Further Thoughts on Colourless Interiors

Interiors follow fashion, that's a truism.  So, in fashion now, as in this photo by Gucci, we are seeing a riot of colours and patterns, placed together in what seems a careless way, but must be artful.  So why is it that current thought maintains, vigorously, that clean, spare interiors are what young moderns crave?  The thinking goes that we must be surrounded at home by a lack of colour stimulation of any kind because our minds are overloaded during the day with digital images.

The other argument is that we just don't like "stuff."  But we do like stuff, just so long as it's Post-Modern stuff.

Fashion cycles in and out, and minimalism will too, just as Canadiana, then retro-Victorian did.

What makes colour jarring is not colour itself, but mismatching hues or overly high contrast.  Choose colours that work together, and try using the same intensity of hue.  A calm but cozy feeling can result, if you play it right.  Admittedly, going this route is much more difficult, because colour has a visual weight all of its own, highly influenced by context.

My best advice is to play around until you get it right.  Here, I am searching for a paint colour as evidenced by the swatch on the wall.  The sofa and carpet have already been chosen and they're there to stay.  Is it this the final choice?  Time will tell.  Chances are, I'll let you know when I find what I'm looking for.  "Design is a patient search."

Create a Colour Scheme

Using art as a starting point for a colour scheme is a time-tested strategy.  Here, in fact, the art was chosen from the owner's collection AFTER the orchid wall colour was painted.

It is not an iron-clad rule that paint colour must be chosen last, although often that is the most obvious choice, since there are thousands of paint colours to choose from and that is not the case with other elements in your room..  On the other hand, your art, fabrics and furnishings need not match your walls exactly.

Here, the colours in the painting do actually harmonize with the wall colour.  Next, pillows were chosen with the Moroccan motifs of the painting in mind.  The black oblong one in the front brings out the black frame of the painting very nicely, and, now, everything belongs.

Colour is Your Friend, Really

Most of us here in Canada form our impressions of the perfect home from House and Garden TV, or from Canadian magazines.  These interiors are heavy on white, grey or beige backgrounds with colour provided by throw pillows, flowers and works of art.  Bold in colour they are not.

But I have just become a Certified UltimateStager™, and what did I discover???  Yes, of course houses must be staged for sale that way for one simple reason.  The warehouses that rent furniture for these stagings must of necessity keep their large pieces of furniture neutral.  And that sets the stage, so to speak, for all of Interior Design.  Colour as usually seen here in Canada is represented mostly in accessories.

I rebel.  I have been rebelling for my whole career.  Colour is free and it is your friend.  It creates a mood that all-white or grey just can't.  Use it with joy, and use it with my blessing if you need it, as I will continue to do.

This red kitchen by Martyn Bullard featured recently in Decor magazine proves my point.  It's special.  It envelops and warms you.  It excites you, perhaps.  Don't prefer red?  Then how about blue, green, yellow, pink, turquoise, purple and all of their countless variations and combinations.  You'll easily find them on paint chips.

Take the plunge.  If you can't be yourself in your home, then where can you be?