour styled room. By avoiding the lighter, pastel yellows and heading for the deep and dark there is a vibrancy that becomes even more apparent when paired with a deep grey. The combination offers a modern approach to using yellow; a bold, strong look as opposed to a nervous neutral tone veers far from the magnolia and straight into the eye-catching and characterful. Below, the grey surroundings could have been easily paired with a classic blue or green, but yellow gives the bathroom a fun and playful presence that are still balanced out by the sombre nature of the grey and the traditional features in the room.  For a spicy yellow, take a look at Farrow & Ball’s or Babouche, paired with Purbeck Stone or Worsted.

Yellow and Grey Combination, Image from Miles to go Before I Fall Asleep via Pinterest

My final colour combination is one that I think has received a bad rep over the years, purple and green. For a long time all I could picture when it came to this mixture was the garishness of royal purple and lime green; a noughties interior design ghost that was desperately in need of an exorcism. However, just like with very brave colour combination, it’s all about finding the right shade. For the green think forest or olive, and for the purple head in the direction of deep violet or lavender, more natural hues of both colours help to create softer, more romantic interiors. In the image below, the colours are soften by the use of velvet, adding texture to the palette. For a dusty lavender, Fired Earth’s Cleopatra’s Nose has an atmospheric hue. For the green’s think about Card Room Green, or Calke Green from Farrow & Ball.

Purple and Green Combination, Image from Hum Ideas via Pinterest

Learning not to be afraid of colour is the first step to creating beautiful and interesting interiors; the second step is finding out what works for you and your home. Once you’ve found your perfect combinations your interiors will be filled with life, colour and happiness.

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It Was All Yellow

As with all colours, there are hundreds of shades in the yellow family, and sometimes the thought of using the bolder, brighter shades can be intimidating due to their strong look. But if you’re looking for an alternative to the neutral, or darker palettes that are around these days, yellow may be the perfect colour for you, especially if you want to show off a strong, confident style in your interiors. Though the colour has always been popular in the design world, in recent years yellow interiors, furniture and accessories have been making quite an impact, especially in those brighter shades. There are lots of exciting ways to incorporate yellow into your home, that can really showcase a particular style; whether it’s contemporary, glamorous, bohemian, traditional, or a combination. Adding a dash of yellow could be the way to bring a refreshing, exciting look to your home.

Using a bright yellow on the walls of your home may be a touch overwhelming if you’re a yellow novice, but if you’re already a fan, it’s a fantastic way to create a statement. The trick is finding your perfect shade to suit your home, and choosing the right complementary accents to create a well-rounded, flawless look. To keep your wall looking fresh opt for a rich shade that won’t shy away into the background. For a contemporary look, I love the dramatic but playful nature of Farrow & Ball’s Babouche shade.

‘Babouche’ from Farrow & Ball

And if you’re in need of a more traditional shade, the Sudbury Yellow has an elegant and regal nature that will give a room a strong sense of character, without overshadowing any other wonderful features you may want to put in there.

‘Sudbury Yellow’ from Farrow & Ball

Another way to add yellow into the core foundations of the home’s design scheme is with some creative tiling. Fired Earth always have a strong collection of interesting colours and patterns, and some of their yellow tiles are to die for. For a bold, exciting look, these vibrant mustard coloured tiles are the perfect background against a crisp, white bathroom set. There’s a combination of luxuriousness and quirkiness about the colour that creates an overall refreshing look.

‘Carnival Oro’ from Fired Earth

If a solid block colour is a little too much for your taste, or your home, going for something a little sweeter and more minimal might do the trick. This Atlas design by Neisha Crosland for Fired Earth has a rustic, farmhouse vibe, but with a little exotic twist to keep things interesting. It’s an ideal design if you want to have a traditional looking kitchen, but with a touch artistic individuality to it.

‘Atlas by Neisha Crosland’ from Fired Earth

To make an interesting statement in your home, you don’t just have to save yellow for the larger features, in fact adding small accents of the colour to a room can give it some vitality, or reinvent an interior without changing too much. Contemporary interiors are often neutral walls with the inclusion of furniture pieces in modern wood types, and adding a dash of yellow into the mix can create an up-to-date look without taking away the original essence of the room. Margaret Howell created some fantastic designs for Anglepoise, and though I’d happily have any of the three colours in my home, the Yellow Ochre edition is stunning.

‘Type 75 Desk Lamp by Margret Howell in Yellow Ochre’ from Anglepoise

This chair with a yellow seat from Gubi is rather special, it’s an ultra-contemporary design that’ll look gracious and cool in a modern home. The design also comes with a white seat, so you could mix-match the two colours around the dining table, or save the yellow for the head of the table to give the whole look a pop of colour.

‘Mategot Nagasaki Chair’ from Gubi

A striking yellow rug can really transform a room in one fell swoop, to keep things feeling light and not making the room look too dense, a patterned rug is a great way to add some yellow without swamping the room. The Sellarsbrook design created by Suzanna Sharp for The Rug Company, has a sophisticated geometric pattern that adds a timeless depth to the rug.

‘Sellarsbrook in Yellow by Suzanne Sharp’ from The Rug Company

This rich, crisp yellow velvet sofa really packs a punch, that’ll give your living room some vivacious character. The chesterfield design is given an alternative look, creating a piece that can be mixed into both contemporary and traditional interiors.

‘Balmoral 2 Seater Sofa in Varese Velvet Alchemilla fabric’ from Heal’s

For a sweet touch to a traditional bedroom, these rustic, French style bedside tables in a dusty yellow could be a great way to frame a bed in a similar style. The piece from Out There Interiors has some fetching ironwork detailing, which will give a room some extra style in a simple way.

‘Two Drawer Beside in Yellow’ from Out There Interiors

These lemony plates and dishes from Habitat are a refreshing way to give your dining table an updated look, the ombre effect means that they aren’t too outlandish, and will gently show off the zesty colour. Place them on a blue tablecloth or next to some coloured glassware for a really stylish look.

‘Atkinson 12 Piece Yellow Dinnerware Set’ from Habitat

Lastly, this gorgeous glass pendant from Rockett St George is an absolute beauty! The moody yellow shade combined with the irregular shape gives the whole look an understated, glamourous feel. This pendant would be the perfect addition to a dark, moody room, giving it that hint of colour it needs to keep it from looking drab and dingy.

‘Hand Blown Glass Pendant Lighting in Yellow Ochre by Curiousa & Curiousa’ from Rockett St George

Though it can be quite a daring and brave decision to add a bold shade of yellow into your interior (and may take a little more persuading for some), it’s a decision that will result in some fabulous and sophisticated homes! Whether you’re already in love with colour, or prefer your interiors more neutral, you’ll see how diverse a colour like yellow can be and how easily it will suit all kinds of styles.

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New collections from Colefax and Fowler

There is lots of lovely bold colour coming from Colefax and Fowler‘s collections at the moment which we are absolutely loving! There are four brands under the C&F umbrella and having had a good look through all the new collections recently, it was impossible to pick out just one to show you, so we are showing you a bit from them all!

Baptista Linen from Colefax and Fowler

The curtain fabric is Grimaud from Manuel Canovas

Fabulous colours from the latest Jane Churchill collection

Softer, elegant colours from Colefax and Fowler – the curtain fabric is Lucius.

More tempting fabrics from Colefax and Fowler

A fabulous combination of colours from Jane Churchill – the curtain in the background is Versus Copper, Plato Charcoal is the cushion at the front and sandwiched in the middle are Orion in pink and burnt orange.

I just love this design from Manuel Canovas called L’Envol – it is a work of art in itself! 

And finally much more contemporary fabrics from Larsen with some delicious sharp accent colours.

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Farrow and Ball’s new colours revealed!

We’ve been good and waited but we can now reveal the nine fantastic new colours from Farrow and Ball!

Here they are – from the left: Mole’s Breath, Ammonite, Purbeck Stone, Yellowcake, Wevet, Stiffkey Blue, St Giles Blue, Nancy’s Blushes and framed in Dimpse.

There are some great additions to the current palette including five beautiful shades of grey, a really punchy yellow, a beautiful true pink, a strong warm blue and an exquisite deep dark blue which will be adorning the walls of Chateau Burren very shortly!

The walls of this room are in Wevet, which is a greyer, lighter version of the ever popular pointing and the woodwork is in Purbeck Stone

Glorious Stiffkey Blue, named after the colour of the mud found at Stiffkey beach in Norfolk

Walls here are in the classy Purbeck Stone which is a very usable warm grey and could be equally happy in a traditional or contemporary home. The chair is in Yellowcake which looks fabulous against all the greys in the new palette or can be used all by itself as shown below (sunglasses on).

This is an amazing colour and is as bright as they come – if you are fearless, use it everywhere, otherwise mix it with other colours and it will give you an accent to die for.

Showing off two of the new greys, this image shows the walls in Dimpse and the fire surround in Mole’s Breath, two truly beautiful new colours.

Wonderful St Giles Blue which is a rich warm blue with real depth of colour.

Bringing out a feminine side in all of us, lovely Nancy’s Blushes can be used to create a retro vintage feel but also works really well used in very grown up schemes – we know, we’ve been experimenting!

And finally, Ammonite which is a beautiful warm light grey, really classy and ethereal and looks amazing against this deep red carpet.

That’s your lot, the tester pots are available from today – go, go, go!

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