By Design: A Calm, Cosy and Colourful Oasis

Walls, Ceiling and Shelving painted in Vert De Terre No.234

If you’d visited this 140-year-old house a few months ago, you’d be stepping into a very different space indeed. One with bare, lath and plaster walls, missing floorboards and lots and lots of dust. The rest of the house may still be a work in progress, but this beautiful Vert De Terre living room is now worlds away from all that chaos. Starting with this space, Claire Tarplee (@claireakennedy on Instagram) is transforming her 140-year-old house into an exquisite family home. We sat down with her to find out all about her style, how she plans her projects and what she thought of our new Dead Flat® finish.

I'm Claire, and I live with my husband, two children and dog Bailey. We bought a very run down Victorian home at the start of 2023 and have been renovating it ever since. I’m a huge fan of colour and pattern, so I try to just go with what makes my heart sing.

I grew up helping my parents renovate our family homes, so it’s kind of always been in my blood. At age three, I was helping strip wallpaper! I was one of those children constantly rearranging their room around. As I got older, my interest just grew and grew, and it’s now a full-blown love affair.

I hadn't used Dead Flat® before painting our living room. I absolutely love the ease of it. Painting the doors, skirting and walls all in the same paint is absolutely brilliant, especially when renovating a whole home and having to paint a lot of rooms! The living room has been painted for nearly a year now and the toughness of this finish has really come into it own, especially with a one-year-old and three-year-old!

I was pretty set on using green, as I find it so calming and welcoming. I tried a few Farrow & Ball greens but we settled on the delicate Vert De Terre . If you’re nervous using colour on the walls, it’s a lovely introduction, as its almost a neutral.

Don’t be afraid to mix colours and patterns! Experiment with different options because if you don’t love it straight away, something as simple as swapping out cushions or changing the wall art can make a big difference. Try not to focus on trends and stick to what you love instead. On a practical level, don’t forget storage! A family home will never be super tidy, but colourful jute baskets are wonderful for just throwing things in.

I try to zone in on something I absolutely love and work off that, for example a fabric or a wallpaper. I always get that ‘yes, I love this' moment and then pick the colours for the rest of the room. Get lots of samples, and play around with them, starting with your favourite element and seeing what work best with it.