COLOUR OF THE MONTH Olive green is a strong yet soothing shade and experts reveal how to embrace it in your home

Inspired by the natural world, olive is restful with a touch of heritage. Strong yet soothing, it brings an enveloping feel but can also sit quietly and allow bold furniture to shine. Here, colour aficionados and decorators

explain how to embrace this adaptable green

‘Olive green is a colour I come back to often when putting together a scheme. I have used it in various different fabrics including weaves, velvets and linens on sofas, window treatments and lampshades. Recently I used the shade Hopper by Little Greene on a glazed screen in an en-suite room which overlooks the garden: it helps lead your eyes through to the windows and the treetops beyond.’

SARAH BROWN, founder, Sarah Brown Interiors ‘A gentle shade usually made with yellow ochre, raw and burnt umber, olive is fresh but inviting, especially when compared to greens made with blue. It’s one of the most neutral shades of green there is and, as such, it’s very versatile and can be used in almost every room of the house. It looks great with a dusky pink, red, off-white or a soft blue.’ FRANCESCA WEZEL, founder, Francesca’s Paints ‘This is a wonderful colour that works well all through the year and is ideal if you are trying to bring an element of nature or a heritage feel into a more contemporary city home. It’s a restful and calming shade which not only works well on cabinetry but also looks great on walls.’ EMMA SIMS-HILDITCH, founder and creative director, Sims Hilditch ‘My favourite olive green on the colour card is Fenouil No. 110 from Designers Guild; it really reminds me of a ripe olive. Pair it with a colour that is clean and bright, that will lift and carry it and avoid putting against a darker colour as it risks making a room feel sombre.’

EMMA DETERDING, founder, Kelling Designs ‘Mixing different shades of olive green works surprisingly well. I personally love painting a combination of wall and woodwork in olive green. A paler wall, for example, in a matt finish with a high gloss olive green dado rail. Another trick that works really well is an olive green ceiling in a bathroom with a similar tone mixed into a tadelakt plaster sink and vanity counter.’

CHARU GANDHI, founder and director, Elicyon

We love this earthy, reassuring hue. Wall in Olive emulsion, £38 for 2.5ltr; cabinetry in Olive eggshell, £54 for 2.5ltr, Neptune

TONE ON TONE Here a dark olive faux suede on the shelves is tied with the lighter grasscloth wallcovering and a tape on the blinds. Room design by Kelling Designs. Walls in Manilla Hemp, Phillip Jeffries. Shelves lined in Sahara, Wemyss. Tape on blinds, Cabana Asparagus, Samuel & Sons

COLOUR BLOCK Emma Sims-hilditch blends olive green with a classic white and ceilings in warm wood planks, creating a dramatic contrast. Chichester kitchen in Olive, Neptune. Countertop in Carrara marble, Anything Stone. Lighting, similar by Original BTC

ALL IS CALM The warm tones in the deep olive on the walls give this sitting room by Gunter & Co a cosseting feel, while the absence of pattern keeps it calm. Try Farrow & Ball’s Duck Green. Beetley sofa, Jaime Hayon for Sé Collection II. Floor lamp, Visual Comfort