My slow return to colour
A.K.A, I painted a door yellow and now I'm hooked
Looking back at my cottage in Los Angeles back in say 2010, after we’d lived in it for a five years and I’d put my mark on it, it was a riot of colour. White painted floorboards and pale walls, but pops of colour dotted throughout in furnishings, accessories, textiles and art. My children were little then as well so there were toys and children’s art and all those small child specific signs of life that come with a family home.
There was also just a lot of stuff. My collections were on display rather than hidden in a prop cupboard or still in boxes in the loft as they currently are. I was much more into kitschy knick knacks back then so it felt pretty cluttered. And it was a tiny cottage at about 800 square feet, so it felt even more full - very cosy for a family of four plus multiple pets!
Fast forward to today and my home in Margate is a lot more muted. Not monochrome by any means, but more earth-toned with nothing too harsh or bold, and very little pattern, except for my beloved red Chinese cabinet painted with butterflies which has travelled with me for 20+ years. And a few vintage floral curtains in my office and hallway. But otherwise it’s muted, muted, muted.
To be clear, the house isn’t close to being ‘done’ (as I write in my book Life Unstyled, a home is never done…) and I’ve really just placed things I had in my old house that don’t necessarily work in this one. But even the base layer is muted. Bare plaster and pale paint colours on the walls throughout and so far the only bold-ish colours are a lick of green paint inside a window frame, a green sink and a blue bath. Otherwise it’s all natural wood furniture and far more texture than colour.
My softer colour palette phase began back in 2016 (I write about it here on the old Life Unstyled blog), likely a reaction to a big personal life change, namely D.I.V.O.R.C.E. and it has continued until now. Every decision I’ve made as we have renovated our current bungalow has been rooted in a desire for calm. For me that has meant less colour and less clutter.
But lately I’ve begun to dabble in colour once again: first a lampshade, then a floor tile, next a doorframe. So small bites. Samples. Like a tentative toe dip in a cold sea. I’ve been excited by the portfolio of interior designer Beata Heuman whose book Every Room Should Sing is also wonderful. She straddles the interiors worlds of traditional and eclectic so well, combining colours in unexpected and exciting ways, and always with a nod to her Swedish heritage. I saw her speak at Decorex a number of years ago and have followed her career ever since.
Last night I couldn’t sleep and I found myself delving deep into the instagram account of Lucinda Chambers, former Fashion Director of British Vogue, whose eclectic homes are filled to overflowing with colour and pattern and collections. While I’m not planning on creating this maximalist look again - like I had in my overstuffed LA home - Lucinda reminds me to mix and match and to like what I like. She is the queen of colour and pattern mixing as well as that old favourite, mixing high and low. Designer and artist made pieces sit side by side with a table she found on the street and painted in stripes.
I’ve also found myself being drawn more to people with a daring sense of fashion, like Danish influencer Pernille Rosenkilde or Susie Lau aka Susie Bubble, both renowned for their bold, eccentric personal style (my fashion sense over the past few years has also become rather vanilla and safe, but that’s another post). I’m not about to go full Fashun and start wearing metallic tutus and Loewe’s foam Minnie Mouse shoes, but I have started to get interested in fashion again and I’m attempting to regain my own sense of style. I do think fashion sense goes hand in hand with interiors, although a person’s sartorial style isn’t always perfectly matched to their interiors style. I’ve known people to wear only black but live in a home bursting with colour, and vice versa.
I talk a lot in my books about allowing your personal and interiors style to evolve over time and the importance of experimenting at home to keep things fresh. Whether it’s restyling a bookshelf or repainting a door (both of which I’ve done recently) making small changes keeps a home alive. I appreciate it’s not how everyone enjoys spending their time and I was reminded of this recently by a rather sneering comment (from a non-follower) on one of my shelf styling videos which somehow went viral.
“Who has time for experimenting with book placement?’ this unimpressed viewer commented. “Me. It’s literally my job” was my reply ;)
Interior styling may not be everyone’s job, but I still see it as a worthy pursuit for anyone who’s interested in the home and how it affects their well-being. Because our homes are such a reflection of ourselves and our inner lives, paying attention when you start to feel dissatisfied with your surroundings is important. I’m not advocating for going out and buying a new sofa just because you’re bored of the one you have or a new dinner set because you saw an ad for it pop up on Instagram, but do permit yourself the freedom to change your opinion of what you like as time passes.
I am not the same person I was when I had my house in LA. My entire home life and career (and country!) has changed, so of course my home should reflect those changes. My reignited excitement for a dose of colour is meaningful for me because I see it as my creativity being sparked again, but for you it may be different. For me it means I’ll be painting some doorways and doors in subtle pops of colour and slowly adding some more colourful art to the walls. For you it might mean, painting your ceiling purple. Who knows? And then there are the rare ones whose style remains the same forever! I respect that as well. As long as the place you call home continues to make you feel good, then you’re doing it right.
Next time on here I’ll be speaking about each of my books as I celebrate ten years since the publication of my first book Modern Rustic. I’ll share anecdotes, the concept creation and some of my favourite inspiration from each book, so make sure you come back for those videos in the coming weeks. Thanks as always for reading and subscribing.
