The Colour of Spring
Written By Frances Healy •
I am sure I am not alone thinking that grey January always seems to be so much longer than any other month of the year – this year being no exception!
Although disruptive, the snowfall at the tail end of January provided some glorious scenery here in Cornwall. Walking Barney in the mornings although rather chilly was beautiful – a glittering white blanket coating the fields and hills afar with towering evergreens providing a contrasting richness of colour.
And now, a few weeks later the Devon hedgerows are full of tiny precious clumps of white and fresh green snowdrops which lift my spirits and bring with them the promise of spring. The milky fragility of these flowers in stark contrast to their striking green foliage often appear in fabrics and in turn inspire my interiors, bringing the outside in. This fresh ‘teapot’ design is a great example, perfect for lifting the spirits in a kitchen blind, just as the snowdrops raise mine.
Pink and yellow work beautifully together, a combination of these two colours is very popular in France (my favourite holiday destination). Many fabric houses use the form of flowers and fauna to create warm and welcoming textiles, Manuel Canovas, a firm favourite of mine, do this really well – I just adore the uplifting vibe their tulip design creates. Perfect for curtains in a guest room with a sunny aspect with the odd scatter cushion thrown in for good measure.
The spring flower can be used in interiors in other ways too. I just adore this painting I spotted recently in a Cornish gallery which has been added to the never ending wish-list for my new home. The colours are quite striking – a splattering of pink acting as a backdrop to the yellow tones of the daffodils set against the blues from the jug creating an 80’s vibe which I have been revisiting recently!
I am constantly inspired by colour in my work as an interior designer; colour which is all around us -especially the thousands of colour combinations nature provides and there is no better time than the emergence of spring to feel fully inspired. Soon reds and orange will add more depth to the palette of early spring – introducing orange with pink in your interiors, another great French combination, will surround you by warmth and colour until summer sets in!
Frances
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Frances Healy
Interior Design Director
Frances Healy Interiors Ltd
About the Author: Frances Healy, Interior Design Director, Frances Healy Interiors Ltd
Frances has spent her entire career working in premium luxury residential properties across the whole of the UK and also into mainland Europe, the United States and Caribbean. Having completed Art School, Frances joined Charles Hammond Ltd on Sloane Street in London where she carried out her apprenticeship working as a junior member of one of the Design Teams. Her experience in classic period houses and riverside apartments during the 1980’s and 90’s within London and the luxurious country estates of the home counties, gave her a training, knowledge and address book, which is still with her today.
Returning to her home in the South West 20 years ago, Frances now heads up her own Interior Design business where she can still be found in prestige properties in the exquisite seaside towns of Salcombe, Fowey, St Mawes and Rock or high on the moors of Bodmin and Dartmoor still working her magic, still loving her trade and making many, many old and new clients very, very, happy.
Frances lives in the Southern Tamar valley right on the border between Devon and Cornwall with her husband and their beloved spaniel Barney. Weekends will be spent boating, walking the beaches (come rain or shine) or pottering in her greenhouse.