With its deep tones and classic good looks, this most iconic of colours can be updated in myriad cool ways
STYLE STORM
Layer dark textiles with weathered textures and let the shade wash over you in waves.
Walls Bespoke Storm wallpaper, from £42 per sq m, 55MAX. Woodwork painted in Basalt intelligent exterior eggshell, £58 for 2.5l, Little Greene. Furniture Bench Two in ash and walnut, £695, Another Country; back rest made in Fade K5115/12 cotton-mix in Nightshadow, £59.50 per m, Kirkby Design; and seat pad made in Velours Tresse 17229-004 velvet in Iris, £300 per m, Dominique Kieffer at Rubelli. Valje wall cabinets, £17 each, Ikea; painted in Night Blue gloss enamel, £3.42 for 59ml, Valspar at B&Q. Flooring Furnace tiles in Iron, £84.99 per sq m, Fired Earth. details Copper tube, £5.96 for 3m, B&Q. Shades Blue neon lamp, £100, Graham and Green. Cirro tumblers, £45 for a set of four, LSA International. Selena napkin, approx £8.75, Caravane. Blot tableware, from £8; and Polka tableware, from £8, Habitat.
TABLE MANNERS
Pair printed and moiré velvets for a sumptuous look. Embossed details add a tactile edge.
Furniture Washington Skeleton side chair David Adjaye for Knoll, and Beck dining table. Table runner made in Jackson 7574/03 printed velvet in Indigo, £110 per m, Black Edition by Romo; and Quartz J766F-05 moiré velvet in Indigo, £65 per m, Jane Churchill at Colefax & Fowler; with handmade copper buttons, approx £8 for a pack of six, McDaddio at Etsy. Bleu de Four dinner plate, £39; and Bleu de Four side plate, £29, The Conran Shop. Bronze Age cutlery, £28 for a five-piece setting, Anthropologie. Selena napkin, as before. Model tree, £4.08 for a pack of five, 4DModelshop. Copper coaster, £24 for a set of four, MiaFleur.
HIGHLY POLISHED
Lift an all-navy scheme with metallic highlights. Copper and blue make a winning combination…
Walls Bespoke Storm wallpaper and painted woodwork, as before. Botticino PDG640/12 wallpaper in Indigo, £79 per 10m roll, Designers Guild. Furniture Bench Two, as before. Washington Skeleton aluminium side chair in Copper, £1,668, David Adjaye for Knoll. Beck resin dining table, £4,200, OLY Furniture at Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam. Real Good copper-plated chair, £295, Blu Dot at Heal’s. Copper stool, £68, Madam Stoltz at MiaFleur. Flooring Furnace tiles, as before. details Drum pendant, £461.58, Heathfield & Co; covered in Chloe Z345/03 acrylic-mix in Lapis, £110 per m, Zinc Textile. Tri-Ply copper pans, from £15 each; copper ice bucket; £15, and copper champagne bucket, £12, all Sainsbury’s. Polka tableware and table runner, as before.
HEAT WAVE
Create a hazy Mediterranean feel with organic shapes and lashings of white.
Walls Painted in Woad Blue matt emulsion, £35.50 for 2.5l, Fired Earth. Window Curtains made in, top, Fathom linen in Indigo, £110 per m, Christopher Farr Cloth; and bottom, Sahara II K5044/127 cotton in Porcelain, £27.50 per m, Kirkby Design. Pompoms made with Premium acrylic yarn, £2.20 per ball, the Women’s Institute at Hobbycraft. Furniture Lavenham three-seater sofa in Sanderson linen, £4,595, The Conran Shop; upholstered in, back rest, Loop 120197 cotton in Ink, £28 per m, Scion; and, seat cushions, Mainmast FRL2312/02 cotton in Admiral, £55 per m, Ralph Lauren for Designers Guild. Cadence faux-marble and steel coffee table, £581; and Cadence side table, £369, Amandine Chhor & Aïssa Logerot for Ligne Roset. Floor Venlo wool rug Made.com, £199, Made.com. DETAILS Beaded wood chandelier, £950, Rockett St George. Bolster cushion made in Comoros 1040098898 cotton-mix, £170 per m, Travers at Zimmer + Rohde. Cirro mug, £36 for a set of four, LSA International. Candles, from £1.50 each, Ikea.
DOUBLE UP
Contrast spots and stripes on modern upholstery. Keep the tones similar for a subtle effect.
Walls As before. Window Curtains, as before. Furniture Fossil armchair, £2,650, Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam; upholstered in, back rest, Amlapura F2119/01 cotton in Cobalt, £43 per m, Designers Guild; and, seat pad, Rick Rack linen in Indigo, £140 per m, Kit Kemp for Christopher Farr Cloth. DETAILS Four Seasons Ovale lacquered-wood mirror, £885, Opera Design for Porada. Matisse Cut-Out postcards, from a selection, Tate Modern Shop. Pebbles, £7.92; painted in Night Blue gloss enamel, as before. Cirro mug, as before. Ita agate platter in Azure, £140, Anna New York at Amara.
BUST A MOVE
Treat classical statuary to a contemporary makeover with an electrifying coat of paint.
Wall Robinson RM 900-01 raffia wall covering, £167.80 per linear m, Elitis at Abbott & Boyd. Furniture Pablo gesso-finished wood console table, £1,676, Julian Chichester. Floor Bespoke Tapis D’Avignon felt stair runner in Lapis, £190 per linear m, Roger Oates. Details Blot plates, as before. Banister handrail wrapped in Zambezi, Nia 131309 cut velvet, £77 per m, Harlequin at stylelibrary.com. Glass Knot, £54, West Elm. Tumbling vase, £28, OKA. Stone bust, £28, MiaFleur. Tropics leather and cotton choker, on bust, £120, Lyn & Tony at Darkroom. King Ludwig plaster bust, £606, Stevensons of Norwich; painted in Night Blue gloss enamel, as before. Zik 2.0 leather headphones, £299.99, Parrot at Selfridges. Painted canvas bag, £30, French Connection.
WATER FALL
Let the marine tones of a bespoke stair runner cascade down to form a serene pool on the floor.
Walls Robinson wall covering, as before. Woodwork painted in Basalt eggshell, as before. Furniture gesso-finished wood console table, as before. Mesa concrete side table, in living room, £169, West Elm. Floor Bespoke stair runner as before. details Blue White art print, in living room, from £180, Ellsworth Kelly at 55MAX. Blot plates, banister handrail, glass knot and bust, all as before. Clip-on bird, £2.50, Rockett St George.
JUNGLE FEVER
Treat your walls to a triple dose of blue – ranging from lush, oversized palms to luxe crocodile-style prints.
WALLS Top: L’Arbre du Voyageur 77321039 vinyl-backed wallpaper, £313.30 for a 204 x 300cm panel, Casamance. Middle: Glitter Jazz GLJ24 display fabric in Blue, £49 per m, Fardis. Bottom: Big Croco VP42329 vinyl-backed wallpaper, £138.20 per 10m roll, Elitis at Abbott & Boyd. Window Curtain made in Princess Sally cotton velvet in Velvet Lagoon, £115 per m, Liberty Art Fabrics collection at Liberty. Furniture Burdock moleskin double bedstead, £545, Button & Sprung; upholstered in Lorimer F6600-17 faux leather, £45 per m, Osborne & Little; and trimmed with PIN018 rayon-mix Lipcord Col. 030, £29 per m, Dedar. Horsehair screen in Turquoise Grey and Padded Grey novasuede, £5,532, Ochre. floor Bell Twist 25382 wool-mix carpet in Windermere Lake, £40 per sq m, Brintons. details Pineapple ceiling light, £480, Rockett St George. King-size Perfect mattress, £595, Loaf. Charcoal silk pillowcases, £65 each, Ginger Lily. Navy double flat cotton bed sheet, £30, Dickins & Jones at House of Fraser. Throw made in Brae Chambray V3157/05 Jacquard velvet, £54 per m, Villa Nova; and Meltingpot 3452-03 cotton in Aqua, £119 per m, Jean Paul Gaultier for Lelièvre; fringed with Dolce Pom Pom 985-45494-14 wool-mix in Blueberry Pie, £43 per m, Samuel & Sons.
NATURAL PASSIONS
Put the finishing touch to an elegant scheme with a plush Jacquard velvet in rich hues of green and navy.
Wall As before. furniture Horsehair screen, as before. Bespoke Allegri ottoman, £3,260 (plus fabric), The Sofa & Chair Company; upholstered in Mirafiore 30123-002 printed velvet, £174 per m, Rubelli Donghia. floor Bell Twist carpet, as before. details 3-D Butterfly wall decorations, £7.99 for a pack of 24, FiveSeasonStuff at Amazon. Macramé hanging pot, £36; and faux-papyrus stem, £7.95, Rockett St George. Ceramic carafe, £29, West Elm. Resin lizard, £19.95, Dwell. Candy glitter heels, £105, Carvela at very.co.uk. Vintage robe, from a selection, Rokit.
Photography: Paul Raeside
