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Sophie Robinson
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25 Apr 19

How to introduce colour in your home

Interior designer Sophie Robinson shares her tips on adding colour to a home. When planning a scheme Sophie starts with a fabric or wallpaper swatch, shown here in her home office in equally colourful #homeoffice #moodboard #interiordesign #sophierobinson

If I have one mission in life it’s to get people to invest in making their homes more colourful because I know it unlocks a happy home. While I appreciate for some people, grey or beige is indeed Nirvana, I refuse to believe that for the majority of people this is true. The swathes of greige are more likely because people are afraid or don’t know how to do anything else. It’s why I enjoy running my Colour workshops so much, as I get to see the life-affirming moment when people discover what colours they love, that lift them up, and that work together and that are perfect for them. Not the neighbour, not the mother-in-law and certainly not just for the Instagram grid. If this sounds like it’s just what you need, sign up to my next workshop in Brighton on June the 13th, details here and I promise you’ll find it mind-blowing just how powerful getting connected to colour is. Meanwhile, before you clutch for the Elephants Breath, read on, here are my sure fire ways to easily and effectively add colour to your home.

Different hues of the same colour can create very different feelings

Tap into the feeling

Choosing a colour, let alone the tone of that colour, can be overwhelming. There’s not just blue; there’s sky blue, baby blue, navy…the list goes on. The best question to ask yourself, is ‘How do I want this room to feel?” Colour is a massive mood changer and different tones of the same colour can create very different feelings. If you want a warm, cosy living room, look at colours with yellow and red tints in them. It doesn’t have to be the obvious earthy tones, a blue like teal is a warm hue because of the yellow undertone. In contrast for a starker, more dramatic look, opt for a clean colour like bright cobalt blue or a sophisticated cool navy.

Add accessories

For the faint-hearted, I often suggest going neutral for the big ticket items like the sofa, flooring and curtains and then adding the colour with accessories. A bold feature floor rug (the largest you can afford), brightly coloured lampshades (switch up those shop bought cream ones), scatter cushions (you can never have too many) and wall art all combine to make an interesting colour scheme- but can be easily changed and updated over time.

An accent rug and scatter cushions can provide colour, pattern and personality to your interior as shown in this room designed by Bluebell Gray

If in doubt, just paint

The most transformational yet cost effective way to update your home is in a pot of paint. I’m serious, for the price of a tub and a weekend with a roller in your hand you can totally transform the look, feel and vibe of your room. My mantra is just go for it, it’s only paint and with Spring being the season for bank holiday weekends it couldn’t be a better time to decorate! Check out my video on how to choose a paint colour here.

Think outside the box

Use colour in unexpected ways. I’ve got a thing at the moment for painting the doors in my house surprising colours because it just makes me smile. Especially if the colour is yellow. But why not start off with a bold new hue for your front door. Nothing gives a great first impression than a bonny bright colour, so don’t be afraid to stand out.

 

Dare to be different with your colour options. Stairs painted in Trumpet by Little Greene

Create a cohesive colour palette

Stick to a cohesive colour palette and use this as your basis to design all the rooms in your home so there is some flow. While you’ll want each room to be different it helps if they work as a set. It’s really important to dig deep and work out which colours and hues resonate with you. This is at the core of my colour workshop as once you have discovered your colour palette and how to combine colours that sit harmoniously you are unstoppable. If you’re stuck on where to start you can begin by looking in your wardrobe to see the colours you naturally pick out.

Start with a swatch

I often start with a colourful wallpaper swatch or a fabric sample to build a colour scheme around. You’ll find a combination of colours which all sit nicely together, from neutrals through to brighter accent colours. You can use the pattern as your colour palette picking out different colours for walls, upholstery and curtains.

Alternative Flooring rug in the bedroom of interior designer sophie robinson. Liberty flowers of thorpe summer garden rug by Alternative flooring in a deep blue berdoom painted smalt by little greene.

This Flowers of Thorpe Rug from Alternative flooring was pivotal in pulling together the colours in this bedroom scheme I designed. Photography by Alun Callender

Think in threes

I find that three is a bit of a magic number when pulling a scheme together with the hero colour being around 60-70% of the scheme (think walls, floors or large pieces of furniture) then the secondary colour being around 20-30% (for example soft furnishings) with the final accent colour around 10-5% (that’s cushions, artwork and vases). You can add neutrals in with this, I call them a free colour, and can be found in wood flooring and furniture for example.

Create a mood board

Before stocking up on paint, compile a mood board. You can start on Pinterest, but don’t plan everything online. Call in some colour cards because they can look completely different on the Internet, and remember that colours form relationships with other colours, so it’s important to print off pictures of your rug, sofa and so on, put them all on one sheet of paper with the colour cards and make sure they sit nicely together — that’s where the skill is.

 

Guests on my colour workshop learn how to create colour schemes through mood boarding. Photograph by Katie Spicer

Just do it

Worrying about what other people will think of your interiors is “insanity”, and my biggest piece of advice is to “go with your gut.” Some people look at rooms that I design and think they’d give them a complete headache. I don’t get offended by that. It’s just not for them. It’s impossible for everyone to like everything you do anyway because we all have different tastes. Do what you want in your own house and enjoy it. You’ll only be disappointed if you don’t!

Come join the colour revolution

For a space on my exclusive Ban the Beige colour workshop follow the link here. It’s an enjoyable and informative day packed full of unleashing creativity, discovering your own sense of style, pulling together your own colour palette and leaving you ready to design your house with ease. And the whole event is held in an inspirational venue, delicious food and the best company guaranteed.

My Ban the beige workshop is a great opportunity to get my colour scheming advice. Photography by Katie Spicer

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DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the paintbrush out! Giving old and unappreciated brown furniture of coat of colour is not just easy but quick too and you get ooodles of satisfaction giving something a new lease of life. Since the sun is starting to poke it’s head out it’s the perfect opportunity to fling open the windows, roll out the dust sheet, and calm your senses with the therapeutic strokes of a paint brush. I transformed these battered old Ercol chairs that I found at a car boot sale with an undercoat of Zinsser and a top coat of eggshell so they really can withstand the knocks. ( here’s a tip, use a sag brush for spindly furniture) I love how the pink legs pick up on the pink in the wallpaper. I’ve got a couple of pots of chalk paint waiting in the wings. This just might be the weekend to tackle the bedside tables at last! Have a wonderful weekend  and I hope the sun shines on you wherever you are! 

CREDITS Reclaimed terracotta tiles @ca_pietra_  Borastapeter Rubarber wallpaper @wallpaperdirect Clock @newgateclocks Doors painted in Rose Ash Light @sanderson1860 Everything else is vintage 

#easywininteriors #kitchen #countrykitchen #upcycle #upcycledfurniture #countryliving #countrylivingmodernrustic #countrykitchen #greenkitchen #greenandpink #interiorinspo #interiordesign
DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do with what you’ve got and making it work. For most of us, decorating our home and choosing all the things we want to go with it is a long if not a life time journey and there are plenty of compromises along the way. One of the ways I make do with things I’m less happy about is with distraction. You can use colour to draw the eye and highlight the bits you do like and similarly blend away the areas that need to fade into the back ground. For me joinery, radiators and my unattractive windows all get painted in the same colour so they fall to the background and then the cushions and artwork can come to the fore and catch your eye. I painted these lovely old solid wood doors bright yellow on a whim with some left over paint. It was a quick and easy way to inject a burst of  colour joy. So don’t discount doors and architraves as a fun way to play with colour, but only if you have nice ones. 
On the PODCAST today @mad_about_the_house and I discuss more ways you can make do. I interview leading interior designer and queen of colour and pattern @nicolahardingandco who has amazing insights on how to go about planning your schemes, conjure mouthwatering colour palettes and work with what you’ve got. And our style surgery is from Callum who finds himself stuck with a shiny blue green sofa which he doesn’t love and doesn’t know what to put with. Obviously cover it with cushions and distract the eye with A bright yellow door Callum! 

If you have a question for our style surgery do please send it in as we are lining them up for the next series and we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email to thegreatindoorspod@gmail.com.You can here all our ramblings and insights on today’s show The Great Indoors and thankyou to @katetaylorldn for producing the show. 

#thegreatindoors #bluesofa #yellowdoor #banthebeige #interiorspodcast #podcast #interiordesign #interiorinspo
DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling th DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling the benefits of an occasional chair. I’ve always loved occasional chairs primarily for their decorative function. I’m a patterned fabric addict and so an occasional chair I’d another opportunity to add more pattern, more colour and another cushion to boot! But during these extended periods of lock down and staying at home I’ve appreciated the quiet little corners they offer. I’m lucky enough to find a space for one here on my landing but they can also find a home in a bedroom, a home office, under the stairs or indeed #lifegoals in the bathroom. So rather than playing second fiddle to THE SOFA put your occasional chair in pride of place and grab yourself 5 minutes solitude! Most of mine are junk shop funds bought back to live with my hoarded stash of remnant fabrics. So it’s time to raid grannies attic and  create a seat that makes you smile . 🥰  use the hashtags #easywininteriors to share your favourite corners of escape.

#easywininteriors #vintagearmchair #armchair #occassionalchair #colourlover #banthebiege
DAY 15 of #easywininteriors and I’m having a re DAY 15 of #easywininteriors  and I’m having a reshuffle on the bookcase to celebrate the happy Back To School vibes! 🙌 YES! This one is a work in progress because sorting your books as to the spine colour can be really meditative! I’m excited for you guys to share your colour coded bookcases using the hashtag #easywininteriors because I’ve seen some amazing examples on here! This idea can also include colour coding your ornaments or glassware collection too. Somehow grouping them in blocks  just intensifies the colour and I love the 🌈 effect. Happy faffing! 

#interiorinspo #interiorstyling #colourlover #banthebeige #faffthegaff #bookshelf #shelfie #shelfiestyling #rainbow #rainbowstyle #mycolourfulinterior #colourfulhomevibe
DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are o DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are often the day I get the house in order before the week starts again. It’s laundry day, the on-line shop gets done and if I can be bothered I might do some batch cooking. 💪 But the garden is also pulling our attention at this time of year and I spent yesterday picking up twigs that have littered the garden after the high winds and piled it all up for kindling. Satisfying! I’m not a naturally tidy or organised person  but I do feel like I’m winning at life once chores have been done and everything is in it’s place. And here lies the easy win. If you have systems in place it makes it so much easier! This shoe storage was game changing. Before the hall was littered with shoes and bags that I was always tripping over. So planning your storage and then using it is key to creating order and an element of calm. And once the storage is fit to bursting, it’s time to have a declutter. How do you keep the house feeling orderly and calm and do you use Sunday as a Sort It day too? #sortitsunday 

CREDITS walls in Lazuli and woodwork in Perfect white @zoffanyfw . Havana Bauta cement Tiles @claybrookstudio . Fabrics are vintage and @thestripescompany . Stair runner @roger_oates 

#easywininteriors #colourlover #banthebeige #hallwaydecor #hallway #interiorinspo #declutter #storageideas #shoestorage
DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the bedroom and enjoying a well earned lie in this morning! My morning routine has been really important to me during lock down. In  his brilliant book ‘think like a monk’ @jayshetty talks about how a positive morning ritual sets you up for the day. Similarly a good night time ritual sets you up for a good nights sleep. Styling up your bedroom  to support these ideas really helps! I’ve taken to setting my wake up alarm an hour before the rest of the house so I can enjoy some quiet solitude before the day gets going. I make my coffee in my favourite mug and spend a while reading or exercising. But no phone scrolling! My bedside is laid out with everything I need including a big pile of books and a dish for my watch and specs. I charge my phone in the kitchen to keep it away from temptation! Admittedly I’ve never had a problem sleeping but I was hardly what you’d call a morning person. Now it’s my favourite time of the day! Have a gorgeous lazy weekend folks x

CREDITS wallpaper @mollymahonblockprinting bedside table is vintage. Lamp @pookylights Vases and dishes all vintage. Pillows and duvet @cocoandwolf Flat sheet and bedthrow @societyofwanderers 

#easywininteriors #bedroomdecor #countrybedroom #colourfiedhomes #colourstylehome #colourlover #banthebeige #patternclash #interiorstyling #interiordesign #interiorinspo #faffthegaff
DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half w DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half way there! Whoop whoop, March is  just nine short days away! And I can feel the Spring vibes! It’s getting lighter, the bluebells are coming and the birds are singing! But back to it, we’ve got work to do! Today I’m sharing how I switch my home from working day to home time, without leaving the house. It’s so important for our mental health that we can make that transition. I’ve worked from home for years so I’ve always done this, but I find it essential to tidy my desk/kitchen table at the end of everyday and get it out of sight. This often means piling up all my paper work, laptop, pen pot and putting it all into a tray. And if you don’t have a deep tray a cardboard box does the job. Then hide it in the cupboard, pop it on a shelf or slide it under the table. The key is that you can’t see it and it doesn’t encroach on your non-work life. Out of sight out of mind kind of thing. 
And you might notice in the back of this shot is my 2021 vision board. I keep this in my view everyday as it helps keep me focused, uplifted and motivated. Im hosting a live webinar next Tuesday on how and why I create vision boards for every aspect of my life, including my interiors. If you’d like to join me it’s 7pm 23/02/21 and I can promise a fun, creative and enlightening evening! Link to book is up in my bio if you fancy getting a boost of inspiration towards creating your dream home. 

Happy Friday and have a lovely weekend 😍

#workingfromhome #myhomeoffice #interiorstyling #visionboard #interiorinspo #interiorinspiration #homeoffice #creativeworkspace #colourlover #colourcolorlovers #banthebeige
DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make it super easy after yesterday’s kitchen cupboard love, which I’ll be honest, felt a bit strenuous! So today is all about creating as simple but effective styling moment; a trio of vases. Three seems to be the magic number when it comes to styling your objects and I have a few tips . I like to make sure there is a mixture of sizes, colour and textures but all held together with a theme. These three work because they’re  all vintage, Picked up from various car boot sales over the years! You can create little trios all over your home from the sideboards, book shelves, worktops, bathrooms and side tables. Push the tall one to the back and bring the small one to the fore but it’s the lack of symmetry that makes it pleasing. And you don’t have to stop with just vases, a trio of objects works with picture frames, ornaments and candle sticks too. 

#easywininteriors #vintagestyle #howivintage #myvintagehome #interiorstyling #interiorstyle #interiorinspo #colourlover #banthebeige
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