Top 5 Winter Colours for your Interiors

As the mornings get colder and the evenings get darker our homes become our cosy havens for winter. This time of the year is often a busy time for home transformations and interior makeovers ready for the festive season. We have put together our top 5 winter colours to warm up your interiors, from our favourite dark brown to the most warming rich blue. So if you have a room in mind that is having a winter makeover keep scrolling for some serious interior inspiration.

First up is our colour ‘Light Olive Green’, this is a warm and soft green perfect for a cosy space or equally beautiful for cabinets and panelling. Early recipes for olive green seem to have been a browny hue but by the C19th the addition of Prussian blue meant that it was a full green close to the colour of a plump Mediterranean olive. Too dark and the colour tends to black when in the shade, so we have kept it a strong mid tone. It can be a great woodwork colour and is also robust enough for exterior use.

Next is our dark chocolate if you like. Just red oxide and black as all the old recipes would have it. We have given it a capital name for a serious metropolitan colour for those with the acquired taste. The pure natural pigments in London Brown means it has an extraordinary depth and response to light. This is perfect for a sitting room with rich fabrics and furniture or if you want to accentuate kitchen cabinets or doorframes.

Edward has proclaimed this as his colour of the moment saying “It puts everything else in a good light; it is strong and warm but somehow respectful to other hues regardless of weight and shade. I think it might be time for deep browns to enjoy a resurgence.”

This colour is more red than brown and was thought to evoke the sort of colours used to decorate the walls of the palaces of Pompeii. It was the height of fashion in late 18th century London. Etruscan Brown conveys an unrivalled depth and light which is superb as a backdrop to prints and black frames. As seen in these interiors it works brilliantly with dark or mahogany furniture to create a very sophisticated and autumnal space. Pair this colour with similar tones like ‘Brick’ and ‘Sang de Boeuf‘ for a rich look or contrast this deep colour with something lighter like ‘Inferior Grey‘ or ‘Cerullian Blue‘.

The warmest deep blue you will find which works in all spaces and literally goes with any and every colour and palette. This blue is a real pick-me-up, packed with pigment to give strength and depth, but with earthy warmth. It is a homage to the mineral widely used since the Middle Ages to convey great creativity and high status. We love ‘Azurite’ in our dining and living spaces, jewel like at night and colourful during the day but it is also great choice for repainting kitchen cupboards paired with lighter walls. This shade is particularly good for unifying natural materials – wood, fabric, stone. Try this blue with soft neutral pinks like ‘Jonquil‘ or ‘Cuisse De Nymphe Emue‘ or, for impact, try a bold tone – ‘Dutch Orange‘ would pop perfectly.

Sometimes a colour that is so full of energy it takes over a room is exactly what’s called for. Edward first encountered this iron oxide rich colour at Malahide Castle near Dublin and it has lodged in his mind ever since, alas the colour was born! There it worked beautifully with strong blue curtains and a tide of gilt framed pictures and mahogany furniture. It would be equally well suited to a statement wall in a minimalist interior or for cabinets and will incline the viewer more to a smile than a sharp intake of breath! ‘Malahide’ fuses modern with timeless and has a warmth to it especially when in yellow light and creates the ultimate cosy winter interior. ‘Malahide’ Pairs beautifully with Drab Green for a chic yet playful country farmhouse look or be bold and brave and team with ‘London Brown’ to make a real statement.

Do you need some help deciding on which one, two or three of our winter warming colours is for you? Worry not, our colour consultancy experts can help you.

We know that it can feel totally overwhelming to choose from numerous paint brands, 1000’s of different colours (even 100’s of different versions of the same colour!). It seems like the industry has slightly overdone it?