When I purchased my house, the first thing I wanted to do without question was take each of the rooms and just paint them white. I just wanted a blank canvas with which to offset my furnishings and accessories.
It’s all white
I absolutely love colour and the stunning range of beautiful paints we have access to but didn’t want to bring the colours through in what was the most dominating part of the room – the walls. I wanted someone to walk into one of my rooms and see the furnishings and accessories and didn’t want anything to distract from this.
Introducing colour
Over the years though, I have introduced colour into my walls and I have learnt that you can still use colour as a backdrop whilst still making a statement with your lovely things. My choices were made by thinking about what statement I wanted to make and what colours meant to me.
I love the fact that my downstairs cloakroom which was once safely wrapped in white paint is now a rich emerald green and makes people smile when they open the door. One day it will change, but for now, it’s love.
Experiment – Have fun with paint
If you had asked me 14 years ago if I would consider changing my walls from white to say black, I would have chuckled, but today I have a black window recess and have done some black colour blocking behind my bed. In contrast to white, I love how black provides a beautiful way to make pictures pop and adds a bit of drama.
Sometimes you just have to trust your judgement and have a bit of fun.
If I could offer any advice
Be inspired by colour trends but don’t go with them simply because they are a trend – you have to love and live with that colour.
Don’t be afraid of colours – the beauty of paint is that you can change it; Just live with it for a while before making a rash decision.
Be bold and experiment – if you play it too safe then you are never going to feel like you have achieved something wow.
Test paints in different parts of the room to make sure you capture the colour in different lights.
If you don’t know where to start; pick out an anchor colour from your room and work around that. You might have a lovely deep green in a cushion that could then shape the rest of the room for example.
Need some inspiration?
Katharine Ellen Designs provide Sanderson paints that complement our stunning range of beautiful fabrics. They promise to inspire your colour choice and maybe give you a starting point. If you would like any advice or a colour card please Contact Katharine on 01986 877580 or visit our contact page here.
