We’ve partnered with premium paint manufacturer Farrow & Ball for a four-part film series, ‘Living with Colour’, in which we’re exploring the use of Farrow & Ball paints in a range of modern living spaces. You can watch the second episode here.

This instalment of the series takes us to Ian James and Nick Selby’s apartment in a Victorian school building in Hackney, who live with the colours India Yellow, De Nimes and Treron. Ian and Nick are no strangers to bold colours, as the branding for their north London-based grocery shop, Melrose & Morgan, is defined by its use of a striking red.

Interestingly, the colour that characterises their business also defines their living environment, with a large, installation-like red kitchen being the focal point of their open-plan space. So, when looking to redecorate, they knew that, ‘The red had to stay because we weren’t going to change the kitchen,’ says Ian.

Going from what was ‘effectively a white box,’ the two decided on a colour scheme that enhanced and pleasingly contrasted with the red of their kitchen to create a dramatic scheme that has a graphic quality at certain angles, like when the yellow of their hallway is layered against the blue of the main space and the red of the kitchen.

A common apprehension before using non-neutral colours is that they might make a space feel darker. But, as Nick says, the blue, greyish hue of the colour in their living space enhances the natural light, ‘especially as the sun arcs over the apartment … The intensity of light has completely changed but it hasn’t reduced the feeling of space. In fact, I would argue that it makes the space feel a little bit bigger.’

We’ll be sharing two more films in the coming weeks, and you can have them sent to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter. And, if you haven’t already, watch the fist instalment of ‘Living with Colour’ with Cambridge-based painter Alessandra Taccia here.

Have you been daring with your home colour scheme? Or do you favour something more gentle? Show us how you live with colour by sharing pictures of your home using the hashtag #LivingWithColour on Instagram.

Watch the film here