Getting creative with paint
This example is a living room in an estate in New Delhi designed by Deniot. Photo credit Stephan Julliard
Is it just me or do you sometimes re-discover the love of simple things in life, like paints?
One of our recent appointments has been for the refurbishment of a Grade II-star listed Barristers' Chambers in Lincoln's Inn in the city of London. It's not the first time we've worked on a listed property, and just like before, we’re developing a new way of designing as we work within the building and its existing framework of protections.
As we work on this project, I’ve been reminded by one of my design heroes, Jean Louis Deniot, about the many ways in which a simple paint brush can drastically change the impact of an interior.
Using paints to add interest and depth to classical interiors
Using multiple colours between the woodwork, walls, coving and ceilings can really transform how you experience a room. Period interiors are often detailed so beautifully, but when all of the surfaces are painted in very similar colours, you lose sight of the finer details. Celebrating these details takes a little bit of faith, it’s not something that is done all that often, but the results are fantastic and can be very uplifting.
When it comes to decorating period properties, me and my team at Gunter & Co, like to let our imaginations and creativity be guided by the buildings existing interior features and history. I always think that interior design is very much like fashion. Just as things of old come back into fashion, interior and decorative trends that were popular a century ago come back too. It’s always worth looking at the features, assessing them and seeing how they can be used in different ways to lift a room and make it something special.
“This is one of my favourite inspiration images, what a use of paint! We’re using this approach in one of our projects we’re working on at the moment. Sometimes rooms can feel oversized, or lack that human dimension. Bringing down the ceiling by using a darker shade immediately adds a sense of warmth and texture. Wow!”
Another one of my favourite designers, Steven Gambrel, has so many amazing examples of how subtle changes in paint can add a great deal of finesse and sophistication to the overall décor of a period property These rooms make such an impact but also feel very natural as he’s used paint to highlight and accent features which were already part of the tapestry of the building. Pure perfection!
Using paint to add pops of colour and interest to contemporary designs
When paint is such a simple way of adding sophistication, depth, definition or just a good dose of fun to an interior, why would you still just paint a wall in a plain colour? Or a ceiling for that matter?
I love sharing these images which we recently discovered in our quest for our Barrister's Chambers design. These are such instant style-shifters, a lick of paint in the right direction or with the right geometric pattern and a room is transformed from a classical feel to a fresh and contemporary vibe.
There are so many great and inspirational examples of how painting a ceiling can make a space feel much cosier and how to use paint to create separate zones within larger open plan spaces. I also like how the same rule applies to contemporary designs as with classical designs - adding paint to details can instantly make a room more interesting and unique by drawing attention to panelling or painting a frame behind a piece of artwork to give it more significance.