Farrow & Ball Shares Colourful Guide for Easy Home Transformations

“There’s no doubt colour brightens our lives and creates memories in our homes,” says Joa, “but there are several reasons why we might not always want to decorate a whole room. Luckily, modest amounts of colour can make huge statements.”

Painted borders can do miraculous things

It’s easy to give doors extra impact by adding an oversized, painted frame, taking it over the architrave and even up onto the ceiling. This quirky idea is particularly useful if you want to give particular importance to one door in a room — for instance, you could draw attention to the door to your garden, using a green like Bancha for a natural connection between the interior and exterior.

If a mirror or piece of artwork feels too small for your space, simply paint a border around it. If it still looks small, extend that border with a contrasting colour and keep going until you feel you have reached the right size. If you want to hang multiple pictures together, paint the area behind them to highlight your gallery wall.

Not all doors are equal

Why not add a great big dose of colour to an unexpected door? Nothing warms the heart like a door painted in rich Preference Red, especially if you use Full Gloss. This could be to an ensuite bathroom or even just a cupboard — wherever you use it will give a special welcome!

Interesting architraves

Architraves are usually considered functional rather than decorative. I say turn that on its head and treat these features to some lively colour. A classic architrave can be made to look super contemporary with a vivid colour, like Raw Tomatillo, or if you want to soften the journey from room to room, then use a stencil to paint a scalloped frame around the architrave in Pink Ground. Don’t worry if you haven’t got an architrave between your rooms, even a simple arch between two spaces can be painted in a punchy colour, like Bamboozle, for an extra decorative twist.

Unexpected colour on the smallest surface

When looking to introduce a cheeky glimpse of colour, the edge of a door may be the last place you’d think of, but it can’t fail to make you smile. There are so many advantages to this unexpected trick: it’s hidden when the door is shut, it’s a great way for children to add their own style to their rooms, and best of all you can just paint a bit of masking tape and use that on the door edge. Bright colours like Yellowcake are particularly spectacular when used on a Hopper Head door.

Interior of shelves and cupboards

If you prefer an understated environment, try introducing colour or pattern in hidden spaces, which may well not be seen 90% of the time. Use uplifting colours inside kitchen units and closets to add an element of surprise without affecting the overall style of the room. You’ll feel great every time you open the doors! Traditionally, colours like Stone Blue and Selvedge have often been used in the back of bookcases but why not try a little Charlotte’s Locks for a fiery treat.

Headboards

An imaginative use of colour can result in huge cost savings. For example, why not paint a headboard directly onto a wall to define a space and add a charming decorative twist? Choose any shape that takes your fancy and create a simple stencil to help you out. Delicate colours like pale Powder and Eddy work particularly well on light walls, while Railings or Paean Black may be favored for a more industrial look.

Here comes the sun

Tones like India Yellow or Cane on window reveals fill the room with energy and add the appearance of sunshine. This trick will create a happy glow in every space, proving that colour can cheer up a room, even on the gloomiest of days.

For further quotes and images, please reach out to farrowandball@camronglobal.com.

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About Farrow & Ball

Farrow & Ball has been based in Dorset, England, since 1946. To this day, the brand remains dedicated to handcrafting richly pigmented paints and unique wallpapers using only the finest ingredients.

The result is a directional palette of paint colours with an extraordinary response to light and artisanal wallpapers with a tactile finish, achieved by printing paint on paper. Together, they transform homes of all kinds, inside and out, all over the world.

From ultra-matte, durable Dead Flat to mold-protected Modern Emulsion ideal for kitchens and bathrooms, and even choices for exteriors or historic properties, each high-performance finish is crafted with a precise balance of pigments and a low-VOC water base. This creates an extraordinary depth of colour and an unrivaled finish.

About Joa Studholme

Colour Curator Joa Studholme has worked with Farrow & Ball for over 25 years and has become a key part of our story: she helped launch the first Showroom, became the first Colour Consultant and has created many of our colours.

As well as creating new colours, Joa’s current role focuses on showing people the power of paint to transform a space, something she understood from a very young age: as a child she painted the inside of her bedroom cupboards yellow, so it looked like the sun was shining out of them. To this day, adding an accent colour to a recess is one of her top tips. She shares her passion for colour through colour consultancy, her Colour in the Home talks and her books How to Decorate and Recipes for Decorating.

Joa splits her time between London and Somerset and, as to be expected, both spaces are brimming with Farrow & Ball colour. In fact, her love for colour means she is constantly redecorating.

Although choosing her favorite Farrow & Ball colour is something Joa likens to choosing her favorite child, she is a firm fan of Bamboozle for its fiery spirit and the way it makes rooms glow.