At the Bloomsbury Festival back in October, 26er Sarah Farley led a workshop during which we were each given colour charts, and this month’s mini-project was inspired by that. We invited you to pick a Farrow and Ball colour name, combine two, or create a new colour, and then describe it in a single (somewhat whimsical?) sentence. Creating a new selection of 26 Colours…
Farrow & Ball: combined and re-defined
Nancy’s Blushes
A riotous purple inspired by our friend Nancy’s absolutely ferocious beetroot blushes: warm, bold, and full of heart.
(or)
First love on a cold, snow-covered bridge at sunset.
Cromarty
The thickest, creamiest Scottish porridge to set you up for a tramp through the Glens.
Pitch Black
The later-regretted shade chosen at 15 and finally repainted on return from university – usually replaced by a pleasant cream or light blue.
Churlish Green
The perfect address for the vicar’s wife with the acid-drop face.
Chemise Grey
A subtle (yet ever-present) tinge to a fancy white, which hints at a woollen black sock lost in the wash.
Skimming Stone
Another way to look at the concept of ‘dynamic drifting,’ which I adopted many years ago and which characterises my approach to life.
Mouse’s Back
A tawny grey-brown seen fleetingly as it dashes behind the skirting.
(or)
The darkened indent where he wears his little backpack.
Bamboozle
Not the colour you thought it was.
Cromarty Mizzle
The drizzling mist through which a rainbow is (nearly) seen.
(or)
The colour of the elderly, grizzled raven who keeps a watchful bird’s eye over the garden.
Studio Lulworth
The soft rainbow of colours left on a painter’s mahogany desk.
Skylight
The colour your builder said you’d see – instead of this unremitting February grey.
Preference Red
Whatever shade you’d like it to be.
Lime White
Probably not a lime…
New Shades
Artist’s Thumb
The soft blue-black of a lingering ink smudge.
Dancing Pearl
The quick-changing colours of a bubble, chased by a child in a soggy garden just before lunchtime.
Flibbertigibbet
An energetic egg-yolk yellow inspired by childhood summers and the lingering sunny days that brought impetuous frolics and gentle shenanigans.
(Flibbertigibbet comes to life in well-lit rooms, working as well in a Chelsea townhouse nursery as it does in a Cornish ecstatic dance studio. Temper its exuberance by pairing with a robust grey like Dusty Telescope or an enigmatic teal like Midnight Jerkin.)
Absinthe
The colour you see behind your eyelids mid-poem.
Pigeon’s-Wing Blue
The sadness of a pigeon in Trafalgar Square – left earth-bound after years of cars, chewing gum, and toddler assault.
Foraged Pig-Mint
A fresh, crisp green. Slightly muddied.
Pig-Brick Amber
The terracotta of a block of flats which was vibrant 30 years ago, long-since neglected.
Vampire’s Brocade
The dripping crimson left lipstick-stained on a white serviette.
Museum Sculpture Beige
A stolen colour, not yet returned.
Favourite
Your eyes in the curtain-filtered light of early morning.
Snowfall White
A sealed envelope of secrets.
With thanks to Vikki Heywood, Lynda Relph-Knight, Chloe Green, Anushka Shah, Sarah Farley, and Irene Lofthouse.
Based on a concept by Sarah Farley. Take a look at the original.
If this project has inspired you to learn more about Farrow & Ball’s colours and their creator, there’s a lovely article here, and a link to their main website here.