A Beautiful Bedroom Consultancy with Desmond & Dempsey

Walls and Ceiling: Shaded White No.201 in Estate Emulsion;

Woodwork: Mouse’s Back No.40 in Estate Eggshell

Our new virtual consultancy service, designed as a socially distanced alternative to our popular in-home appointments, has allowed us to keep bringing the expertise of our Colour Consultants to homes everywhere, with clients and colour experts working together through screens instead of face to face.

Of course, we already knew that combining the personal approach of our usual service with the comfort and convenience of digital appointments was a winning formula – but don’t just take it from us. Joel and Molly, the founders of pyjama brand Desmond & Dempsey, recently created their ideal bedroom with a little help from our richly pigmented colours and expert Colour Consultant Patrick O'Donnell. Discover their journey below.

Joel And Molly's Journey

Nothing goes together like luxurious loungewear and a beautifully painted bedroom, purpose-designed for evening escapism and long, lazy lie-ins. That’s why, when it came to trying out our new virtual service with the couple behind pyjama purveyors Desmond & Dempsey, it felt only right to start with the most relaxing room in the house.

But while the location was a no-brainer, the concept certainly gave Consultant Patrick O’Donnell plenty of think about. “The brief for the bedroom wasn’t easy”, says Molly. “We wanted calm, but didn’t want boring. We weren’t afraid of colour but we spend our days surrounded by a lot of print and a lot of colour, so were excited by the idea of coming home to something softer.”

With this in mind, Molly and Joel embarked on their video call with Patrick, beginning with one of the most important elements to consider before painting any room. “We started our consultancy talking about the light in our bedroom,” says Molly. “Patrick took time to understand when we spent the most time in our bedroom and how the light changed through the day.”

The remarkably changeable nature of our pigment-rich paint makes this an especially important consideration. How Light Affects Colour offers a quick overview of different light sources, but our Consultants’ familiarity with our palette means that they can offer truly personalised, in-depth advice on undertones, aspects, how the time of day the room is most used should affect colour choices, and more.

Moving on from the more technical side of the brief to the creation of a particular mood, something that many of us struggle to articulate when approaching colour palettes alone, Molly was pleased to have the opportunity to share her sources of inspiration with Patrick before the call.

When it comes to getting the most out of a colour consultancy, whether virtual or in-home, the sharing of Pinterest boards, fabric swatches, or anything else you find inspiring is an incredibly valuable step, as Molly herself found. “It was obvious that he had spent a lot of time looking at the 101 references I had sent him” she says “and then picked a colour palette that would achieve the mood we were after.”

So, what about the colours he suggested to create that mood? “Looking at the website, I would not have known that Shaded White could be so warm,” says Molly, “but Patrick was spot on and the colours have done everything he told us they would do.”

Finally, Patrick even went beyond colour to share suggestions for a DIY floor covering that would help Molly and Joel complete their look, offering his top tips for achieving a beautifully textural sisal effect that would fit into the mood they wanted their room to encapsulate.

Don’t forget that you can get our guide to Perfect Preparation & Application right here on the website. Here’s all you need to know about interior painting with Farrow & Ball.