So so late this morning far to many episodes last night of The Killing made all three of us oversleep and wham bam its 9am and I’ve only just started the day. Fine tuning my seminar for next week in Melbourne all about how to create emotive interiors. I’ve said it before and pretty sure I shall say it again but colour is the most transformative thing you do can do to a space if you want to add some emotional content to your pad. It changes faceless rooms into spectacular rooms. It can be bold, blingy and fabulous or soft, neutral and lets face it not so fabulous! It can turn the simplest abode into an edgy, sophisticated den in which to hunker down. I’m a lover of sludgy, inky hues as my background palette and then ramped up with some high voltage hues. I guess because I have this thing about wanting a space that sort of whiffs of old gentleman’s club – an old world, private dining room type feel but un stuffy fied (yes I know there is no such word). I love nothing better than adding some flirty colours into the mix (think barbie esq pink, scarlet a big dose of teal) to lighten the mood. There is simply no quicker or cheaper way of transforming a space than through paint and through colour. Talking of which I must produce a paint range – its just struck me as a terribly good idea and would so make my ambition of converting the whole world over to the dark side just a little bit easier. Perhaps?
Below is Adam Straus’s pad in LA decorated in a beautiful sludgy palette as showcased in Lonny this month. The most exciting thing is its in LA land of the neutral palette – just because you live in sunny climes doesn’t mean everything has to be white as Adam has so expertly shown. Adore it.
Oh yes, please do produce a paint range! Then we would have something fool-proof to select from… I’ve found that you can make mistakes even with Farrow and Ball
Speaking of which, a question, if I may. I live in a beautiful, but small (35sqm), apartment in Helsinki. It has old wooden creaky floors, old doors (beautiful) and overlooks an old 19th century wooden house. So it kind of feels like you’re living in a wooden house yourself, even though it is very much an apartment. Ok, I’m rambling
So, the question. I have a small hall that is visible to both the other rooms, i.e. kitchen and living cum bedroom. At the moment it is painted a hideous peachy color, and I so want to paint it over. But what do you think? Should I go with something that suits the light grey-ish paint in the other two rooms, or can I go bold? And do you recommend wallpaper or paint? I do know it’s hard to advise without seeing the place, but any general ideas would be appreciated. Thank you ever so much in any case.
Love your style, your blog, and your book (which is dog-eared and paint-smeared by now, by the way)…
Your place sounds lovely. Personally I would go bold – I think its so cool when transitional areas such as hallways have an unexpected twist of colour. In terms of colour I was thinking London Clay by F&B just painted my bathroom in this hue. On the F&B website it looks awlful and you will think I have lost the plot – but in reality its beautiful – its taupeish its pinkish its dark and it looks amazing with wood. Works with white accents, and dark looks beautiful in the day and at night. Hope that helps and thinks for the encouragement with the paint range idea x
Hi Abigail,
Thank you for your reply. I checked the colour out on my F&B colour card and the web, and I think I now love the idea. Must admit I was a bit sceptical after seeing it online, but the colour card made me feel more confident. Plus, I trust your judgement. I never would have chosen this colour by myself, and that’s why I also love it – something new
I already kind of wanted to go bold, but thought it might be too distracting as the hall is open to both the other rooms, but now I am ready to take the plunge! Shall order the paint, and wait anxiously, paint brush in hand.
Thanks again, and have a lovely time in Australia!
Fab thank you x
I really like Adam Straus’s living room, sophisticated yet cosy. The walls look very unusual but so pretty. Hard to tell from the photo but surely they are not painted, perhaps venetian plaster or lacquered ? Anyway, it looks expensive! I do like how he has fused the modern baby head/light to the traditional painting!