Your Colourful Questions Answered: Part Four
Today, Farrow & Ball colour expert Patrick O’Donnell is answering some more of your most frequently asked questions, including how to make the most of a north-facing room, how to create interest around white kitchen cabinets, and how to complement exposed brick.
If you have a question and can’t see it here, try Part One, Part Two and Part Three of our Colourful Questions Answered series.
Which colours should I choose for a north-facing living room?
While it can often feel like a headache getting the colour right in poorly lit rooms, fear not – follow a few guiding principles and you will find you have more choice than first anticipated. Yes, light can be a challenge, but it should never be restricting!
Of course, your choice will be influenced by other elements too, such as the flooring you have in the room, or the curtain and sofa fabric. But warm colours – those that have elements of yellow or red through them – or dark colours (for those of braver hearts) can both work a treat.
Warm & Bright
Walls: India Yellow No.66 in Estate Emulsion
Woodwork: White Tie No.2002 in Estate Eggshell
Ceiling: Wimborne White No.239 in Estate Emulsion
Deep & Cosy
Walls: Sulking Room Pink No.295 in Estate Emulsion
Woodwork: Studio Green No.93 in Estate Eggshell
Ceiling: Off-White No.3 in Estate Emulsion
Dark & Cocooning
Walls: Inchyra Blue No.289 in Estate Emulsion
Woodwork: Salon Drab No.290 in Estate Eggshell
Ceiling: Drop Cloth No.283 in Estate Emulsion
How do I choose a colour for a cloakroom with no natural light?
This is a great opportunity to just go for it. You will never be able to create ‘light’, so don’t fight it! It’s not a room one will spend any length of time in, so use this as an excuse to express the bolder you. You could also consider wallpaper to add a little glamour. Assuming we are working with a white loo and sink, you can pretty much have fun with most colours. Here are a few suggestions:
Walls: Stone Blue No.86 in Modern Emulsion
Woodwork: Bancha No.298 in Estate Eggshell
Ceiling: James White No.2010
Walls: Cook’s Blue No.237 in Modern Emulsion
Woodwork: Railings No.31 in Estate Eggshell
Ceiling: Cabbage White No.269 in Estate Emulsion
How do I bring a kitchen with plain white cabinets to life?
A plain white kitchen can look absolutely lovely but, for an easy makeover, you can change the feel with a lick of paint on your walls, whether keeping it simple with a more nuanced white as your backdrop or really letting the cupboards stand out against a brighter foil with a zingy hit of colour. Below are a few suggestions, from the well-mannered to the ooh la la.
Walls: Shaded White No.201 in Modern Emulsion
Woodwork: School House White No.291 in Modern Eggshell
Ceiling: All White No.2005 in Estate Emulsion
Walls: Brassica No.271 in Modern Emulsion
Woodwork: All White No.2005 in Modern Eggshell
Ceiling: Great White No.2006 in Estate Emulsion
Walls: Stiffkey Blue No.281 in Modern Emulsion
Woodwork: Stiffkey Blue No.291 in Modern Eggshell
Ceiling: Strong White No.2001 in Estate Emulsion
What are Farrow & Ball Archive colours?
Archive colours are paint shades from across our 75-year history that no longer feature in our signature palette of 132 colours. Everything in the Archive is still available to buy, so if there’s a colour you have historically loved that is no longer in our main collection, that’s where you can find it.
It’s thrilling to dip into the Archive if you’re new to Farrow & Ball, too, as it opens up so many possibilities for colours that you might not have known we have. You can find them all on our Archive Colours page.
SOME OF MY FAVOURITE ARCHIVE COLOURS
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