Bringing colour to a Berlin apartment

All Photos © Robert Rieger

For Farrow & Ball Colour Consultant Julia Wülfing, this Berlin apartment transformation was the perfect project: a modern, family apartment needing a splash of colour.

“With concrete ceilings, eclectic furniture and bold pieces of art, the apartment was already bursting with personality,” explains Julia, “it just needed a colour scheme to match.”

Naturally, as one of our experts, Julia was more than up to the job.

Living Room

Walls: Railings No.31 in Modern Emulsion, Woodwork: Railings No.31 in Estate Eggshell

This bold and dramatic living room is a perfect example of incorporating existing features into a scheme. Deep Railings used on the walls creates a striking contrast with the concrete architecture, for a clean, contemporary finish.

Julia says: “With the large window and high ceiling, I knew we could add some real drama with a dark colour, without overpowering the space. The colour also makes a great backdrop for the bold art and the bookshelves, keeping the family’s personality front and centre.”

Master Bedroom

Walls and Ceiling: Railings No.31 in Modern Emulsion, Woodwork and Storage Unit: Railings No.31 in Estate Eggshell

In the master bedroom, Julia shows one of the easiest ways to create a cohesive feel throughout your whole space: using the same colour in different ways. Railings makes another appearance in this room, however this time it covers the walls and ceiling, creating a protective, cosy feeling.

“Like in the living room, we wanted to use a colour that would complement the existing furniture in the bedroom,” she says “pulling together the different materials and styles, from the wooden bed to the industrial, metal nightstand and even the retro lamp.”

Sharing another of our favourite tricks, Julia explains: “Bringing the colour from the wall across the storage unit, also turns this practical piece of furniture into part of the scheme.”  

Dining Area

Walls: Clunch No.2009 in Modern Emulsion, Woodwork: Clunch No.2009 in Estate Eggshell

For a clean but characterful dining area, look no further than this newly transformed space.

“We wanted to keep things fairly neutral here but with a touch of warmth to balance the cool concrete ceiling” says Julia, “so Clunch from the Liberty Collection with its versatile yellow base was my immediate choice.”

“We also chose to use the same colour across the hallway too, creating a path to draw you in from the front door towards the heart of the home – the kitchen/ dining room.”

Child’s Bedroom

Walls: Olive No.13 in Modern Emulsion, Door and Skirting: Olive No.13 in Estate Eggshell.

“Transforming this room was all about adding pops of fun and playing with colour, to make it youthful but still in keeping with the rest of the house.”

“I love the orange bedside table, it’s such a fun and bright colour paired with a classic, sophisticated shape. It’s perfect for a children’s room that’s a little more grown-up. We chose Olive for the walls to complement the table and make a feature of it.”

For an added touch of playfulness, Julia also chose Olive for the bedroom door as well.  

Office

Walls: Skimmed Milk White No.W7 in Modern Emulsion, Woodwork: Skimmed Milk White No.W7 in Estate Eggshell

A home office can mean the line between work and play gets blurred easily. A simple way to help keep things separate is using a colour in your work space that isn’t used elsewhere in the house. In the case of this bright and airy home office, that colour is Skimmed Milk White from our Natural History Museum collection.

“Skimmed Milk White is a lovely, relaxed off white,” says Julia “so using it in this light office room creates an uplifting, inspiring environment that encourages focus and calm at the same time – perfect for busy work days.”