Sometimes the colours you want, aren’t the colours you need. That was certainly the case for Alexandra Carl as she began redecorating her new family home. She explains: ‘I had this very light neutral palette in mind when we moved in, and gradually diverted to shades of pink, orange, greens and wood.’ So, why the change? Well, Alexandra booked a colour consultancy with our Brand Ambassador and interior expert Patrick O’Donnell.
Patrick asked Alexandra how she wanted her home to feel and how she planned to use it. They soon realised that her main priority was creating a sense of calm, bringing nature in and reflecting her personality. So, she turned away from the colours she saw trending online, and instead looked for colours that made the house feel like her home. Naturally, Patrick was there to help every step of the way.
Hallway
Alexandra knew exactly how she wanted her hallway to make her (and her guests) feel:
‘The aim was to create a calming refuge from our busy everyday — I travel a lot for work, so we wanted to make sure our home felt peaceful and embracing. We wanted it to be like a time warp in the sense that once you enter, you forget about the outside world.’
As an experienced hand, Patrick knew which colours would create a serene sanctuary to welcome her home. Pointing on the walls, ceiling and woodwork (even the staircase) creates a soothing flow with warm undertones and no abrupt lines.
Living Room
In this living room, it isn’t the paint that takes centre stage — there are two other elements Alexandra loves.
The first is the foliage tapping on the window. ‘I love how the greenery is visible on either side of the living room,’ she explains, ‘so you always feel surrounded by nature even when in a busy city.’ The second is the furniture, which Alexandra has a particular fondness for: ‘I like pieces that feel effortless but still have a point of view, which is why the choice of colour was so essential — they have to complement the furniture but not be loud.’
Patrick chose the warm, timeless combination of Dimity and Pointing to create a beautiful backdrop for the all-important foliage and furniture.
Primary Bedroom
It comes as no surprise that Alexandra wanted the sense of calm to carry through to the bedroom. However, in this space, she opted for a slightly stronger colour inspired by her love of the foliage in the living room: soft green Eddy.
She explains: ‘We transferred the greens to our bedroom for the serenity — following advice from Patrick — bringing the feeling of nature inside.’
Painting the wardrobes the same shade as the walls also helps to create a sense of calm, by allowing the eye to simply float around the room without disruption.
Child’s Bedroom
In her son’s bedroom, Alexandra and Patrick have created a space that continues the sense of calm from the rest of the home but brings an added sense of fun. The Hazy walls with Ultra Marine Blue picture rail create a breezy blue scheme reminiscent of open skies and sparkling seas — it’s both soothing and an invitation for the imagination. Soft pink Tailor Tack on the ceiling and woodwork also soften the scheme with added warmth compared to a bright white.
We don’t know what Alexandra’s son thinks of his new room yet but Alexandra certainly enjoyed creating it: ‘The most fun room was our son’s room — we went for a bright blue picture rail, which complements the colour scheme of a Yayoi Kusama poster we’ve got in there.’
Kitchen
With wooden accents, floor-to-ceiling windows and two of our Warm Neutrals (Dimity and Pointing), this kitchen/ dining room feels effortlessly relaxed and inviting. It’s Alexandra’s favourite redecorated space and we have to say, we think it might be ours too.
'I think the kitchen is my favourite space — the palette is so organic and calming. There’s a lot of light even on grey days and all materials are in harmony — the wood in the kitchen with the greens in the garden. It really feels like you’re sitting outside even when inside.’
Ask Patrick
If you’d like Patrick’s help with your home, simply get in touch and book your own colour consultancy today. He’s ready and waiting to bring your style to life.