The conversation
Our editor Pip Rich talks to Farrow & Ball’s Joa Studholme about navigating white paints and convincing your partner to go for a chequerboard floor
as the mastermind behind so many of Farrow & Ball’s iconic paint colours, Joa Studholme has been setting the style agenda for years. It was she who created Stiff key Blue, Sulking Room Pink and, of course, Joa’s White, all of which immediately influenced how we wanted to decorate our homes.
PIP RICH Hi Joa, it’s been six months since you came to my house, bravely walked through all the builders’ dust, and advised me on colour schemes. You gave me vision when I was lost in the mess of it all. Do people normally react with such excitement?
JOA STUDHOLME You certainly had a lot going on! But I was pleased to see you taking on a big project, I think everyone is being braver now, particularly in colours. Requests don’t tend to be about creating sanctuaries any more, but instead style is about fun. I was thrilled to spot checks highlighted in Livingetc as a key trend [in the December issue] because I love them – use them on the floor, then take them all the way up the side of a bath. Brilliant!
PR While you managed to convince my husband easily of your colour suggestions for our house, I tried to suggest a chequerboard floor for our wooden boards and he won’t go for it. What should I say to sway him?
JS Painted floors are such a cheap solution – I’ve lived with them all my married life. They’re playful, they make you relax; a home that has them never seems formal. If that’s not enough, tell him they’re easy to do and just need a little preparation. If doing a check, start with the lighter colour first.
PR Much as I agree people want their homes to feel fun now, the vibe I’m seeing a lot is sophisticated cocktail lounge. What shades would you do for that?
JS More than colour, it’s finish. Go for gloss, always. It makes everything feel glamorous. Choose a bold shade like Stone Blue and gloss it over the walls and ceiling.
PR Speaking of ceilings, I was surprised you recommended Slipper Satin for most of mine, different from what you suggested on the walls. I was convinced you’d go up and over. Why did you do that?
JS It was about the height. If you have low rooms, you should always use the same colour on the walls and ceiling so your eye can’t tell where the wall ends. You’re lucky enough to have tall spaces, so we could highlight them more.
PR Well, I’m obsessed with the Jitney you suggested for our dining room – it’s smart but reminds me of a picnic blanket we had as a kid. There’s a comforting retro vibe to it.
JS I always say the best colours are memories. It can be so overwhelming to look at colour charts, so pick shades that spark a reminder of a happy time in your life.
PR You once gave me great advice for interpreting the overwhelming whites on the Farrow & Ball colour card which, simply put, was blueish whites for cool, urban spaces, reddish whites for warmer urban spaces, green whites for cool country homes and yellow whites for trad country vibes. Does that still stand?
JS Yes it does! But since then, I’ve created a new collection of whites that are a very safe pair of hands for people to navigate, and should feel familiar and wonderful in any space. School House White, Shaded White, Shadow
White and Drop Cloth all have a stony base to them and you just can’t use them wrongly.
PR And I have to ask, do you have a favourite colour right now?
JS I can’t stop adding hits of colour. Red doors, say, or covering radiators or window reveals in Harissa, a fiery orange from our archive. These details help to truly express a bit of personality, they’re so far from the greys we were all collectively into 10 years ago. And I love them. I’ve said it before – be bold!
XThe best colours are memories – pick shades that remind you of happy moments
“Painted floors are such a cheap solution. They’re playful – a home that has them never seems formal”