THE ART OF INTERIOR DESIGN
IN THE LATEST IN OUR SERIES, DESIGNER RACHEL CHUDLEY IMPARTS ADVICE ON COLOUR, ART AND THE TRUE BEAUTY OF BESPOKE PIECES
WORKING WITH ART
STARTING with an artwork is almost like cheating a little bit because it provides you with an instant focus point and gives you an immediate palette.
A large painting can anchor the colour palette for much of a room. The wall shades should reference the painting without mimicking it. A common misconception is the need to match the colours exactly to a work of art in order to work with it. Instead, be inspired by the painting.
I love starting a scheme with an artwork but, conversely, some of my favourite rooms didn’t have an artwork to start with. Doing it this way round can produce such creative interiors because you’re forced to think outside the box.
I would never advise acquiring art to match an interior, but I would also say that an art collection should be an extension of your personality, as should an interior. It should bring joy – I really believe that living with art makes people happier.
When I talk about art, it can be sculpture, paintings, objets… and I am a big believer in epic furniture being pieces of art in and of themselves. I look at pieces our craftspeople make and believe they’ve made a usable work of art.
A collection can be built up over several years from many places, from art fairs or finding galleries and dealers that know your tastes. I recommend going to the Cob Gallery, which focusses on representing fairly unknown artists. It’s a fantastic way to see things in person, and it even arranges visits to artists’ studios. →
CHOOSING colour is one of the hardest parts of decorating because we only actually know the true colour of something because it’s sitting next to another colour.
When you’re thinking about colour for your home, you have to first start by standing in the middle of the room and explore what will be around the colour – where the light is coming in, the architectural qualities of the room and even what is outside the window. If you have foliage outside which the light has to filter though, that green is going to be cast throughout that room. These considerations will help you understand what the colour will read as in the space.
The trap that people fall into is that they consider dark rooms to be wrong and just paint them white. I like to lean into the darkness and explore the depths of colour. Go for a very deep shade but in a high gloss paint and this will reflect the light around the room.
Clashing colours makes my heart sing. For a project I’m currently working on, we’ve been mixing up deep purple with bright apple red – a fruits of the forest combination.
When everything’s looking harmonious, I like to throw in a rogue element, like a yellow blind in a space with no other yellow. If a room is ‘perfect’ it can feel claustrophobic so this spices things up.