COUNTRY DECORATOR
Nature’s go-to hue introduces a calm, positive and inviting mood to a room. Stylist and interiors expert Sara Bird shares how to make this mindful shade work in your home
Green is aperennial colour in interior design. Leafy, lush and verdant, ranging from the palest pistachio to the deepest pine hues, it suits many moods and settings, where its broad range can be used as abalancing backdrop or offer asurge of energy, just like new growth in the garden.
Green’s shoots are seen throughout history, from Ancient Egypt and Rome to medieval and modern times, used for ornamental painting, printing and dyeing, with pigments derived from plants, minerals and metals. The hue is globally accepted as the colour of the environment, adopted by peace organisations and used by recycling schemes. Used on paper money, it is also linked to prosperity and wealth –and to the related greed and envy. Ironically, despite its links to life, green pigments used in art, clothing and décor of the 18th and 19th centuries were made from toxic arsenic, making it the deadliest colour of all.
Green’s country credentials are obvious. The chlorophyll colour finds its way into our homes not just in paint but in revitalising patterns and embellishments, such as foliage and fauna, tree boughs and grasses.
WAY S TO USE GREENS
Green is aparticularly smart hue, spatially shifting aroom’s parameters depending on its saturation and tone. Bluer shades appear to recede, so can seem to lift low ceilings or make confined spaces feel more roomy. This is particularly useful in small cottage properties, cabins or lodges. Warmer greens bring cosy vibes and have the opposite effect. An impressive country house often benefits from using shades of green to make grand rooms feel welcoming while still appearing elegant and elevated.
Green in nature is the ultimate neutral, pairing perfectly with every colour under the sun –alook around your garden will prove the point, and provide inspiration for your room schemes. Colour partnerships that work especially well include sage green with earthy terracotta or adeep green contrasted with bold orange; mint green with pink; olive green with ochre yellow, or abrighter pairing of lemon and lime; and the ultimate power combo, any green with its complementary colour, red.
Contrasting green-on-green tones also work well –try forest green paired with apaler leaf tone, or lime with aglossy tropical lush green. Alternatively, for amodern approach, combine green with blue, its neighbour on the colour wheel. This will result in atonal scheme that feels fresh and different right now. For ascheme that makes green the star, try green with either white, black or shades of grey.
Bringing anatural spring in the step to pep up aplace, green colours are the perfect partner for workspaces or rooms used mostly in the mor
