Are you a lover of colour? of course
Do you believe in the idea that it can change your mood? colour is probably, in reality, a very small landscape of factors that can affect your mood. For example, writing a reply to this question has already affected me. Should I rant or should I provide the answer that is expected? Perhaps somewhere in the middle. Back to the point... let’s say, for example, you painted a room in my favourite calming colour scheme and then filled it with furniture and possessions that I detested – this would irritate me. Now reverse the situation with a paint scheme that grates and, yes, I would still be irritated. However, if you stuck my brother in a room with a random colour and random furnishings he would be happy. If you kept changing the factors he would still be happy. If you put a cupboard full of chocolate in the room he would be really, really happy – it wouldn’t matter what colour you painted the cupboard – he doesn’t care – some people don’t. Can you change someone’s mood with colour if they don’t care about colour? Probably not. The best I could say about using colour is – don’t use colours you don’t like!
Any tips on decorating with colour? What’s a good starting point (e.g. building a scheme around a favourite accessory) Personally I prefer a neutral background highlighted by interesting furniture and possessions. I would say that, I sell furniture! It depends what look you are after – you could take the fitted kitchen approach and match everything, but that seems to lack imagination. I think your house should be a reflection of yourself and I wouldn’t worry about making the walls match anything. Making things work together isn’t just about colour. Most people can see what goes together and just because something is blue, doesn’t mean any blue will work within a ‘scheme’ – I know someone who is completely colour blind but if he sees a colour, he knows instantly what will go with it, because he still recognises tones.
Our shops look is very consistent and works because it’s full of stuff we like (even though in terms of colour this can vary from bright green to battleship grey). Harmony can be achieved through many things such as texture, pattern, space, light, clutter, no clutter, family, no family and a good glass of red wine. If you have no idea about what colour to paint your room, it may be that, deep down, you don’t care! If you do know what colour then you care and will know what to do. If you want to care, but can’t, then hire an interior designer who will tell you why you should care and how much it will cost. If you’re like my brother, then go into the nearest DIY store blindfolded and pick a colour – it will work for you.
Do you see unusual colours in vintage pieces that you just don’t see elsewhere? Can you give any examples of something in the shop where this is the case? We see unusual colours all the time. This is because old furniture has been owned by individuals, and individuals have individual taste! There seems to be a pre-conception that old painted furniture is tasteful and restrained (which it can be). Original paint on a Georgian chest, for example, will have dulled and changed over 200 years. It will look very different to how it started out. If the Georgians had access to modern paint technology (in particular zinc white) then I bet they would have produced some really gaudy schemes! We have a very green cupboard in the shop at the moment. The paint is very distressed but it really stands out. I would call this perhaps a statement piece. I would not recommend matching anything to it, as an entire room in that colour could get very tiring. However, if you are braver then we also have a mad pink Hungarian dresser in the shop.
Is colour therefore a good way of creating an appropriate look for an older property? The only appropriate look is one you like! Of course you can use heritage colours, but is this appropriate? Is spreading rushes on the floor of an old cottage appropriate? I think a lot of the time people look back and desperately try to match their modern taste to an older style. If you can do this, fair enough, but your original house owners didn’t necessarily hark back 150 years to influence them – they may have been innovators of their age, and filled their home with ‘modern’ pieces – time moves on... People, over the centuries, have decorated according to taste, wealth, circumstances, fashion and hopefully, what they actually like! Don’t worry what anyone else thinks!
I suspect these answers won’t appear in the article. For a sensible approach call your local interior designer. They will show you a colour wheel. It’s utterly meaningless but it may calm you down.
Now...more coffee..
