Nothing has the power to set and change a mood quite like colour. Surround yourself in natural, nourishing shades that promote stillness and stress-relief with these decorating ideasé
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Surround yourself with nourishing shades
Champion craft
Beautifully crafted pieces never date, are made to last and mix well with other designs. Plus, they are both functional and decorative when on display.
Introduce a washed pastel
If sophisticated grey is your thing, avoid bold contrasting accents in favour of a soft wash of pink or lilac on part of a wall and accessories to lift the look without shouting too loud.
Layer neutrals
Don’t stick to shades of one colour, but mix greys, browns and whites of different weights. Tweak the ratio towards the heavy end for a cocooning feel, or lighter for airiness.
Get white right
Banish pure brilliant white and go for a mellower feel, with an off-white. Choose a grey tint in a sunny space or a yellower undertone in a shady room for warmth.
Be led by nature
Solve the big ‘what colour shall I paint this room?’ question by focusing on favourite pieces with natural finishes and study their tones to suggest a scheme.
Plaster pink
Go for its rustic, clay tones rather than a sugary shade. It will warmly blend with greys and browns and balance shots of bold colour, like these blue chairs.
WOODEN PLATTER IT CAN BE A CHARGER, CANDLE PLATE, FRUIT BOWL, JEWELLERY DISH, PLANT POT HOLDER…
Acacia BOWL SET,
£29.95, Nordic House, is a match. Abi salad serving SPOONS, £12, Habitat
CHIMNEY BREAST in Portland Stone and Chemise absolute matt emulsion, £47 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene. Ara ARMCHAIRS, £1,773 each, Porada. For a similar CONSOLE TABLE, LAMP, glass JAR and CORBEL, try Lorfords. Crumpled linen THROW, £185; Brights SIDE
PLATE, £22, both The Conran Shop. Jute RUG, £59.99, Carpetright. PAINTING, find similar at Nikki Saunders. Leather handle LANTERN, £85; pillar CANDLES,
£11 each, all Nordic House. Velvet and linen CUSHIONS, £20 each, Cox & Cox
COLOUR BAND HIGHLIGHT A FEATURE WITH A SPLIT-COLOUR WALL, FEATHERING THE LINE FOR A BLURRED EFFECT
Ercol Salina double BED,
£815; Destiny RUG, £199, both Furniture Village. For similar BED LINEN and
CURTAINS, try Linenme
PANEL LEDGE A PLACE TO PROP PICTURES AND ACCESSORIES
For similar, try Obama DESK LIGHT, £200 and
Dexter PENDANT LIGHT,
£111, both Pooky
PANELLING MAKES A FUNCTIONAL SPACE MORE FRIENDLY
(FROM LEFT) Yoko Komae textured Cream VASE with contrasting interior, £480; Yuta Segawa VASE
255, £45; Derek Wilson Taupe PORCELAIN CONTAINER, £165; Anna Silverton VASE, £125; (hanging) Sue Paraskeva joined PORCELAIN
VESSELS, £300, all Maud & Mabel
FORAGED FLOURISH SWAP EXPENSIVE FLOWERS FOR SUBTLER DRIED STEMS
WALL in Sulking Room pink estate emulsion, £47.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. Rockpool abstract CANVAS, £225, Cox & Cox. Rodan COFFEE TABLE, £1,345, Pinch. (On table) Farrah VASE, £89.99, Haygen. Fluted marble BOWL, £95, The Raj Tent Club. Lantern VASE, £98, Jonathan Adler. No.318 Marble SIDE TABLE, £199, John Lewis & Partners. (On left) Betty CHAIR,
£590, Sofa.com. Herbaria CUSHION,
£104.50, Black Edition. (On right) Ella accent CHAIR, £135, Next Home. Tapestry CUSHION, £100, Tori Murphy. Cirrus RUG, £595, Cox & Cox. (On mantle) Rustic CANDLE, £21.50, The Danish Collection. Eyelashes POT, £18, Barker & Stonehouse. Galena CANISTER, £16, Anthropologie. Blue VASES, £35 for set of three, Cox & Cox. Blush EUCALYPTUS, £10 per stem, Fox Flowers. TUMBLER, £3.99, Zara Home. Clarkson LAMP, £550, Andrew Martin
ACCENT GROUP CLUSTER SMALLER ITEMS TO AVOID A SCATTERED, CLUTTERED LOOK