At Home With: Marin Montagut
All photos © Romain Ricard
When Marin Montagut first moved into his new home in the 12th arrondissement in Paris, he knew that the all-neutral palette would have to be the first thing to go.
“The house was all white, the walls were all white…” says the artist and designer. “You should know that I get a bit anxious around all-white interiors. I feel closer to the English style of decoration, and I like their wallpapers. I like colour.”
Well, what better time for Farrow & Ball to enter the picture? Between our pigment-rich paints and handcrafted wallpapers, we were already ticking two of Marin’s boxes, but there was just one thing missing – a little help from our experts.
About Colour Consultancy
“Colour consultation is, above all, support for choosing colours,” says Clara De Cussy, the Farrow & Ball Colour Consultant who worked with Marin on his new palette.
“Every apartment has its own little bit of individuality, so at the end of the day it’s about finding out what the client wants before offering them a colour palette, but most of all, it’s also about being able to offer them expertise for their space.”
The Kitchen
Before
The all-white kitchen “without much charm”.
After
With newly painted cabinets and striped wallpaper.
“So the idea was that, since Marin didn’t like this kitchen very much, we should give it a little bit of charm,” says Clara.
“That didn’t necessarily mean modernising it, but at least giving it a little bit of strength with all these delicately designed cupboards and, therefore, choosing a slightly darker colour.”
In this case, that darker colour is the archived Dyrehaven. Alongside the yellow and white Crivelli Trellis and Closet Stripe papers, which create a light and playful feel, it’s beautifully balanced.
The Landing
Before
The hallway – large but lacking personality
After
The perfect backdrop for a gallery wall of pictures and curios
“We made the landing all green to really create an atmosphere,” says Marin, “and to make the landing a room in its own right and not just a passageway.”
It’s sometimes easy to neglect transitional spaces like hallways, stairways and landings when we don’t tend to spend much time in them.
However, this is precisely what makes them such great candidates for strong colour, like the Suffield Green and Salon Drab combo that Marin and Clara have chosen here.
The Living Room
Before
The living room – full of character but needing some colour
After
Yellow stripe wallpaper lifts the room and adds some much-needed warmth
Marin’s new-look living room is a masterclass in using existing architectural features to inform a palette, something that our Colour Consultants always take into account.
“The living room with the beams like this on the ceiling – there’s a sort of striped rhythm,” says Marin.
“And that’s why we used a yellow and white striped wallpaper – to remind us a bit of English country houses and also to imitate the pattern of the beams on the ceiling with the pattern of the striped wallpaper.
The Bedroom
Walls: Melrose BP 1428; Door: Babouche No.223
Walls: Melrose BP 1428
In the bedroom, Clara demonstrates another of our favourite tricks for putting together a palette that works – creating flow with similar tones and motifs throughout the apartment.
“In the bedroom, we decided to keep going with the colour yellow,” she says, “as it’s a colour that comes up a little in all these spaces.”
“I think Marin really had a passion for this very flowery wallpaper,” (our beloved Melrose pattern) “and wanted to create a cocoon-effect with all the walls in the room wallpapered, to really bring that warmth and charm.”
As a finishing touch, Clara and Marin chose our sunny yellow Babouche for the glass-panelled door and its surround.
The Hallway
Walls and Ceiling: Picture Gallery Red No.42
Walls and Ceiling: Picture Gallery Red No.42
Another transitional space, another inspired use of colour. This time, in the hallway, Clara and Marin made the bold decision to take our deep and earthy Picture Gallery Red all over the walls and ceiling.
“Let’s not forget,” says Clara, “the hallway is the space where your guests first see your home, so it’s interesting to give it a strong aesthetic, because you then immediately give the place an identity.”
Incidentally, Picture Gallery Red is one of the best wall colours for a collector like Marin – as you might guess from the name, it’s a particularly striking backdrop for art and antiques of all kinds.
See More of Marin’s Makeover
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