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15 chartreuse interiors from the House & Garden archive
Chartreuse, the colour of the fairies that begin to dance at the corners of your vision if you drink too much absinthe, is a nebulous, chimeric tone. If you like surprises and in-between colours which are difficult to describe without resorting to comparisons to archaic French wormwood spirits – indeed, the yellow-green colour is named after a different and somewhat less potent 18th-century liqueur itself – then it might well be the paint you’ve been looking for.
Not too far from lime green, or what we might call “Shrek green” if we were a particularly masochistic paint company, chartreuse has been having a moment since last year, courtesy of pop star Charli XCX’s “brat summer” and her doomed endorsement of American presidential failure Kamala Harris; the cover of Charli’s album, Brat, was the slimiest of slime greens (officially Pantone 3507C, if you want to look it up), and this take on chartreuse became quickly associated with the chanteuse herself.
And yet chartreuse has been around much longer than the kids have been bopping to “360” and “Von Dutch”, not least among some of the most classic schemes from our archive, like Nina Campbell’s flat and even King Charles’s (aptly known as ‘The Green King’) 16th-century house in Cornwall. We like it because it’s punky and pop-y, striking and daring, without being too sickly or overwhelming. It’s also complex and invigorating, like its namesake, which is distilled with 130-odd different herbs and flowers and plants.
So: drop some acid (on your walls and upholstery) and take inspiration from the archival interiors below, which illustrate in lurid cooking-apple glory how it has been used over the years by top interior designers.
Our favourite chartreuse paint colours:
- ‘Hog Plum’ by Farrow & Ball
- ‘Euphorbia’ by Paint and Paper Library
- ‘Pale Lime’ by Little Greene
- ‘Acid Drop’ by Farrow & Ball
Shop the look:
Our favourite chartreuse looks from the archive
Dean Hearne1/15Olympia and Ariadne Irving served up chartreuse in the dining room of their rented East London flat, which is painted in ‘Deep Apple Green’ from Papers & Paints’ historical collection.
Dean Hearne2/15The vibrant green colour is picked up in Olympia and Ariadne's accessories and plants in the same flat, to create a “colour drench” effect.
Simon Upton3/15The green living room of this country house decorated by Fiona Shelburne is dominated by two monumental works by Anselm Kiefer, one from the ‘Alkahest’ series; the other, from ‘Palm Sunday’, is a collage of palm leaves. “We thought a vibrant, lettuce-green colour would be a good backdrop for them and would bring a freshness and femininity to the room.” Painted by Colchester Lister Associates, this vivid green colour was mixed to Fiona’s specifications, but ‘Green Melon’ by Designers Guild has the same pep to it.
Rachael Smith4/15The walls in this bedroom – which can be found in interior designer Lucinda Griffith’s Welsh cottage – are painted in ‘Kelp’ by Fenwick & Tilbrook, a vibrant and lively green. The four-poster is brightened by a headboard in Jean Monro’s ‘Apperley Bouquet’ linen and a pink Welsh blanket offsets the yellow-green in the most delightful way.
Paul Massey5/15Olivia Outred is responsible for this fresh bedroom in limey hues. In the main bedroom, Farrow & Ball’s ‘Drag’ wallpaper in colourway 1252 (which is no longer available in this colourway) is similar in hue to Claremont’s ‘Antique Serge’ linen, which was used to upholster the banquette by the window. It also picks up on the muted green tones of ‘Dandelion Clock (Faded)’, a patterned linen fabric from Robert Kime, used for the curtains and headboard.
Chris Horwood6/15The chair in Nina Campbell’s London house provides a lime green splash that clashes excitingly with the turquoise walls.
Chris Horwood7/15The acid-green taffeta curtains in the same house bring the outside in, which is also picked up in the upholstered green chairs.
Lucas Allen8/15The dusty lime green walls in Edward Bulmer’s Queen Anne country house are perfect in a guest bathroom. Pink is, as always, a great pairing with green.
Paul Massey9/15Annabel Elliot chose Farrow & Ball ‘Cooking Apple Green’ paint for the bathroom of King Charles’s sixteenth-century house in Cornwall, which overlooks the Fowey Valley.
James McDonald10/15When it came to restoring his Bruton house, the antique dealer Jack Laver Brister was careful to remove incongruous additions and source exquisite historic pieces to create an inviting home. Jack’s collection of seashells and coral is displayed in an Edwardian case on walls in ‘Euphorbia’ by Paint & Paper Library – a classic chartreuse paint. A Victorian pot cupboard stands beside the salvaged bath.
Simon Brown11/15Charles Hurst, who often works with designer Caroline Holdaway, built this kitchen in Robin Muir’s house. The island unit is painted in a matt green similar to ‘Greengage’ by Designers Guild, while the worktop is in English oak. It makes for a bright, jolly green kitchen, tempered by the cool neutrals and abundance of wood.
12/15In this bright and comfortable family home in the heart of Bath where old meets new, the walls painted in ‘Garden’ by Little Greene are vibrant but still sympathetic to the period of the house.
Owen Gale13/15Next door in the same house, the owner chose a bright green wallpaper – ‘Albaicin Palm’ by Rapture & Wright to echo the paint colour next door. The table from Charles Orchard and antique chairs from Lorfords keep the space light and bright.
Lucas Allen14/15This small white and grey bedroom, on the houseboat of Plain English founder Katie Fontana, is painted in Farrow & Ball paint. The light colours make the space feel bigger while the navy bed linen adds an appropriate nautical touch to the scheme. The antique wall lamp in an acid green is a fun feature in a neutral scheme.
James McDonald15/15Is it too bizarre to talk about this very traditional Georgian townhouse having ‘brat’ energy? Perhaps so! The chimney breast in what was once the dining room had been taken out by a previous owner, creating more space for bookshelves designed by Jack and Richard, with a 19th-century portrait above. A sage green chair upholstered in Pierre Frey’s acidic ‘Mimosa’ linen sateen stands out next to a vintage rug. The elegant French chandelier is 19th century.
