RISE AND SHINE

A down-at-heel townhouse now sparkles with life, thanks to a colour-led renovation that has brought personality to every room

- Judy Diamond

DETAILS

What A Victorian terraced house over three storeys

Where Northern Ireland Design Thompson Clarke Interiors

Colour’s impact on us goes far beyond its visual appeal, getting into our heads and manipulating our emotions. It has the power to lift us up and calm us down. It can awaken the senses, sharpen the appetite and soothe our troubles. Yet what we like is utterly personal. So making colour a central plank of your decor scheme is a risk, especially when your client is on the other side of the world, with only Zoom to see what you’re doing.

Sara Thompson, design director at Thompson Clarke Interiors, was undeterred by any potential pitfalls. She had discussed a palette with the owner of this house in Northern Ireland the first time they’d met, and the direction had been clear from the start. Covid’s arrival might have complicated things (the client, who travels abroad frequently for business, was stuck in the USA for the whole of the first lockdown), but it didn’t derail her studio’s ambitious plans to create a bright, fresh and welcoming scheme to revive the fortunes of this characterful Victorian townhouse.

“We wanted to create flow and ambience through colour, carrying the same tones throughout the house – flow is essential to create cohesion and calmness in a busy family home,” recalls the designer. “The owner told us he wanted impact, so we steered clear of anything too washed-out. We kept adding more colour as we went.”