23 rooms that prove purple is making a comeback
More so than any other colour, purple arguably had its high point in the past. Specifically, 2,000-odd years ago, when it was the colour most associated with Roman imperial prestige, thanks to the fact its dye was the most expensive to produce. Ever since, it has been a bold choice to use in interior design – one that goes well, perhaps, with the sumptuous gilded hallways and state rooms of palaces and hunting lodges but which might gel less happily with more understated, contemporary tastes.
In recent years, purple has felt like a bit of a risk. It can be both too bold and too dark, too rich and too dominating in a space – and there is a risk of your room looking a little like a child’s play area. Conversely, if you go for a pale shade that is a little too insipid, it can feel rather cold and appear much like pale grey in the wrong light or in the wrong space. So there is a lot to think about.
But, if we have learned anything here at House & Garden it’s that just because something is a risk, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing – after all, our Top 100 interior designers are lauded for their ability to pull off design coups as much as for their willingness to follow a client’s brief. And some colour psychologists recommend purple as a good statement colour choice precisely for its surprising, regal connotations – not least to make an impression on guests in an entrance hall.
If anything marks a designer’s official approval of a particular design feature it’s their choice to include it in their room for WOW!house at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. This summer, the brilliant Nicola Harding – known for her clever and bold use of colour – chose purple as one of the key elements in her Powder Room scheme, created in collaboration with Drummonds. The mix of patterned wallcoverings and fabrics, as well as the tiles above the door, were unified by their various deep shades of purples, which work particularly well with the rich blues and greens seen throughout. The result is a beautiful, jewel box of a space that evokes timeless glamour and has a suitably intimate feel.
If you still need a little convincing, or are in search of ideas for your own home, take a look at these excellent examples. We think it’s safe to say that this controversial colour might be here to stay.
Simon Upton1/20This house in east London by Rachel Chudley is gloriously eccentric with a daring surrealist vibe throughout. The kitchen had already been installed during a major renovation but blends perfectly with the rest of the house thanks to a judicious use of colour. Pink and purple are both colours many of us shy away from, but here the pink of the Lacanche range cooker is the ideal companion for the cabinetry painted in a bespoke shade of deep aubergine. These really sing against the stainless steel of the island.
Simon Brown2/20Farrow & Ball’s ‘Brinjal’, a rich aubergine, is used for all the woodwork in the hall and right up the stairs in this Notting Hill townhouse by Studio Vero. A cold white can make purple look quite harsh, but these walls, in ‘Jonquil’ by Edward Bulmer’s are perfectly pinkish and warm. The greens of the abstract rug by Gideon Hatch contrasts with the woodwork but matches the lamp from Palefire.
Simon Brown3/20In the same Notting Hill house, the tiny landing work-station has Ferrick Mason’s vibrant Kinkead Cinnabar wallpaper on the walls, which picks up the same Farrow & Ball’s ‘Brinjal’ paint, on the desk and sliding door. There's no reason to shy away from bold colours and prints in tiny room.
Paul Massey4/20Painted in ‘Old Rose’ by Pure Original, this lilac bedroom wall is the perfect backdrop to an eccentric amalgam of colour and textures in a country house project by Nicola Harding. It subtly picks up the pinks and blues in the layered textiles of the quilt, headboard and canopy.
Milo Brown5/20Turquoise and purple is a popular colour combination, creating a magical and playful vibe when used in combination. In this Holland Park living room, colour queen Lonika Chande brings the outside in with dots of blue and green throughout the room, and the purple cushions (the same shade as the Lucy Dickens collage above the fireplace) play against them nicely.
Rachael Smith6/20Interior designer Natalie Tredgett has made her mark on her own Victorian terraced house, creating an eclectic environment that works as both a family home and a stylish showcase for her eye-catching furniture and lighting designs. In the study, red and purple bookcases in Farrow & Ball's ‘Wine Dark’ and ‘Red Earth’ are nothing if not striking.
Paul Massey7/20Purple and yellow is a colour combination that is not for the faint-hearted, but Ben Pentreath has used it once or twice to good effect. In the dining room of this Georgian house in London, he has used ‘Bromine’ by Emente on the walls, with an accent of yellow in the window seat cushions, which are covered in Claremont’s ‘Damas Les Perroquets’ silk in jaune. He has used a similar combination in a Highgate cottage he decorated, which has walls in Farrow & Ball's ‘Brinjal’, while the blinds are in Zoffany’s ‘Linden’ linen.
Martin Morrell8/20Purple doesn’t have to be too bold or extravagant. Like in this enchanting house by Retrouvius on Dartmoor, where the living room is decorated in a Bauwerk aubergine lime paint, which forms a gentle backdrop for framed kuba cloth panels above an antique oak settle and refectory table. The dusty texture and colour of the walls is picked up perfectly by the ‘Mon Prince’ sofa from Caravane.
Martin Morrell9/20Adam Bentley’s Yorkshire peasants’ cottage adds a touch of colour in the form of cupboards painted in Farrow & Ball’s deep purple ‘Pelt’. This injection of purple works similarly to the ‘unlikely red’ theory, where adding a flash of red with accessories elevates an entire scheme. The rest of the room feels very natural and earthy, meaning the purple cabinet is a really exciting juxtaposition.
10/20When Max Hurd called in his friend Benedict Foley to design his London house, the result was an explosion of clashing colour. In the attic space, red walls are gloriously combined with purple fitted carpet and a lilac patterned fabric by Viola Lanari. Using different tones on the same colour has an enveloping and theatrical effect.
Dean Hearne11/20In this playful, rather anarchic living room in an apartment designed by Nina Litchfield, accents of purple on the blinds, cushions and ottoman – in a purple trim by Loro Piana – give the space a sense of coherence. The luxurious finishes (like the tasseled trim on the ottoman) is picked up by purple’s natural opulence.
12/20Interior designer Rachel Chudley refers to the spare bedroom in her former workshop turned flat as the ‘purple boudoir’, where a cashmere bedcover from Jaipur provides a rich contrast with the walls. With purple being a fairly divisive colour that tends to make a statement, a spare room is a very good place to experiment.
Paul Massey13/20There are small glimmers of purple throughout this this charming Cotswolds cottage (that is also available to rent), in accessories or trims, which act as nice hints towards the bathroom at the top of the house, which is awash with a beautiful purple shade. Blues and neutrals are much more popular for bathroom tiles, but you can be much more experimental in a house that isn't your main residence.
Simon Brown14/20Jorge Almada of Casamidy designed the armchairs in the library in his and his wife Anne-Marie Midy’s elegant townhouse in Brussels, and painted the walls in a lovely shade of lavender. Selecting one statement colour for the walls and picking it up in accessories and furniture across the whole room is a move not for the faint hearted, but it shows confidence and commitment.
Simon Brown15/20At graceful Cadland House in Hampshire, a gallery wall of pictures with a maritime theme stands out against the dark purple walls of a study, with cushions from India adding pattern. The deep aubergine shade feels regal and opulent, which adds to the extravagant feel of the house.
Paul Massey16/20Kerem Ozelli worked with architecture firm Michaelis Boyd to renovate his Georgian townhouse in London, but he closely oversaw the decoration himself. In the living room, a sofa in violet velvet upholstery adds colour to the room beneath a photo taken by the Scottish photographer Harry Benson.
Jake Curtis17/20This London flat by Adam Bray is filled with rich colour and texture, and the sitting room is no exception. He has upholstered the large L-shaped sofa in with his own purple ‘Greville’ mohair velvet. This plum shade could be considered an ‘entry level’ purple, because it still feels fairly neutral and works well with other colours. The same shade is picked up in the piece of art on the left, and the accents of green across the room provide more visual coherence.
Sharyn Cairns18/20A pair of Queen Anne chairs reupholstered in regal ‘Romeo & Giulietta’ purple velvet from Dedar creates an intimate area in the sitting room of this 19th-century mansion by Rabih Hage. As we have seen above, purple works particularly well in velvet, recalling richly textured royal regalia. It provides a welcome contrast to the more formal, Victoriana furniture style.
Simon Upton19/20Nicky Haslam is never one to shy away from an unusual colour, as this London project done in collaboration with Studio QD shows. Purple is a highlight of the bathroom, with panels in ‘Lavender’ by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint framing a seagrass wallcovering and Light Emperador marble from SPC.
Simon Upton20/20Want to add campness, wit and drama to a room? Purple is your friend. In another Nicky Haslam project (his own house in the Cotswolds), lilac ribbons unfurl down the walls from faux curtain poles, painted by Lizzi Porter against a background of Sanderson’s ‘Winter White’. Simple country chairs flank a chest of drawers from Ikea, and Lizzi painted its front with a faux agate effect in colours that echo the ribbons on the walls. The overall effect is fabulously fun and eye-catching.
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