The conversation
Colour expert Cassandra Ellis tells our editor Pip Rich how to recreate that relaxed sense of home we all crave now, using hues that give us time to pause and recharge
cassandra Ellis is the genius behind Atelier Ellis, the Bath-based paint brand she founded in 2018. She specialises in richly pigmented hues and spaces that feel like home… except better.
PIP RICH Last time we spoke, about 18 months ago, you talked about how collectively everyone was exhausted from the pandemic, and wanted rooms that you could flop in and that gave you a hug! I felt so seen – so validated.
I was exhausted, and I wanted rooms to hug me, and you saying that made so much sense. We talked about browns answering this need specifically. What do you think is the zeitgeist today?
CASSANDRA ELLIS I look at what’s happening in the world and politics and I think we’ve reached saturation for craziness. We need a palate cleanser, everything has been too much, and our bodies are telling us to pause, be quiet, let go of trying to strive for perfection.
PR That sounds like such a dream Christmas vibe. A rambunctiousness where good times happen and a house which facilitates that, instead of making you nervous about marking the decor.
PR Yes! That Instagram perfectionism seems so draining right now – all I really want is a home that I can enjoy being in. What does that look like for you?
CE I think back to the Habitat catalogues of the 1990s, where there was a real looseness. Children jumping on sofas, a middle-aged man sprawled in a chair, relaxed but happy. We didn’t have to have the perfect kitchen tap, the right sink, the ideal door handles, because they didn’t really exist. There was a freedom, and it was nice. I recently brush-painted a room instead of rolling it, and the finish is so much more forgiving. Your dog can rustle up against it and it doesn’t matter, you can just touch up any marks as they happen. Live in a house that is forgiving of real life, that can take a bit of bashing from dogs or kids or friends.
CE Gathering around the table, being with people you love doesn’t require everything you thought it might. You just need a bit of wine, a sense of bonhomie. I like gold at Christmas, paired with ivory and green – it’s fun and sparkly and simple and so beautiful for a table. We’ve not decorated the kitchen in our new home yet – it’s a bold yellow I’d never have chosen –but I’ve learned it doesn’t matter.
PR I wanted to ask you about yellows, because I’ve fallen for your new paint colour Pollen, which I think will be huge next year. It plays into what we’re calling Magnolia 2.0, a neutral with warmth and I want to say ‘optimism’ to it, somehow.
CE You know, Pollen c
