Whether it’s for a listed home, a boutique hotel or a modern workspace, designers and architects continually make decisions about colours. Along with texture and pattern, colour not only helps establish mood within a space but also express character and personality.
Last October, as part of our 2022 theme of colour, we invited three design experts to our Clerkenwell showroom to explore the relationship between colour and space – including James Soane, Director of Project Orange; Tina Norden, Partner of Conran and Partners; and Patrick O’Donnell, International Brand Ambassador for Farrow and Ball.
Moderated by interiors and lifestyle journalist, Fiona McCarthy, the panel discussed the use of colour in both domestic and commercial environments; from private homes to hotels and restaurants.
“I think the last three years where we spent much more time in our home, we have kind of re-evaluated how we want to live in our space, and how we respond to the colour in the room,” said O’Donnell. “We’ve definitely seen a much bigger shift to really delicate, almost nostalgic kind of pastel shades, sort of almost ice-cream tones.”
Spaces – including the bathroom – have also changed significantly over the years, and “there’s a whole sort of colour range that’s just not that sterile anymore,” McCarthy added.
But how do we make decisions about colours? For Norden, choosing colours is a very personal thing – “it needs to be related to the use, the location, the storyline, etc… so it doesn’t become purely a fashion choice.”
Soane agreed – whether it be for a commercial project or an individual, the design process is about “taking them on a story journey”. For Soane, as an architect, it’s also about “giving people the confidence that they’re not just choosing a single colour… and trying to get [them] to understand that there’s this spectrum – even within a colour”.
To watch the full recording of our event, click here now.
Click here to stay tuned for more events in our Clerkenwell showroom in 2023.