COLOUR EDITION OXFORDSHIRE HOUSE
Charlotte Thomas has transformed a centuries-old country house into a haven of colourful charm, with hues in harmony with her personality
Soothing and calming, plaster pink is the perfect shade for a space in which to unwind
The advice that interior designer Charlotte Thomas gives to anyone wanting to add colour to their home is simple: ‘Paint walls off-white or at least aneutral shade when you first move in. Live with it like that for a while and learn how the light affects each room, how the spaces feel at different times of day, and how you want to use each room,’ she says. Hence, back in 2011, when she and her former husband purchased the beautiful period home that she now shares with her two daughters and 85-year-old father, every part of the interior was treated to amix of palatable pale neutrals. These simple colours allowed Charlotte to understand the dynamics of each interior space before she began to introduce pigment. Today, asophisticated mix of greens, blues and pinks dominates, reflecting her understanding of how colour can transform ahome.
Charlotte’s passion for colour goes back to when she had her first flat in London. She reminisces about her younger self decorating with abandon, lavishing the living room with arich chocolate brown, adding deep purple in the bedroom and abright burst of sunshine yellow in the kitchen. Inspired by the experimentation, Charlotte went on to train in the science of colour with Karen Haller, the colour guru whose philosophy focuses on its impact on our moods and behaviour. ‘This allowed me to identify my primary personality type as Autumn, favouring an earthy colour palette; and my secondary type as Summer, which is quite serene,’ she says. ‘My training in colour psychology helped me to create the right mood and schemes that flow from one room to the next.’
Her inspiration also came from the surrounding countryside. ‘Nature is a book of ready-made colour palettes,’ says Charlotte. ‘If you look at aplant it will be amix of hues that clearly work well together –pink-tipped white flowers set against green leaves; a brown branch that has snapped to expose the taupe and pinky bark inside; autumnal brown leaves that are yellowing at the edges.’
All the colours she eventually chose are the perfect enhancements to the centuries-old walls and period details. Charlotte pinpoints the likes of Edward Bulmer, Farrow &Ball and Little Greene as particular favourites. ‘These brands make eco-friendly, low-VOC paints and are experts in historic colours, making it reassuringly easy to select shades that work in an old house.’
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