Passion for colours was plain to see

Joa Studholme
Festival Hub

IF your walls are covered in Mizzle, Mole’s Breath or Down Pipe then you’re displaying Joa Studholme’s work in your own home.

Joa is Farrow & Ball’s original colour consultant and it is she who gives their iconic colours the names that we all know.

She has what she calls a “pure passion for colour” and that passion was infectious at her Henley Literary Festival event, where she shared her story and her knowledge with the audience.

Joa described the “seismic shift” that has taken place and the move away from the grey mania of recent years. Now, she says, we all want “colours that nourish the home and the soul — we want comfort colours”.

Her book Recipes for Decorating shows you how to use colour to make your home a special place.

“I wanted to write books with real houses and real information,” she said. “All the old rules have gone out of the window and it’s very exciting.”

And Joa certainly infused the audience with excitement too.

Talking about how to make your home feel bigger, how to add colour into kitchens and how to bring calmness to your home, Joa’s love of colour poured forth.

Sharing real colour combinations and answering endless questions from the audience, it’s quite likely that everyone who attended went home and picked up a paintbrush, thanks to Joa Studholme.

Tamryn Settle