The color of the walls in the bedroom, in the kitchen, in the living room

1. Looking for inspiration from nature

How do you imagine a Swedish interior? Light walls, wooden furniture, striped curtains, grandfather’s floor clock … The owners of these apartments in Stockholm did not want to receive a classic Swedish “blonde” from the architects, so they came to us. We tried not to disappoint them. Almost all windows of this apartment overlook the park. The landscape, which changes from season to season, has become our main source of inspiration. We designed each functional area in the spirit of a certain season. The bedroom is summer: the parquet, climbing from the floor to the walls, is painted in different shades of green: from light green to dark grassy. Living room – autumn. The walls and floor, as if obeying the laws of nature, gradually change their color to bright red, orange, crimson, black. The dining room, almost untouched by the brush, reminds of winter. Snow-white furniture and a Moooi floor lamp, which looks like an ice sculpture of a horse, add coolness to the interior. You can warm up in the kitchen – it is decorated in warm colors and, moreover, faces the east side, therefore it is almost always bathed in the sun.

2. We paint one of the walls in a bright color

Painting is the easiest way to add accents to your interior. My favorite technique is to paint one of the walls in a bright color so that it is eye-catching. This is the move I used when designing a guest room in a villa in Andalusia. Fuchsia became the main color here. I matched the armchair and carpet to match, and placed contrasting white furniture and a floor lamp against the pink wall. In the master’s bedroom I had another task – to somehow beat the head of the bed. I decided to paint the niche framing it in a bright orange color – it turned out spectacularly. In the hallway, I used a different technique. There is a blue carpet on the floor, which is echoed in shape and color by an illuminated ceiling niche. Guests often have associations with the sky reflected in the lake. It seems to me that this is the most accurate image. In general, if we talk about color, it is important to choose a palette, starting not only from personal preferences, but also from the place where the house or apartment is located. This villa is located on the sea and the bright colors came in handy here. But in a metropolis it would be too much – a restrained range is more appropriate there.

3. We paint furniture with ornaments

In the interior, designed by decorator Tatyana Alenina, I painted bedside tables. The painting duplicates the floral ornament on curtains and pillows by Gaston y Daniela (Arte Domo gallery). You can transfer a drawing from textiles to furniture using a stencil or manually, in several stages. If the ornament is complex, you have to use both techniques. Before applying paints, a primer is applied: water-based acrylic is best for wood and MDF. The palette is selected using a tinting fan, which is available from any paint manufacturer. Please note that when dry, the colors become lighter in tone. I love acrylic paints – they are durable, dry quickly and do not give off harmful fumes. The painting should be protected from mechanical damage and burnout under the influence of UV rays with varnish. I took a water-based varnish – it is odorless and less harmful to the environment. Use a primer, paint and varnish from the same manufacturer, so the layers will adhere better to each other.

4. Play on the contrast of black and white

Bright combinations are not for everybody, we prefer b / w. This is a classic for all time, which, for all that, looks very fashionable and modern – as, for example, in this house near Bruges. The dining room, painted floor-to-ceiling white, has nothing superfluous. Furniture – minimum: a table, chairs and a comfortable chair. In the background is a narrow dark corridor leading to the living room, which houses the kitchen. All equipment is built into the wall cupboards. From one “grows” a peninsula, to which we have carried the burners. This surface can also be used under the bar counter. The facades of the tall cabinets are painted austere black. It turned out elegantly and – most importantly – practical, no dirt is visible on the dark panels. However, in this laconic kitchen, there are still two color spots – niches painted with blue and light green paint, located one opposite the other. Cookbooks and utensils are on open shelves. These “strokes” make the passage to the room more interesting, as if they invite you to quickly join the guests.

If we talk about trends, our research has shown that the most fashionable color today is gray. This season, Down Pipe # 26, Elephant’s Breath # 229, Charleston Gray # 243 became the top sellers of Farrow & Ball. However, this does not mean that bright colors are no longer in demand. They are ideal for creating special effects in the interior – this is very popular now. For example, a great move is to paint the headboard on the wall (below, paint Pitch Blue # 220) or to combine a glossy and matte emulsion – this combination always looks interesting. It’s important to remember that any paint you use at home should be environmentally friendly in the first place. Look for the “e” mark on the cans – this means that the composition has a low (or zero!) Content of volatile organic compounds (VOC), that is, the emulsion will not smell. We never include ammonia and formaldehyde in the composition of paints – these substances adversely affect the body. Now extensive research is aimed at finding new natural dyes – iron and umber oxides, porcelain clay and linseed oil are already being actively used.

There are people “colored”, and there are “monochrome” – this is how nature intended. Someone likes bright colors, while others are afraid of them – this is normal. For example, the owner of this apartment was very embarrassed by the window frames painted in coral. He was about to follow the example of his neighbors to drape them with curtains. At the last moment, I managed to convince him that it was illogical to close the panoramic windows. To justify the appearance of a bright spot, I suggested painting part of the walls in the same coral color, adding an ivory shade in some areas and a wallpaper depicting coral (York, Antonina Vella collection). I selected Arabescato Rosso pink marble in three shades (for kitchen, hallway and bathrooms) that supported the given theme. As a result, a certain color balance was found. In general, the most effective technique, in my opinion, is to paint the walls of one room in different colors. This move allows you to zone the space and creates interesting optical effects. For me, the most striking example is Le Corbusier’s “Savoy” villa in Poissy, France. I remember that I was literally dumbfounded when I stepped into a narrow corridor, the opposite walls of which were painted in the colors of apricot and cobalt. This combination gave rise to some kind of unreal, magical feeling. When choosing a color, I am usually inspired by painting, in which sometimes you can find such shades and combinations that cannot be imagined either in interiors or in fashion. Recently at the New York MoMA I was shocked by the canvases of early Miro. I think similar color combinations will soon appear in the interior I’m currently working on.

7. Anti-crisis program: soft plant range

Every year experts from our company conduct marketing and psychological research. They find out how people live in different countries, and, starting from this, make up new palettes. What defines fashionable colors today? At the moment, the whole world is seething with financial and political passions, and in this regard, many of us have a need to “slow down” a little. As a result, we turn to eternal values ​​that are not so dependent on the exchange rate – that is, to nature. Soft plant shades of jasmine, rose, moss, linden, mint came into fashion. Cold menthol became the color of 2009. According to psychologists, it gives a sense of life satisfaction, comfort and security. However, there is another trend. For some people, troubled times do not cause a desire to hide, but on the contrary – a hysteria. And along with it, the desire to hide from the hustle and bustle in their own bright “world”. There is a need to paint the walls in super-lustrous colors that maintain the feeling of eternal celebration and fun – coral, grapefruit, fuchsia and kiwi. Of course, the social factor is not the only one that determines our perception of color. However, research shows that it is very important.