Farrow & Ball's trending paint colours and how to use them at home
Discover how to live with these on trend paint colours
It's one thing knowing the hottest paint colours and trends, but it's another knowing where and how it's best to use them to enhance your home.
Thankfully, Farrow & Ball, purveyors of the last decade's biggest hitters from Elephant's Breath to Down Pipe, know a thing or two about paint colours and how to make them work in your home.
Whether it's a pre-Christmas refresh in the living room, or post-lockdown overhaul of the kitchen, Farrow & Ball colour curator Joa Studholme reveals how to use this year’s on trend colours.
"Now that we are spending more time in the home, we will be using colours that feel friendly and relatable. Colours that are warm, welcoming, and easy to live with, and that make us proud of our design decisions," says Joa. "These thoughtful choices convey a sense of ease and familiarity and are a result of wanting to find calm within the chaos of our turbulent world. We want our homes to be places not just for rest and recovery, but also for rejuvenation and inspiration."
See Also: Interior Design Trends – the biggest interior trends for 2021
RICH AND WARM
In challenging times, we crave warm tones that will enrich our homes and create cosy sanctuaries away from the outside world. Luxurious colours like Preference Red can be added to the most neutral of palettes by using them in rooms we use at the end of the day, when we most want to relax and be comforted. In 2021 we'll be moving away from dark charcoals and blues and towards the warmer tones of nature, like Deep Reddish Brown and Tanner’s Brown, which are strong and subdued but achingly fashionable.
Incredibly chic by day and cosy by night, they bring a grounded but luxurious atmosphere that is thought-provoking as well as soothing, particularly when paired with other hues found in the natural world. All three of these chocolatey tones are particularly suited to bookshelves and library shelving.
Be The First To Know
The Livingetc newsletter is your shortcut to the now and the next in home design. Subscribe today to receive a stunning free 200-page book of the best homes from around the world.
CLEAN AND TIMELESS BLUES
The blues that will be best suited to anchoring our homes in 2021 are cleaner tones like lively Pitch Blue, fresh Ultra Marine Blue, and the darker, inkier Stiffkey Blue. These uncomplicated shades feel familiar, like memories from our childhood, so have a soothing effect in the home despite their cooler undertones. For a simple but immersive colour experience, use the colour on both walls and woodwork, using Modern Eggshell and Modern Emulsion to create the perfect family environment that is wipeable and scuff-proof!
If, however, you want a more formal and traditional feel, then team these blues with All White or Ammonite on the woodwork and they will sing even more, especially when used in well-lit spaces or on central kitchen islands. However, when used in areas deprived of light or in evening rooms lit by table lamps, they become much richer and more luxurious in feel.
NATURAL GREENS
Bringing the elements of the natural world into our interiors encourages personal growth as well as evoking a feeling of calm. All greens reinforce our connection to nature and create the perfect welcoming start to the journey through your home. This makes greens a particularly popular choice for use in hallways, where they cause the rooms off it to feel bigger and lighter.
The traditional grey undertone of Treron makes it feel as if it is part of your family, and, like the slightly bluer Green Smoke, it has an irresistibly inviting deepness and weathered familiarity. These are soft, smoky colours that embrace you on your return home. The more olive-coloured Sap Green is perfect for those who want to embrace a stronger colour with a mid-century modern feel, but still stay in touch with nature and benefit from the protective and grounding attributes of using green in the home.
EARTH COLOURS
The palette of colours we want to use in the home has expanded, and we are looking to introduce warmer tones to add personality and elegance while still remaining comfortable. Surrender to the urge to escape and find refuge in the beauty of nature by using the colours of the earth. Soft, understated Jitney is the perfect base colour to build upon, and so is particularly suited to kitchens where we can layer other earth colours on units and islands, to reconnect with the elements of land, clean air, and natural light.
The stronger, more mushroom tone of Dead Salmon is just as subtle as Jitney and has an even more aged, earthy look, making it feel familiar and easy to live with. India Yellow is somewhat stronger and moodier – the perfect colour for 2021 with its mix of aged ease and modern strength.
Looking for a lockdown project and want to know how to paint a room? Find out all you need to know here.
Read how interior experts reacted to Dulux Colour of the Year 2021
Jacky Parker is a London-based freelance journalist and content creator, specialising in interiors, travel and food. From buying guides and real home case studies to shopping and news pages, she produces a wide range of features for national magazines and SEO content for websites
A long-time contributor to Livingetc, as a member of the team, she regularly reports on the latest trends, speaking to experts and discovering the latest tips. Jacky has also written for other publications such as Homes and Gardens, Ideal Home, Red, Grand Designs, Sunday Times Style and AD, Country Homes and Interiors and ELLE Decoration.
-
How to Stop Your Couch for Sliding — 4 Tricks for Sofas That Move on Hardwood Floors
A sofa that slides on hardwood can be awkward to use and, at worst, damage your flooring
By Becca Cullum-Green Published
-
6 Plants to Grow That'll Make Your Patio More Private — And Add Beautiful Form and Color to Your Yard
Leave the guesswork out of your patio with this advice on the plants experts will always pick for increasing privacy
By Matilda Bourne Published
-
The simple way to a more sustainable and stylish life with Fisher & Paykel
This incredible new tech saves time, energy and has become the washing machine you need to know about
By Sponsored Published
-
Forget Cottagecore - Flora Fantasia by House of Hackney is Cottage hardcore
House of Hackney's Flora Fantasia collection blends the romanticised rural aesthetic with riotous punk elements
By Jacky Parker Published
-
Bert & May's new hexagon tiles collection is tapping into one of this year's biggest micro trends
Tap into the microtrend for hexagon tiles and make myriad patterns with this new collection from Bert & May
By Jacky Parker Published
-
Matthew Williamson’s tip for renovating a house on a budget is so simple, but incredibly effective
Renovating a house on a budget? See the savvy ways to control costs when managing an interior redesign
By Jacky Parker Published
-
The fabulous new Matthew Williamson furniture collection is a cocktail of color and print
This decorative Matthew Williamson furniture is the beautiful result of collaboration with Roome London
By Jacky Parker Published
-
Out & Out's new furniture collection is full of stylish storage solutions
This stylish storage will have your home organised in a jiffy - whatever its size
By Jacky Parker Published
-
Explore Sandra Bullock’s former coastal chic home in Georgia
Sandra Bullock has just sold her beautiful island beach house, giving us a glimpse at her coastal-inspired interior style.
By Lotte Brouwer Published
-
On your marks: new H&M furniture, lighting and homeware for SS21 about to drop
The new H&M furniture, lighting and homeware collections drop on 4 Feb, so earmark your favourite pieces now
By Jacky Parker Published