Interior Design: How to Choose Paint (Part 1)

"Farrow & Ball's queens of colour, head colour consultant Joa Studhome and head of creative Charlotte Cosby, use their palette of new colours as a jumping off point to explain how to pick and mix paint..."

New Farrow & Ball colours are a thing worth getting excited about. The Dorset based company only update their palette of 132 shades once every three years, so this new batch are essentially the colours that devotees have been waiting for.

The nine newbies range from the perfect rich teal, to fail-safe additions to their iconic collection of neutrals. 'It takes a really long time to develop the colours,' says head of creative Charlotte Cosby. 'The final stage of the process generally being Joa and I sitting in her kitchen, literally hand-mixing sample pots. It's still a very hands-on process.'

Five tips for choosing the perfect paint colour

1. Plan what you're painting. Make a note of everything you have to paint before you start choosing colours; walls, skirting, doors, cornicing, furniture etc. This list of elements will become your recipe.

2.Work with the light. What direction does it come from? What time of day do you use the room? The way the colour shows up under natural and or artificial light is quite different.

3. Create illusions. Paint can be a powerful ally for making architectural details you don't like disappear. Erase them by painting them the same colour as the walls. Conversely if you want to make anything stand out, do it subtly by using a stronger tone, or really make it pop by using a different colour. This works the same with furniture. You can use colour to cover but also to make aspects of the room sing. If you have a piece of art that you want to stand out, pick a dominant colour from the picture as its backdrop, instead of white; but if you have a large practical item of furniture like a wardrobe, reduce its visual dominance by painting it the same colour as the walls.

4. Start small. The glory of paint is that it is so versatile. It can be very cheap to experiment with colour in small doses. Unexpected flashes inside cupboards or on the underside of shelves can look charming.

5. Choose colours you like. It may sound obvious, but we see so many clients who feel constricted by the need to be tasteful. Don't feel that because you have a Georgian house you have to use Georgian colours.

Vardo

A Vardo is a traditional horse-drawn gypsy or Romany wagon. A similar colour to this rich teal was used in the intricate patterning of these vehicles. This colour works particularly well with reds or dark greys.

Vardo is a colour that lifts the spirits. It is perfect for use in hallways which should of course always feel welcoming. It may seem strong in a contained space, but its flamboyant colour will serve to set the mood for the whole property, and gives you licence to be more neutral in the other rooms.

Vardo is the colour everyone has been waiting for Farrow & Ball to make. Once on your walls, its depth will not disappoint, enveloping you as you walk into the room. Owing to its strength, it works in both traditional and modern homes. Vardo would be my pick for a living room that is both dramatic and soft.

How to use it...

Vardo walls can't help but make you smile, especially when combined with colours of equal strength such as Radicchio which could be used on furniture. It looks fresh with James White woodwork, elegant with Pavilion Gray and super sexy with Downpipe.