Advice on how to make the most of our collection of colour palettes.
You don’t need to use every colour in the palette you have chosen.
The five colours featured on most of our boards are intended as a guide. Your basic colour scheme should include a neutral colour for ceilings, doors and woodwork, as well as a main wall colour. If you would like to, you could also introduce a darker accent colour. Looking at this palette's blue and green combination, the blue could be used for a living room sofa or soft furnishings in a bedroom, for example, and one of the greens on your walls.
Bring nature into your home with colours, plants and natural materials like wood and stone.
This colour palette, featuring Little Greene paints, evokes coastal themes. The mid-tone blue, second from the right, helps create a relaxed and calm atmosphere. Biophilic design — the practice of incorporating natural elements into your surroundings — is important because our connection to nature improves our well-being. Selecting a paint colour that reduces stress and improves cognitive function can have a significant impact on your life.
For a cohesive look, use the same neutral or group of neutrals throughout your home.
Farrow & Ball offer six groups of neutral tones graduating from light to darker. Little Greene also has its "Colour Scales" card, featuring a spectral range of the four lightest shades in a colour family. These subtle differences in tone can be used to add depth to a room, or to help you find a particular shade of neutral. The three neutral tones in this Little Greene colour palette all come from the same base. They can be used as layers throughout a room, or you can choose one depending on whether you prefer a lighter or slightly darker shade.
Draw inspiration from everyday objects and designs that you love.
I love the blue colourway of this Little Greene wallpaper, called 'Pines'. I'm instinctively drawn to it, and I find the image calming yet stimulating. The design, which is an abstract depiction of pine trees emerging out of the clouds, was inspired by an early 19th-century silk kimono. Although the wallpaper is by Little Greene, I have found a Farrow & Ball colour palette that works perfectly with its colours. Trust your instincts and look for colours you love in your everyday life as they reflect your personality.
Use darker accents to create a dramatic effect adding bold touches of colour.
If you would like to add darker accents to a space but are worried they will be overwhelming and make your room gloomy, use them in small quantities. This can be achieved by painting a kitchen island, a piece of furniture in your living room, or a feature wall behind a bed. Alternatively, use darker colours in smaller spaces, as shown in this image of a cloakroom where a bold dark red has been paired with light-coloured marble to create maximum contrast.
