WHAT EXPERTS THE SAY…
Designers and stylists share their views
■ ‘SAND IS A CRUCIAL ELEMENT OF ANY BEACH SCENE, SO THAT’S AN IDEAL STARTING POINT WHEN LOOKING FOR ACCENT COLOURS. FROM CALM AND SERENE HUES TO STORM SHADES, BLUES AND TEALS WILL ADD CONTRAST,’
says Nelly Hall, brand director at M&L Paints.
■ ‘IT’S WISE TO AVOID SAND COLOURS WITH A YELLOW UNDERTONE IN NORTH-FACING ROOMS AS THESE CAN APPEAR GREEN IN THE WINTER,’ says Paula Taylor, colour and trends specialist at Graham & Brown.
■ ‘USE A SOFT SAND HUE TO CALM BOLD PATTERNS. WHITE AND SAND IS A CLASSIC COLOUR COMBINATION, TRANSFORMING A ROOM INTO AN AIRY, WELCOMING SPACE WHERE THE EFFECT IS POLISHED, YET CASUAL,’
says Dominic Myland, CEO of Mylands.
■ ‘AN INTERIORS TREND GATHERING MOMENTUM
RIGHT NOW IS PAINTED CEILINGS AND SANDY COLOURS ARE THE PERFECT PALETTE TO EXPERIMENT WITH. THE NEUTRAL HUE WON’T OVERPOWER THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE ROOM BUT HAS ENOUGH IMPACT TO DRAW THE EYES UP,’ says Paula Taylor.
■ ‘SAND TONES ON ALL FOUR WALLS WILL CREATE IMPACT, ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RE CONTRASTED WITH WOODWORK
IN A LIGHT TONE. ALTERNATIVELY, EMBRACE UPLIFTING SAND ON ALL ELEMENTS FOR A STRIKING, YET SOOTHING, EFFECT,’ says David Mottershead, MD at Little Greene.
■ ‘ALL TONES OF SAND COMBINE BRILLIANTLY WITH ALL SORTS OF WOODS, FROM BLEACHED AND ROUGH-HEWN TO DARK AND POLISHED. BEING A COLOUR OF NATURE, IT LENDS ITSELF TO THE NATURAL AND THE HANDMADE,’
says Judy Smith, colour consultant at Crown.
■ ‘WE RECOMMEND PAIRING SANDY PAINT COLOURS WITH RAW MATERIALS, TEXTURED WALLCOVERINGS, LUXURIOUS FABRICS AND A BERBER-STYLE RUG. THE INTERIOR STYLING NEEDS TO BE RELAXED, WITH A TOUCH OF WORLDLY GLAMOUR,’ says Cathryn Helsby, marketing manager and colour expert at Earthborn.
■ ‘THE KEY TO USING IT SUCCESSFULLY IS UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE MAIN UNDERTONE
IS. FOR INSTANCE, A NATURAL STONE FLOOR OR NATURAL WOOD IN A KITCHEN WILL TEND TO HAVE YELLOW
OR RED UNDERTONES AND YOU SHOULD CHOOSE
A SAND THAT HAS A COMPLEMENTARY UNDERTONE,’
says Helen Shaw, director at Benjamin Moore UK.
“Sand shades range from earthy browns to those with more of an ochre inflection. The right tone in a dark room will bring sunshine to a space that otherwise lacks it
MICHELA COLLING, STYLE EDITOR