Somewhere in the last century, brilliant white gloss became the factory setting for all domestic joinery. Skirting boards, doors, architraves and bannisters have all suffered the same fate. But shiny white surfaces now belong to interiors of a much sleeker sort, where everything is contemporary, immaculate and erring on the institutional.
Adding colour to your woodwork instead – a trend spreading wildly across social media – almost feels like something we should have been doing all along. Why neglect such a significant part of your home's architecture when it could instead be an audacious red or lovely pea green?
Where to start
If you are tentative about using colour in the home, begin in the hallway or utility room. These are the spaces where white gloss fails us anyway, scuffed by wellingtons, vacuum heads and everything else that gets carried in from outside. A mid-tone or deep colour on the skirting hides it all.
The finish matters as much as the colour. High-sheen paint highlights every ripple, brush mark and dent in old joinery, while dead flat and true matt finishes look wonderful, but mark in minutes. Eggshell is far tougher and kinder on imperfect surfaces.
Where to stop
You don't have to paint all your woodwork. One of the most attractive combinations in an old house is a coloured architrave around a stripped pine door – it looks like a frame around a picture. Equally, you might just paint the bannister or skirting.
Painted woodwork, three ways
Everything in one shade. This is true colour drenching, covering everything – including your woodwork – in the same shade. Removing the bright white lines that chop a small room into pieces makes it feel larger, so it’s especially effective in box rooms, studies, cloakrooms and anywhere with awkward angles you would rather not draw attention to.
What to Read Next
Woodwork as the only colour. The most commonly used arrangement sees woodwork painted in colour against a white or neutral wall. This is a brilliant way to test your tolerance to colour without committing to putting it everywhere.
Everything in colour with contrasting woodwork. Glossy white woodwork is amplified tenfold against colourful walls. The safest route here is to paint your woodwork a few shades darker than your walls, or if you’re brave enough, to go for an outright contrast.
Rachel Edwards is the Style & Interiors Editor for Country Living and House Beautiful, covering all things design and decoration, with a special interest in small space inspiration, vintage and antique shopping, and anything colour related. Her work has been extensively translated by Elle Japan and Elle Decor Spain. Rachel has spent over a decade in the furniture and homeware industry as a writer, FF&E designer, and for many years as Marketing Manager at cult design retailer, Skandium. She has a BA in French and Italian from Royal Holloway and an MA in Jounalism from Kingston University. Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelaed
