Bold & Beautiful
If you love a strong use of colour, playful patterns or statement features then Bold & Beautiful is your style.
The Bold & Beautiful style celebrates self-expression unashamedly. It is neither a traditional nor a contemporary style but a brave and intentional take on any genre, with the addition of an amplified colour palette.
Bold & Beautiful is unambiguous, personal and unique.
Here are a few important principles to follow for the most successful finish.
How to style your home ‘Bold & Beautiful’
5 Basic Principles
This style can be layered on top of most other interior preferences which means you can achieve a Bold & Beautiful look whether you have a modern or a period property, contemporary or traditional furniture.
A Bold & Beautiful style simply takes any genre to a level where the predominant feature is the colour palette and the pattern orientation.
Here’s how:
1) Understanding the power of contrast
Understanding the power of colour contrast can really help to clarify a scheme. In short, paint or wallpaper can do the following: create zoning, add definition and contour, camouflage, enhance a focal point, act as a backdrop, add interest, create a feature, set a mood, widen or narrow walls and raise or lower ceilings.
This means that before going on to choose our scheme, we need to investigate exactly what we want the colour or pattern to do for us.
2) Choosing colours or patterns
Every home is different and therefore some colour options work better in some settings than others.
For example, I would not recommend hot colours such as pinks, reds and purples to be used near exposed wooden features as these tend to clash both in colour and feel. Instead I would opt for a more organic choice such as green, turquoise, aqua or grey.
In a traditional setting I would choose dark or greyed colours over brighter ones to avoid dominating the character of an older building. I would also lean towards mini prints over large pattern in rooms with lower ceilings and small room proportions.
However, in modern properties with large scale, lots of light and pale floors, bright colours and large patterns work really well.
3) Deciding where to paint (or paper)
There are some really fun decorating techniques that work well with this style. Colour blocking is a popular one. This is where paint is used to camouflage or highlight certain areas of an interior. A little bit like contour make-up does on a face.
Here you can paint over doors, incorporate parts of ceilings and floors to widen the appearance of a space. You can section off certain areas to distinguish different uses and make doorways and windows look wider by spreading the colour over the surrounding architraves.
A laser tool and a good quality masking tape are required to achieve these looks most successfully but the affects are dramatic and the applications are endless.
When it comes to feature walls I would always recommend painting the skirting in the same colour as the walls for a cohesive finish and try to stick to straight lines to avoid overwhelming the eye. Bold colours on opposite walls will shrink a space but if used on adjacent walls can create a cozy corner.
If you are painting the entire room one bold colour I would also suggest painting the ceiling as well to avoid a stark contrast. However, make sure the room can handle this dramatic feature first. For instance, this idea works well in a library or games room but not so well in a kitchen.
4) Choosing the backdrop
Every scheme needs a backdrop and for this I mostly choose a white paint.
There are so many whites on the market that choosing the right one can be a minefield. Equally, the wrong option can negatively affect an entire scheme. So how do you choose? The rule of thumb is the darker you go on the feature walls, the darker the white you choose. This will ensure that the contrast is a gentle one that doesn’t look too stark or sterile.
The second rule is opting for a white that compliments your home in general. Grey whites are more suited to an architectural home whilst cream or beige whites are better suited to a period property.
Some paint suppliers also have website pages dedicated to helping you find the right paint colour options. Have a look at these and see what the professionals suggest teaming your chosen feature colour with.
5) Plan well, do your research and be brave
Statement interiors need balls of steel to pull off but trust in your instincts and try not to compromise. Focus your research on the feature you hope to install. If you are painting a bold shade, get testers and consider how it will compliment other permanent features in the room such as flooring or window treatments. If you are purchasing wallpaper, obtain samples and cross reference the colour-ways and vibe with everything else that is staying put.
Often a bold & beautiful interior is made up of one predominant element only. If you plan well and get this part right, everything else should fall into place. Once you are sure you have done enough research, hold your nerve, be prepared for change and GO FOR IT!
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You might be interested to read about other styles in the collection such as Old and New, Neutral Living, Soulful Minimalism, Slow Cottage and Simple Vintage
Further upcoming styles in the Homing Instinct feature, including links to their Pinterest board counterparts, can be found below in the Home Style Collection.
The Home Style Collection
Bright bazaar, Kinfolk Home, Modern Eclectic, Globally inspired, Scandi classic, Coastal Decor, Handmade Home, Beach Chic, Rustic Home, Easy contemporary, Thrifty Decor, Naturally inspired, Soulful minimalism, Modern Boho, Pale and interesting, Soft industrial, Simple Vintage, Muted mode
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