Colour inspiration with Crown Paints x Elle Decoration

[Advertisement – this is a paid partnership with Crown Paints, but all words and opinions are my own]

One of my favourite-ever collaborations was working with Crown Paints to style a room set demonstrating my personal take on colour. So, when the Crown team got in touch to ask if I’d like to take part in another project, this time putting my own spin on an exciting new range created in conjunction with Elle Decoration, I jumped at the chance.

Launched today, the Crown x Elle Decoration premium emulsion combines Crown Paints’ long heritage (it can trace its roots all the way back to 1777) with the magazine’s eye for sophisticated design. It has a flat matt finish, it’s suitable for walls and woodwork, and it’s highly durable and scrubbable; it’s also better for the environment than many other paints, as Crown’s ‘Breatheasy’ formulation means it’s 99% solvent-free and virtually odour-free.

The paint is available in 60 refined shades, and there’s something for everyone – including fans of minimalist, muted décor like me. They’re divided into six different colour stories – ‘Obsidian’, ‘Drift’, ‘Powder’, ‘Botanical’, ‘Feather’ and ‘Crafted’ – and I’ve put together a mood board for each one showing how it could be used as part of a wider scheme. I’ve also shared a few tips on how to develop a successful colour palette, which I hope you’ll find useful when decorating your own home.

All the below schemes could be used in any room, and I’ve purposefully avoided including anything that might suggest a specific area. Instead, I’ve concentrated on materials and textures, showing how they could be combined with Crown x Elle Decoration colours to evoke a certain ambiance. Most of the mood boards feature three different shades, but any one of each trio could be omitted if you wanted to create a lighter or darker overall look.

‘Obsidian’

The ‘Obsidian’ colour story celebrates the materials that surround us. It takes its name from a type of volcanic glass and reflects the hidden beauty of the buildings and objects that make up our everyday lives, with shades ranging from a pale, plaster-like beige to dark slate and granite.

Inspired by the architectural and industrial references, I picked out a trio of greys – ‘Rock Solid’, ‘Sculpture’ and ‘Soft Alabaster’ – and paired them with cool mirror-polished steel, concrete and clean, geometric lines. It’s a striking look that I can see working particularly well in urban settings, but the warm undertones of the greys prevent them from appearing bleak and uninviting. I’ve also softened the overall look with textured linen, natural grasses and a few beige accents.

‘Drift’

The beautiful blues of ‘Drift’ aim to calm, creating a spirit of detachment that’s slow and quiet. There are dark, inky blues reminiscent of the ocean floor, green-tinged blues inspired by the surface of the sea, and light blues evoking coastal mists and watery skies.

My take on the story offsets two grey-based blues – ‘Movement’ and ‘Open Water’ – with the pale, silvery ‘Light Breeze’. It’s a combination that captures the vast horizons of the seaside, but I’ve given the look some structure with white and grey-black accents – imagine waves breaking over rocks and sending frothy spray into the air.

‘Powder’

The ‘Powder’ story is an antidote to our world of technology and excess, encompassing neutral shades that revive the forgotten art of subtlety. There are honeyed beiges, warm creams and sandy hues, as well as cooler taupes and greiges.

I’ve combined three soft shades – ‘Blended’, ‘Matted Off’ and ‘Translucent’ – to put together a sophisticated spin on a monochrome scheme inspired by the beauty of winter landscapes. It has plenty of crisp black and white accents, but the hints of beige mean the overall look has depth and nuance, without any of the starkness you’d normally expect.

‘Botanical’

The ‘Botanical’ story takes its cue from the diverse colours of nature: the greens of forests and fields, the ochres and browns of baked earth, the lemon yellows of summer wildflowers.

Inspired by the silvery foliage of olive trees, succulents and sage leaves, I’ve grouped together three greens with restful blue undertones: ‘Botanical Noir’, ‘Trailing Plant’ and ‘Silver Sage’. I’ve offset them with creamy beige (think the colour of old book pages), rich browns, textured wood and a few brass accents, creating a balanced and harmonious scheme that brings a bit of the outdoors in.

‘Feather’

The ‘Feather’ story celebrates all things white, encompassing crisp, blue-tinged shades such as ‘White Feather’ and warmer hues like ‘Nestled’. They may be subtle but they’re by no means boring, and they’re perfect for creating breezy schemes that soothe and uplift.

The key to decorating with white is adding interest and depth with lots of different textures. Here, I’ve paired the gently warm ‘Heart Felt’ with linen, paper (good for light shades) and jute in silver-grey and beige. It’s a great combination for summer, but if you wanted to add cosiness in winter you could use wool and sheepskin instead. I’ve also introduced a darker shade from the ‘Powder’ collection, ‘Refined’, to give a bit of structure to the look.

‘Crafted’

Last but not least is ‘Crafted’, whose sumptuous colours were inspired by fabrics and challenge our perceptions of pink. Some are an ode to delicate silks and velvets, with purple undertones; others resemble heavy woven fabrics and have much warmer bases.

My take on the story blends the terracotta-like ‘Cushion Craze’ with the more muted, clay-coloured ‘Weaved’ and ‘Tapestry Thread’. It’s the boldest of the six looks, but it doesn’t overwhelm and still retains an elegant air. Brass and terrazzo elements add to the luxurious feel, as do leafy green plants and softly draped fabric in deep maroon-red.

A few tips for choosing a colour palette

• Start by asking yourself how you want to feel in the space in question. Once you have a clear idea of this, investigate different colours to establish which create the right mood.
• A fail-safe rule is to pick three colours – the main colour, which will form the basis of the scheme, a secondary colour for smaller elements, and a third colour to use as an accent only.
• When it comes to combining colours, there are three main approaches. Tonal schemes use the same base colour but mix darker and lighter versions to give an elegant, layered look. Harmonious schemes, meanwhile, create a little more impact by bringing together colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel – for example turquoise blue and deep forest green. If you want a really bold look, try pairing colours from opposite sides of the wheel, which contrast without clashing.
• Once you have a rough palette in mind, it’s time to start thinking about specifics, taking into account the light and how it changes throughout the day. In general, north-facing rooms get cool light and colours tend to look bluer, whereas south-facing rooms get warmer, more golden light and colours look yellower. East-facing rooms get warmer light early on but become cooler and darker as the day progresses, whereas west-facing rooms are cooler and darker in the morning but get brighter and warmer later on.
• Whichever way your room faces, you can either try to balance out the light – for example by painting north-facing rooms in colours with warmer undertones, and south-facing rooms in colours with cooler undertones – or work with it and choose a hue that emphasises its qualities.
• You’ll also need to consider when you spend the most time in the room in question – are you most likely to use it at a time of day when the light is stronger or cooler? Or do you use it primarily in the evening, in which case you’ll need to consider how potential colours will be affected by artificial light?
• Also think about how much light a room receives, and how big it is. In general, pale colours brighten dark rooms and make small spaces appear bigger, whereas darker colours add cosiness to large rooms. But again, you might want to embrace what you’ve got, perhaps by using moody hues to turn small rooms into snug cocoons.
• Always try a sample before committing. I find it helps to paint test patches on large pieces of white card and stick them to the walls with tack, as it gives you a truer idea of how the colour will look without the existing paint interfering. What’s more, you’ll be able to move the cards around the room to see how colours react to the light in different corners

Browse the full Crown Paints x Elle Decoration collection and find details of stockists here. Prices start at £35 / €40 for a 2.5L pot, and tester pots are available for £4 / €5 each. You can also get a feel for the different colour stories and the inspirations behind them in the video below.

Mood-board photography by Abi Dare; all other images and video via Crown Paints