Interior Design

In Conversation With Paddy O'Donnell

Meet the first interviewee in our new series In conversation with … where we pass on fascinating insights from our treasured suppliers.

We had the pleasure of talking to Paddy O’Donnell, International Brand Ambassador at Farrow & Ball. Paddy draws on his varied career to date from Auction House, TV & Film and of course Interior Design, to advise the great and the good on navigating the minefield of paint selection.

Chatting with a paint professional

Do you have any tips for adapting strong ‘seasonal’ colours throughout the year?

I think there are some colours that transition beautifully over the whole year and over seasonal changes, for example our bedroom which is an archive colour called ‘Cane’, really changes, now that the light is lower. So we have spring summer bed linen and autumn winter bed linen, it’s really nice bright cotton linen in the summer and then we go into russet burnt umber colours in the winter which is really cosy, lovely and hugging. It’s absolutely never expected for anyone to decorate for autumn or fall, but if you are thinking of decorating at the moment, some of these colours are amazing because they will carry through and be really beautiful in spring and summer.

Would you always recommend committing to one colour throughout the room?

People often forget that if you paint a wall in a strong colour, you actually completely change the proportions of that room because that wall will advance, It’s always much better to commit to all four walls as the room will look more cohesive.

It can however have really nice tropes, for example if you have a very long tunnelled room do one colour on three walls and then to bring that bottom wall up go two shades rather than a completely different colour to help square off the room. This makes it a beautiful subtle transition rather than so in your face.

What About Colour Drenching?

I think colour drenching has a place, I’m always slightly nervous of trends and in an ideal world avoid anything trend driven, but colour drenching isn’t a new thing. In my study I had walls in a dark green archive colour called Minster Green but the room also had a bank of not very attractive wardrobes so to make them ‘disappear’ I painted them in the same colour as the walls which gives the space a much greater sense of cohesion. So not necessarily full colour drenching but painting out woodwork or white radiators so you can draw the eye away from these pieces and create a more unified space, especially if you have a strong colour on the walls.

Have you got any unusual colour combinations to inspire us?

I’m currently helping a friend in London with their home and we started working with two colours in his sitting room that we ran with. I used an earthy kind of mid brown, one of our classics called ‘Mouse’s Back’ and I put it with the lovely ‘Stone Blue’; they make very happy yet unexpected bed fellows!. Brown is one of those brilliant colours that works with everything and I’m on a mission to make sure everyone uses more brown in their decoration because I think it’s really really chic.

I recently chose the paint scheme for a photoshoot for a big US brand, they were up for some creative fun and something original so I played with pinks on walls and soft terracottas for the woodwork. I chose a really soft pink called ‘Calamine’ with ‘Red Earth’ and it looked really beautiful, incredibly warming but playful, so have fun with colour!

Any advice for readers who might be cautious with bolder colours?

Start small, a downstairs loo is a great place to start experimenting with colour, or even inside a cupboard which can help to grow confidence if you’re beginning to introduce more colour into your home.

If you’re not confident with a colour choice, definitely get advice which can help clarify how you can adopt bold colours for a specific space.

How important is choosing the right paint finish for a project?

Using texture in your paint can bring another dimension to your interiors, however practicality is also really key, dead flat really shows off the best representation of a Farrow & Ball colour and works really well even in high traffic areas.

Gloss and Modern Eggshell can be great for high traffic areas like boot rooms and areas with low light as it adds gentle texture for the light to bounce off. A great trick is in hallways to use gloss up to around chest height and a modern emulsion on the rest of the wall, and it’s amazing the difference it creates because of the way light reflects from the wall and makes the bottom part of the wall really practical.

Do you have any tips for tricking the eye with colour?

In a kitchen I quite like to paint lower units in a darker colour and the upper units in the wall colour. This is because especially in heavily fitted kitchens it reduces the amount of cabinetry visually.

With low lit rooms it can sound rather counterintuitive to paint a dark room a dark colour, but essentially you’re going with the limitations instead of fighting it. If you try and paint a dark room a really light colour it can feel really cold and chilly.

How do you consider colour psychology when scheming?

Ideally I wouldn’t paint a bedroom in a bright bold yellow which can be very energising in a room where you want to switch off, so greens and blues have good connotations in terms of colour psychology. Opt for strong colours under the eyeline which can help ‘ground’ a room but overall always go with colours you love.

How do you ensure a scheme flows from one room to another?

You can have lots of different colour but if they’re of the same weight, for example they’re all pastels they will sit together because they are all of the same strength.

Another really handy way is to find a great universal white, ideally, never a brilliant white. If you’ve got a good off white that you can use throughout a house for woodwork and even as a universal ceiling colour, it can be a great way to bring continuity through your home.

Photography: Boz Gagovski, Chris Horwood, Simon Upton, Farrow & Ball