White or coloured walls? Choosing is a game for professionals

You need at least four walls to make a home: so, why not give them all the attention they deserve?

Years of work in this field have shown me how easy it is to be tempted to cover the walls with prints or paintings, without bothering much about the state of the underlying surface or paintwork. A huge mistake!

Walls are also part of the interior of a home: the entire space will benefit if you enhance it as it is, without overcrowding it with objects and decorations.

Progetto Volta - photo credit: Riccardo Gasperoni

But, as I’ve learnt by experience, each home is different. For this reason, I always start my project with a comprehensive survey. I don’t just study the space. I try to capture the style of the person who lives there and bring the two together in a tailor-made design.

Here are my secrets for perfect walls!

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Tips & Hints from LOVEThESIGN, inspired by Andrea

Panelling: that extra touch

Often, my projects require remodelling the interior altogether. It’s important to concentrate on floors, walls and finishes before investing in furniture and fabrics.

Progetto Sangallo - photo credit: Armando Moneta

Do you know where you can find the most outstanding examples of panelling? In Versailles, of course.

But, there’s no need to copy the Parisian style of the period if you want a stylish interior. It’s enough just to draw your inspiration from that timeless panelling, interpreting it in a modern key by going for pastel tones or neutral colours.

If you don’t copy slavishly, your home will be no less elegant. On the contrary, this subtle reinterpretation will be appreciated by both owners and guests.

Progetto Sangallo - photo credit: Armando Moneta

However, it’s precisely for this reason that sometimes you need to get rid of the panelling: some rooms need to feel light and you should do everything you can to create the illusion of more space. This is why it’s important to listen to professional advice and not stick rigidly to a specific style. Sometimes an outsider can understand the potential of a space which we have grown used to seeing always in the same way, and sometimes it is better to take the panelling out rather than keep it!

Wallpaper: far from dated

If, at the sound of the word wallpaper, you raised your eyes to the sky, you’re not updated on the latest trends. Wallpaper has made a huge comeback in modern homes, after catching up, of course, with contemporary demands and tastes.

Its virtue lies in the fact it can be customized: it’s like a calling card.

We have geometric and abstract patterns and those which reproduce a view of Paris. Others, aimed at real enthusiasts, have Scandinavian or jungle-inspired themes – according to the trend. And of course there are the traditional floral patterns.

Wallpaper sets the tone of a space, transforming it entirely: who will remember that your living room is not that big if it looks onto the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele?

Progetto Ferrucci - photo credit: Armando Moneta

What’s more, wallpaper is perfect to decorate a child’s bedroom: you can personalise it using your creativity, so that your kids won’t resort to using their coloured pens… all over the walls.

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Tips & Hints from LOVEThESIGN, inspired by Andrea

Colour: your real ally

As far as walls are concerned, the secret is to choose the perfect colour for each room – without forgetting the furniture which goes with it.

Don’t settle for the first tester pots you see. Study how the light falls in the room and alters colours: in this way you’ll see that certain combinations which on paper seemed risky or, on the contrary, appeared promising, would work differently in real life.

Progetto Durini - photo credit: Matteo Cirenei

And if you can’t find the perfect colour, you can always make it yourself! Exactly what I did for the Cambio Casa, Cambio Vita! project (lit. change your home, change your life): I created Mare Baltico (lit. Baltic Sea) as a tribute to Northern European green-light blue shades, perfect to enhance the refined and welcoming feel of a home-showroom in the heart of Milan.

Progetto Durini - photo credit: Matteo Cirenei

Would you like to have more of my suggestions and advice on colour combinations? Keep following me!

…And when to use white

You can always find the right answer if you analyse a home with care. For example, in one of my latest Cambio Casa, Cambio Vita! projects, I decided to…paint all the walls white.

It wasn’t about cutting corners or hesitation, but a carefully thought-out choice: the dazzling white walls enhance the works of art the owners couldn’t possibly do without.

A wall is more than a simple partition: it’s really like a canvas.

Progetto Volta - photo credit: Riccardo Gasperoni

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Visit my blog to see more photos of similar projects and watch the episodes of Cambio Casa, Cambio Vita!

See you next month in these pages. If you want to be sure not to miss my next project, enter your email address in this form. See you soon!

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