What colour do you recommend for a grown-up guest bedroom that will occasionally have grandchildren too?
I would suggest going down the route of a tone of yellow. It can be such a wonderful and happy colour, and plays both the role of being sophisticated and elegant but also warming and jolly. The yellows that I tend to use in bedrooms are Farrow & Ball Pale Hound or Edward Bulmer Florence. These types of yellows are gentle but sunny in feel.
How do you suggest a renter introduces colour without painting the walls?
There are many ways to introduce colour without painting your walls, the most economic one is through accessories, so lots of wonderful cushions on your sofas and armchairs, and interesting pops of colours on your lampshades. I tend to go to Nushka for these items as they are so unique and really bring life to a space. Also through art, if you buy lots of inexpensive prints and gallery hang them all over the plain white walls, that has serious impact.
What shade of blue do you recommend for a north facing sitting room?
Blues tend to feel quite cold in a north facing room, so I would choose something like Farrow & Ball's Borrowed Light as even though it is blue it really lifts the space, it draws light in and can make a room feel very fresh and light even with the lack of natural light that characterises a north facing room.
How can you make a painted ceiling work with a wallpapered wall?
I love painting a ceiling in a pop of paint colour when you have wallpapered the walls, even more so if you opt for a glossy paint such as an oil based paint. I think it is really fun when you have chosen a wallpaper to pick out the bravest colour and match the paint to this and put it on the ceiling as well as any woodwork in the room!
What colour should I paint my bedroom for a warm, calm setting but still light and cheerful?
One of my favourite colours for a bedroom is Edward Bulmer Jonquil, it such a timeless colour and gives the impression of being a raw plaster. It is a version of pink but also has a tint of yellow so isn’t a ‘girly’ pink, and it feels so soothing and warming and grownup. You also look your best when surrounded by this colour…
What’s the best strategy for mixing coloured, patterned fabrics in the same space?
I think the most important thing when creating a colour scheme full of different patterns and colours is scale. It is the mixing of different scales that you want to get right, a rule I quite like is having a small organic pattern, with two larger organic pattern and a couple of geometric. I think if the colours talk to each other in these patterns and you carry some colours across then it works so well!
I love eclectic and colourful decoration. My husband likes Scandinavian minimalism. What colours should we choose?
In this case, I think it is a good idea to go for colours such as Farrow & Ball School House White or versions of this. Off white on the walls does a great job of both creating a Scandinavian look while also leaning into colourful decoration as you then can be more brave and eclectic with colours on the furniture, such a deep green velvets and soft pinks.
I am a colour coward - do you have tips to help me embrace colour?
I think colour is one of the most joyful things in life, if you go for a walk in any season but particularly spring time when everything begins to bloom and feel happy surrounded by all the colours that this brings then you shouldn’t be afraid to bring the outdoors into your home. Perhaps start with softer more natural tones, like sage greens and warm yellows and add small things bit by bit. Do the decorating in stages and then assess how you feel after each pop of colour you add.
Do you think colour drenching will come with regret in years to come?
No, I think it is such a playful way to create a strong impression in a room and I don’t think it is a trend. Decorators have been doing it for years to some degree, it just wasn’t called colour drenching. For example, Nancy Lancaster and her yellow room, arguable one of the finest drawings rooms ever designed and still today is loved by many. It is a timeless look, it just depends on which colour you choose to colour drench!
I want to add colour to my staircase and hallway that receives little natural light. Can you recommend any paint and wallpaper combinations?
I think an entrance hall that lacks natural light (as mine does) requires a strong colour and patterned wallpaper, in my entrance hall I have covered the walls in our newly design wallpaper, Gingham Leaf in the Strawberry Jazz colourway, we then have mixed this with Farrow & Ball Old White on the woodwork and it makes the entrance feel so alive and uplifting and is just so much fun to enter. Another wallpaper I love is by Bruce Fine Papers, called the Wigsley Vine in the Persian colour, you then can paint all the woodwork in either the red or the blue that you see on the wallpaper for major impact!
