By Design: An Oval Room Blue Living Room in All-new Dead Flat

Step inside this irresistible Oval Room Blue living room, freshly painted in our new, multi-surface Dead Flat finish. Surrounded in deeper, durable colour on the walls, woodwork and fireplace, the ultra-matt finish makes this beautiful blue even richer. Plus, thanks to the washable, scuff-resistant finish, this space is perfect for a busy family home — music to the ears of the homeowner Isabelle Le Riche, whose daughters have a penchant for cartwheels. We caught up with Isabelle (better know as lehomelehouse on Instagram) to find out all about her transformation.

What do you use this space for?

This room is our living room, so it’s heavily used by my family for TV watching (all of us), book reading and yoga (me) and cartwheels and handstands (my girls). It’s part of our open-plan downstairs, leading to the dining room and then the kitchen. We knew we wanted to use a slightly darker colour in here, to help zone the space and create a different feel. 

What was the room like before?

The room was quite neutral before with beigey-pink walls. I was very happy with it but it had been the same colour for five years, so I was feeling like a change. I'd also been wanting to push myself to be a little braver with colour. 

Can you tell us a little about you and your interior design style?

I love mixing antique and vintage treasures with new items: I think it’s a quick way to create an original interior that feels homey. I really enjoy the process of finding unique pieces on eBay, Vinterior or in antique/charity shops (the thrill of the hunt!). I love that antique furniture is crafted with such incredible care. I also feel passionate about good storage furniture — hiding all our necessary-but-ugly possessions. Every Sunday on my Instagram, I put up photos of eBay finds and ask people to vote if I’ve found trash or treasure – it's very popular but it also gets me into trouble as I often can’t resist bidding on the treasure! 

What look did you want to achieve?

Blue has always been my favourite colour but it was seriously underrepresented in my house! After painting our bathroom in De Nimes a couple of years ago and a piece of furniture in Selvedge recently, I knew I wanted more blue. I also wanted to keep the room feeling calm and create a significant change without having to switch the furniture and artwork already in the room. I liked the idea of painting the fireplace and woodwork the same colour as the walls, so Dead Flat was perfect for the job.

How did you choose the colours?

I knew I wanted blue, so then it was a question of finding one dark enough to make an impact, but light enough for the room, which doesn't get a huge amount of light. The hue also needed to complement our existing soft furnishings. Oval Room Blue was the one!

How did you find our new finish, Dead Flat, to work with?

Dead Flat is genuinely brilliant. It was a pleasure not having to cut in around the shelves, fire surround and skirting because I could use the same paint on them all. It really simplified the process, as I wasn't using different brushes and rollers for different paint finishes. I think it’ll also probably lead to less wasted paint, as you only have to buy one kind. Magically, it didn't seem to drip easily, which was put to the test when my 8-year-old decided to 'help' me. It's been an absolute pleasure to work with Dead Flat and Farrow & Ball, who are one of my favourite brands!

What attracted you to Dead Flat and why do you think it’s good for you in your home?

I think it's such a clever product. With the trend for carrying a wall colour on to the woodwork becoming so popular — something I’d been really wanting to do — being able to do so with one finish saves time, money and hassle. We're all busy, so anything that makes life more efficient, with less waste, is a great idea. I was also attracted by the durability of the paint — something I feel particularly passionate about since having children!