Amanda and Giovanni moved into their new home in Brooklyn looking for a bit more space — sharing an apartment with their growing twin daughters was becoming a bit too cosy for comfort. But they wanted something else too. Colour. They wanted their home to be bright, bold and brimming with colour and pattern.
For the full renovation, they reached out to Brooklyn-based architecture and interior design firm, Studio Officina. As a design studio known for bringing the ‘fun’ to every project, colour and pattern was right up their street. Together they made key decisions about how to open up the rabbit-warren layout, which tiles to use on the floor and, most importantly, what shade of pink they wanted their fridge to be.
When it came to picking the paint, Studio Oficina, wanted advice from the best of the best. Enter Colour Curator, Joa Studhome. All of our Colour Consultants boast an unrivalled understanding of our finishes, colour palette and wallpaper patterns — and know exactly how to use them to bring a space to life. As our original Colour Consultant, Joa has been refining her skills for longer than most. Combining her expertise of Farrow & Ball with Studio Officina’s knowledge of the project, the result is joyful, vibrant and always effortlessly sophisticated. After all, two heads are better than one.
We sat down with Luki Anderson from Studio Officina to hear all about her experience
Can you tell us a bit about the project? From your vision for the space and how Joa helped you bring it to life?
My clients, Amanda and Giovanni, approached us for help renovating their recently purchased home in Brooklyn. They have two, young, twin daughters and wanted to create a family home that could accommodate their growing needs and reflect who they are.
From the get-go, colour and pattern was a big priority. So, we wanted to find a way to incorporate them as much as possible but to do so wisely so that it didn’t feel haphazard or overwhelming.
Foyer
We’d already picked out the tile for this small room, so Joa proposed colour drenching the walls and ceiling with rich, deep Dinnerware. The colour complements the tiles very well.
Hall, Stairs, and Landing
Like the foyer, we’d already picked out the blue and white floor tiles. So again, Joa suggested adding Dinnerware to the walls but this time halfway up as a painted wainscot. This has really helped tie this long space together.
Parlour
Amanda and Giovanni were keen to use Stirabout and Bamboozle. So, Joa added Yellowcake around the door trim. It was a very fun touch to add.
Library
We knew this room would always be dark because it’s in the middle of the house — and the house is very long. Joa embraced this and chose a deep, dark green. Then she made the doorways pop by adding Yellowcake around them.
Kitchen and Pantry
We’d already picked out Cinder Rose for the kitchen as we’d selected a pink glass fridge and compared all the Farrow & Ball pinks to the glass sample so we could see which hue would work best. Joa added fun, colourful trim elements around the windows and doorways as Amanda liked the idea of highlighting these frames.
What spurred your interest in our colour consultancy service?
The clients and I love Farrow & Ball. When we first started working together, Giovanni and Amanda already had a long list of colours they were considering from the Farrow & Ball palette. Ideally, they were hoping each room could be a different colour, and they were sure they wanted a pink kitchen. I’d heard of the colour consultancy service and thought it would be a wise way to get the best out of your palette, plus once I saw that we could get Joa’s help I was even more keen to book!
How did you find your colour consultancy experience?
Joa really listened closely, carefully and patiently as I explained the project’s background. She meticulously combed through all the information we sent her regarding all the things we had already picked out (colourful tiles, a pink glass fridge and so on!). Without even visiting the house, she pulled all our ideas together and married them with a wonderful colour scheme. We were so impressed as she really understood what we were trying to achieve, met us there and then took it to a whole new level of quality and fun! The value for money was also very impressive. We’re very grateful.
What’s impressed me most about the palette Joa came up with is that even though we used a ton of different colours, you never feel overwhelmed by them. I think that’s because many areas are actually neutral-ish at eye level. I think that was a very clever move on Joa’s part.
Ask Joa
Enjoy advice from the woman herself with a colour consultancy. Whether you want a bold scheme to complement your pink fridge or you prefer something a little more subtle, Joa will help you create the perfect scheme for your project.