How to Pair Colour with Pattern & Print – the Wicklewood X Edward Bulmer Natural Paint Colour Guide: Edition 2

We’re back with Edition II of our Colour Guide, created in collaboration with our friends Wicklewood.

We’re exploring ‘How to Pair Colour with Pattern & Print’ and have created our second, must read guide packed full of hints and tips on how to master mixing and matching in your home.
It can be a minefield which designers make look very easy; colour and pattern are the building blocks of every interior so it’s important to take the time to get it right with colours and patterns you love. If you missed our first Colour Guide Edition 1, you can find it here ‘Cult Colours and How To Style Them’

Wicklewood, the pattern & print experts, asked our founder, Edward Bulmer, which paint colours he would select alongside 5 of their favourite and best selling designs, the result is an inspiring guide with a palette of bold, mid and subtle colours to suit your home.

It can feel overwhelming when trying to conceive and create a whole scheme, so we suggest starting with a favourite pattern then choose colours which draw out elements within the motif. Don’t over think it, you can create that effortless and layered look very simply.

Edward loves the Caballo cushion design from Wicklewood, he would to help accentuate the earthy tones in the pattern choose Azurite from the rider’s blue, Lilac Pink from the soft stripe and the deeper Sang de Boeuf. As all our paints are created by Edward Bulmer using the same family of 12 earth and mineral pigments, they all go together in tonal harmony – you cannot get it wrong.

Don’t be afraid to use colour from different groups and opposite sides of the colour wheel! Our natural paints all work together beautifully and tonally, Edward has done all the hard work for you so you really can be colour confident! Indulge your inner maximalism and choose and layer bold colours with vibrant prints. This works especially well in rooms which don’t have good natural light where you can transform the space from the gloom to ‘va va voom’!

Edward chose the Wicklewood Star design for a strong motif and suggests pairing this with bold colours, such as Pea Green, Tyrian and the softer Patent Yellow. if you look under each colour on our website in the shop, you can find Edward’s suggested tonal palettes which are essential when planning your scheme.

One of our top tips is to start with the colour! if you have got yourself in a print and soft furnishings conundrum then just start with the wall colour. First step is to ensure you choose a natural paint, we declare what’s in our tins – on our tins so you have the assurance you are not coating your walls in nasty chemicals. Take inspiration from magazines, Instagram, Pinterest, designers and spend time looking at the colour chart and then ordering the sample pots of the colours you love. See our advice on how to choose colour here.

Once you have selected your dream colour you can move on to having fun choosing patterns and prints you love. Wicklewood have such an inspiring and beautiful collection, their use of colour and pattern is off the charts and if you love colour, you will love their designs.

We love the stand out design Palopo which has a strong zigzag pattern and pops of red, blue and yellow. Edward would pair this with a deep red like Pompadour, a blueish green like Verdigris or a more neutral based colour like Lute.

Neutral wall colours can help soften and lighten a scheme so another top tip is to create a warm blank canvas from which to showcase your beautiful soft furnishings and pieces. We love such schemes in bedrooms and sitting rooms and it is a good way to bring in favourite artwork too.

The bestselling Wickelwood Tamahu cushion would be the perfect bold pattern to use as a focus. We love using warmer neutrals such as Buff, ten some tone on tone blueish greens like Vert de Mer and Sea Green.

Create timeless interiors through combining classic pattern and styles which will never go out of fashion. Stripes, florals and ikats, like our favourite Wicklewood Antigua design, look wonderful paired with perennial colours such as our colour of the year, Turquoise, as awarded by Homes & Gardens magazine Design Awards, Red Ochre and Quaker.

We hope you enjoyed our second edition of ‘How to pair colour with pattern and print’. If you haven’t already, do take a look at Edition I: ‘Cult Colours & How To Style Them‘.

These colour guides are aimed to give you a taste of how to mix and match colour and pattern, colour guides you can download and keep forever!

What’s next? Needing some paint advice, not sure which finish or perhaps a second opinion on colour? Take a look at our colour consultancy services, we can visit you at  your home or our digital doors are wide open if you prefer a virtual consultation instead – click here and book yours today.