More of Your Colourful Questions Answered

Over the past few months, we’ve been delighted to help more of you than ever tackle your colour and decorating conundrums over social media. In doing so, we’ve discovered some common themes that are causing consternation, so we thought we’d take to The Chromologist to cover them in more detail. See below for Patrick O’Donnell’s top tips on choosing between finishes, creating flow with colour, and more. (Missed part one? Read it here.)

Do you have a finish suitable for bathrooms?

Absolutely we do – peace of mind comes in the form of our Modern Emulsion finish for walls and ceilings. This will tolerate a degree of moisture and is a fully washable finish, so you don’t end up with those pesky drip marks that can be so irritating. Team with our Modern Eggshell for any built-in cabinetry and you can rest assured your paint will last.

How DO I choose a complementary colour for a feature wall?

The most successful route is often thinking tonally (and choosing the right wall too!) – for example, if you are choosing something delicate like Ammonite for three walls, why not team with Purbeck Stone as your accent colour? This will offer enough contrast without dominating the room.

If you do want to consider a different colour from your other three walls, think about the tonal notes in your paint. Let’s assume you are painting the main body of the room in Shaded White, a softly nuanced neutral with an underlying note of green. In that case, something stronger like Card Room Green would complement beautifully as you are pulling the green tones from your neutral walls

What front door colours will work best against a red brick façade?

Depending on the strength of the bricks’ colour (they can run from soft terracotta to blood red), deep, smoky tones can often be a great partner.

Railings is perennially chic with its underlying blue, and Green Smoke looks effortlessly elegant (plus, green exterior paint always sits well in an external environment). A statement red such as Preference Red will echo the architectural tones of the brick, while a rich, strong blue, such as the beautiful Stiffkey Blue, is a classic choice, especially with brass door furniture.

You can opt for either the subtle Exterior Eggshell or our glamorous Full Gloss finish, which is seeing a long-overdue revival in popularity! If a dark front door is a step too far and you want to keep it simple, try a more nuanced white or off white with underlying red tones, such as Dimity or Joa’s White.

Can you suggest some schemes for a cosy, inviting living room?

The living room or sitting room should always be a place of sanctuary – to cuddle up in on a cold winter’s night and watch a movie, or to share conviviality with friends. It can be a tricky room to get right as it is the sum of many parts. From fabric curtains or blinds to upholstery on your chairs and sofas, it is a room of layers, and because of this, planning is an essential first step.

Gather all your ideas together, whether in a mood board or on Pinterest. You will then be able to see how to layer colour, print and texture, and then either edit or commit to everything. Most of us love blue and green palettes, so think about these as a foil to everything else. Colour can be strong but should never dominate a room!

An easy scheme (and easy to layer other elements) could be Light Blue on your walls, a good mid-neutral such as Mouse’s Back on your woodwork (including doors and architraves) and our super off white School House White for your ceiling. This palette will allow you to bring in elements of blue, green, and brown and natural shades, as well as the opportunity to layer with other colours such as smoky pinks and inkier blues.

How do I create a scheme that will create a strong sense of flow throughout my home?

The easiest option is to find a ‘tonal family’ of colours. A classic example from our colour card would be Strong White through to Mole’s Breath. You can layer these shades in many ways throughout the home, creating light-filled rooms by using Ammonite on your walls, or cosier, more intimate spaces – such as a snug – with the rich, warm, brown tones of Mole’s Breath.

The lovely thing about this method is having a universal white too – so Strong White could facilitate all your woodwork and ceiling requirements. Another super tonal family is from School House White through to Hardwick White. These have slightly softer notes of green and yellow, if you want to move away from greys.