Unusual pairings: bringing hues together
DECORATORS and designers will often say they don’t follow rules when it comes to decorating but something that is helpful to bear in mind is that colours never need to match, they just need to work together. ‘I love unusual colour pairings,’ says the textile designer Eva Sonaike who specialises in luxury African interiors. ‘My favourite combination at the moment is green and purple,’ she adds. ‘If in doubt, always look at nature and, in particular, plants and flowers.’
Throwing something unexpected into an interior helps it to look considered and confident, adds
Nicole Salvesen, co-founder of Salvesen Graham. ‘Choose colours that come from the same tonal family or have the same depth of colour, even if they are different ends of the spectrum, this will help them work together. Also choose bolder colours such as rich greens and yellows and raspberry reds as they can be easier to work with, rather than paler candy colours that can sometimes come across as insipid if they aren’t quite right.’
Using a more unusual colour pairing in a room will alter the atmosphere in the space, explains interior decorator Nicola Harding, founder of Nicola Harding & Co. ‘The greater the degree of contrast there is, the more drama there is in the room and when there is less contrast, the space is calmer.’ As a general rule of thumb, you want to include high contrast when you want a dynamic, high energy feeling but this should be done in a space that you don’t spend lots of time in such as holiday homes, cloakrooms and rooms at home that aren’t in frequent use. ‘That of course includes kids’ bedrooms which are naturally more energetic anyway as they are filled with their toys, books and artwork,’ says Nicola.
Interior designer Luke Edward Hall took a similar approach when decorating the Parisian Hotel Les
Deux Gares – conjuring bedrooms of olive green walls with violet woodwork and orange curtains. ‘I wanted to challenge the idea that guests always want to stay in bland boxes,’ he explains. ‘However, I don’t believe in throwing a rainbow of colours at a room: there needs to be balance.’
To achieve that balance, it’s helpful to bear in mind that one colour can also be stronger than the other, adds Nicola. ‘This should be used in the same way that you might use a stronger condiment with a meal, like mustard for instance. A fun colour combo is soft pink with a mustard yellow. The mustard yellow would be like the mustard on your plate – therefore one colour can be more intense as your accent while the other is more muted in tone.’
For those who start to feel a bit of a headache brewing when it comes to selecting the right colour combinations, just take a step back and follow your instinct. ‘Whenever I choose colours I try not to overthink it,’ says the American designer and decorator Sheila Bridges who is known for a joyful use of colour in her design projects. ‘Intuitively I want simple colours that feel relaxing and soothing –particularly during this very complicated and stressful time in our lives.’ →
“PAINT COLOUR CAN BE TRANSFORMATIVE BUT ALSO
FORGIVING. MY FEELING (AND ADVICE) ABOUT WALL COLOUR HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME – IF IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT JUST REPAINT”
SHEILA BRIDGES, designer and decorator
I OFTEN start from antique carpets and pick up the colours I would like to introduce more dominantly, says Henriette von Stockhausen, creative director of interior design studio VSP Interiors. ‘I’m not one for using too many colours or patterns in my designs so I choose carefully: if I use a pattern on the walls through wallpaper, I tend to choose a plain-ish curtain fabric and bring a pop of colour with trimming and fringes. It all has to feel like a natural progression – not too designed or forced – and more like an interior that has evolved over time and through collected pieces. Also, the colours of antique fabrics are more faded and sit softer within and next to each other.’
Pattern plays a leading role in schemes designed by Turner Pocock. ‘Our starting point is always a pattern with at least three colours in it,’ explain co-founders Bunny Turner and Emma Pocock. ‘It can be a floral, geometric, ikat or stripe and it can come from something as small as a cushion or a large-scale fabric for a sofa, but it will form the basis of our scheme. ‘We like to layer patterns, big and small, in a room so that it creates interest without the eye settling on one thing for too long,’ continues Bunny. ‘It’s important to work with different scales of pattern – like a large floral with a smaller geometric – as it allows each one to stand out. Working with two patterns in the same scale means neither will be strong enough for one to bounce off the other.’ The scale and orientation of the room will mean some are better suited to more dramatic patterns. ‘Rooms with plenty of light lend themselves to large-scale pattern and strong colours,’ says designer and decorator Sarah Fortescue, who has launched a new wallpaper, Chinoiserie Grandiflora, based on flowers found in her Cornish garden.
One approach to introduce colour confidently to a room – be it a bedroom or sitting room – is to choose a small secondary colour detail in a patterned fabric design and use this as the inspiration for solid fields of complementary paint colour, recommends Genevieve Bennett, head of design at Liberty Fabrics. ‘It helps provide a perfect canvas for the fabrics, which is both surprising and liveable and allows you to introduce bold rich colours to a scheme.’
Textile and wallpaper designer Neisha Crosland says another way to sew a room together is to pick out the strongest (or the darkest) colour from the wallpaper pattern and use on the woodwork in a room. ‘That could be on the doors, cornicing, window frames, wardrobes or radiators – it’s a clever decorating tip that I like to use.’
Again, a vital consideration is balance – perhaps particularly in a bedroom where the aim is to create somewhere restful. To do this, says designer and decorator Birdie Fortescue, be sure to have a single highlight colour – or a hero design if it’s a pattern – and layer it with others in smaller scale or quieter styles to ensure there is focus on the highlight tones. ‘Florals and geometrics, combined with the correct balance of scale and colour, work together to great effect. I’m particularly fond of a trellis design. It is so versatile; a classic motif like this helps to anchor a scheme.’ →
‘“WHEN CHOOSING COLOUR
AND PATTERN FOR ROOM SCHEMES, I SOMETIMES LOOK TO THE NATURAL WORLD FOR INSPIRATION AND LOVE TO BRING PLANTS AND FLOWERS INTO INTERIORS” SARAH FORTESCUE, designer and decorator