Decorating with Green
Green was one of the most on trend colours in home decoration for 2021: it is an incredibly versatile colour. This earthy hue ranges from bold and bright to subtle and warm, giving it the ability to transform your space depending on the shade. From walls to furniture to accessories, there are endless ways to sprinkle green into your home.
SPRING GREENS!
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The word ‘green’ comes from the Middle English and Old English ‘grene’, which, like the German word ‘grün’, has the same root as the words grass and grow.
Green is the colour of life, of renewal, the colour of nature, the environment, sustainability and harmony. It is calming and soothing…I guess that’s why they have ‘green rooms’ for actors to sit in before they go on stage, it probably helps them feel more grounded and relaxed.
Green is most commonly associated with nature because chlorophyll is the green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), which is responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. So this rich colour has been all around us as a constant since the beginning of time.
GREEN WALL COVERINGS
Is it green, is it grey? My Pigeon is a wonderful colour created by mixing black and brown in with yellow and blue. It has warmth and promotes a feeling of serenity; perfect for wall coverings.
Left: Shibori – Light Pigeon Wall Covering paired with Teal and Charcoal / Right: Fruit Garden Detail – Pigeon, Powder Blue, Straw wall covering gives a rustic/Scandi feel to a room.
GREEN FABRICS
Field Green, Pigeon, Kale, Lime, Apple Green, Lichen, Lettuce, Grass and Moss.
FIELD GREEN
A blue-green, mellow and calm, lovely paired with pinks…Damson in particular.
Suggested coordinating fabrics:
Herbaceous Border Detail – Damson, Lily Pink, Field Green and Clay
Dainty Daisy – Damson
Left: Dainty Daisy – Field Green / Middle: French Ticking – Field Green, Charcoal / Right: Woodland Walk – Field Green
Left: Dainty Daisy – Field Green here covering a beautiful window seat and cushion / Middle: French Ticking – Field Green & Charcoal made into roman blinds, edged with a scallop in Plain Damson to tie them in with the Damson curtains / Right: Small empire lampshade in Woodland Walk – Field Green
PIGEON
A light-hued, versatile and sophisticated grey-green, looks glorious with Soft Raspberry, Powder Blue or Buttercup.
Suggested coordinating fabrics:
Fruit Garden Detail – Pigeon, Powder Blue, Straw
Fruit Garden – Powder Blue, Pigeon, Charcoal
Fruit Garden Detail – Straw, Pigeon, Powder Blue
Pretty Maids – Pigeon, Teal, Winter
Middle: May Blossom – Pigeon, Charcoal / Right: Life & Eternity Ground – Pigeon
Left: Floral Stripe – Pigeon, Soft Raspberry, Charcoal / Middle: Cow Parsley – Pigeon, Teal / Right: Up The Garden Path – Pigeon
Left: Elegant Sapperton Chair upholstered with May Blossom – Pigeon and Charcoal, combined here with Buttercup French Ticking / Right: Teddy taking time out, leaning against cushions made from Life & Eternity Ground in Pigeon.
Left: Blind made from Cow Parsley in Pigeon and Teal edged on all three sides with Plain Linen Union – Charcoal. Wall Covering in Shibori – Light Pigeon / Middle: Sapperton chair in Momo – Light Duck Egg and Forget-me-not, with Traditional Sofa in Plain Pigeon and curtain in Lapland Stripe – Pigeon, Forget-me- not and Damson / Right: Traditional Sofa in Floral Stripe in Pigeon and Raspberry.
KALE
Lively, warm, fresh and a zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring, when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Combines beautifully with blues, greys and terracottas.
Suggested coordinating fabrics:
Fruit Garden Detail – Light Kale, Damson, Charcoal
Fruit Garden – Damson, Light Kale, Winter
Herbaceous Border Detail – Damson, Lily Pink, Field Green, Clay
Herbaceous Border Detail – Dusky Pink, Plum, Kale
May Blossom – Plum, Light Kale
Fruit Garden – Plum, Light Kale, Winter
Left: Simple Ticking – Kale / Middle: Origami – Indigo, Kale / Right: Sepals & Petals – Light Kale
Left: Wild & Free – Kale, Charcoal / Middle: Shibori – Indigo, Kale / Right: Plain Linen Union – Kale
Left: Roman Blind in Simple Ticking Detail – Kale, with a border in Plain Kale / Middle: Here, Kale in the tablecloth brings this Indigo blue room alive / Right: Pink and green…May Blossom in Damson on one round pouffe and Light Kale in Sepals & Petals on the other.
Left: This Wild & Free curtain has been edged with Plain Dove and mixed with Terracotta and Charcoal / Middle: Another example of Kale working well with blues. Curtains in Origami – Indigo and Kale and the chair in Shibori in the same colours / Right: Kale, mixed with Plum and Dusky Pink. The Traditional Chairs are covered in Herbaceous Border Detail, Dusky Pink, Plum and Kale.
LIME
A yellow green, lighter than Kale: Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors and warm enough to be mixed with blues, purples and pinks too. Joins forces well with Winter, Charcoal, Teal and Sweet Pea.
Suggested coordinating fabrics:
Stockholm Stripe – Teal, Lime, Winter
Left: Pretty Maids – Lime, Teal, Winter / Middle: Pretty Maids – Lime, Winter / Right: Dawn Chorus – Lime, Winter
Left: Hallway painted in Lime Green, with a bench cushion in Pretty Maids – Lime, Teal & Winter / Middle: Cushion in Pretty Maids – Lime & Winter, with a frill in Plain Linen – Charcoal / Right: Dawn Chorus – Lime, Winter covering one of my Traditional Sofas in our rustic barn.
APPLE GREEN
My first green created in 2000, a very soft pastel green which looks particularly pretty when combined with Raspberry red.
Suggested coordinating fabrics:
Fern and Dragonfly – Raspberry
Left: Down to Earth – Apple Green, Raspberry / Middle: Paisley Ground – Apple Green, Raspberry / Right: Stripe and Dash – Apple Green, Raspberry
Left: Simple rounded headboard in Down to Earth – Apple Green Raspberry, with coordinating bed quilt / Middle: Upholstered vintage chair in Paisley Ground – Apple Green & Raspberry / Right: Pretty wavy edged cushions with ties, made especially for this French cafe chair.
LICHEN
A delicious dark blue green. Looks wonderful in a study, hallway or as a blind in a contemporary kitchen.
Suggested coordinating fabric:
Left: Tablecloth of Fern and Dragonfly in Lichen fabric on the old rusty table / Middle: Fern and Dragonfly – Lichen / Right: A beautiful pair of statement curtains in Lichen.
A cover made for this console table was made in the Little Fern – Lichen, which ties in well with the Lattice Leaf – Ochre & Lichen circular pouffe.
LETTUCE
A mellow green, reminiscent of a bygone era, coordinates well with Charcoal greys and Raspberry reds.
Suggested coordinating fabrics:
French Ticking – Clay, Charcoal
Simple Ticking Detail – Soft Raspberry
Pretty Maids – Cream, Soft Raspberry, Winter
Left: Flora & Fauna – Lettuce, Charcoal / Middle: Plain Linen Union – Lettuce / Right: Herbaceous Border Detail – Soft Raspberry, Pigeon, Lettuce, Charcoal
Herbaceous Border Detail floral design combines Lettuce with Pigeon, Raspberry and Charcoal.
MOSS
A subtle yet effective colour as introduced in my Forest Collection.
These large & small Circular Pouffes display Sow & Scatter & Wild Fern, both in Moss.
HARRIS TWEED
A touch of velvet adds sophistication to a room. Soft and in-style, velvet can elevate a room whilst adding eye-catching texture. It has a naturally sumptuous and cosy feel, making it an ideal choice for your sofa, chair or headboard. Offering both style and comfort in equal measures, velvet’s soft finish is perfect for snuggling up on.
The same goes for Harris Tweed: a couple of tweed cushions on a linen or velvet sofa will add an abundance of texture and tactility.
Harris Tweed – Grass adding texture to this upholstered chair
Decorating Tips, Advice, Styles and Inspiration
For even more tips advice and styles, check out our other guides in this series for tips and advice on styling your home:
We sell fabrics exclusively designed by Vanessa Arbuthnott, along side small, bespoke collection of Made to Measure items which includes curtains, blinds, sofas, footstools, chairs, headboards, and quilts, all handmade specially for you by master crafts people.
