Colour & Light
In Conversation with Joa Studholme, Colour Curator for Farrow & Ball
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‘We have been marking our 80-year anniversary by taking a moment to celebrate the things we’re most passionate about, namely our love of colour and commitment to craft,’ explains Joa Studholme, Colour Curator for Farrow & Ball.
In 1946, trained chemist John Farrow and engineer Richard Ball, recently demobbed from the Second World War, met at a local clay pit in Dorset. Here, they bonded over a passion for creating colours using original formulations with a distinctive, chalky feel. With the help of their business-minded wives, Farrow & Ball was born.
For Studholme, who has worked with the company for 30 years, this anniversary has been an opportunity to consider the brand’s core values and revisit the original colour card. This little piece of history featured only 57 colours (there are now 132) but included some true Farrow & Ball icons. ‘There was Dead Salmon, Green Smoke and Mouse’s Back, which are still among our most-loved colours, and a palette I’ve returned to time and again,’ she says.
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‘The paint names are now as much a part of our colours as the shades themselves, and still evoke much discussion.’
Farrow & Ball has always preferred its original recipes, and craft-based methods, rejecting shiny, acrylic paints and sticking to traditional formulations. That move, challenging contemporary market conventions, now looks highly prescient. As concerns about sustainability and VOC levels came to the fore, Farrow & Ball was at the vanguard of climate-friendly paint, the first in the world to transition to an entirely water-based range. ‘Sustainability has long been at the heart of what we do,’ says Studholme.
Along with its sustainability credentials, Studholme puts much of the longevity of the brand down to the positive power of colour and light. ‘We can change the way we feel and the way we live. That’s why we handcraft our paint and paper with such care, as we know they bring life to every space, as they have for generations.’ And, of course, there is the power of a well-chosen name. ‘All the paint names are rooted in much more than quirkiness or attention-seeking. They are so intriguing and allow the imagination to run wild trying to visualise the colours. The paint names are now as much a part of our colours as the shades themselves, and still evoke much discussion.’
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‘We can change the way we feel and the way we live. That’s why we handcraft our paint and paper with such care, as we know they bring life to every space, as they have for generations.’
Looking back also enabled Studholme to chart the ebbs and flows of the use of colour in the interior landscape. ‘There was a cheerful sense of duty following the Second World War, with reds and sunny creams much in evidence in the home. From there, more carefree ice-cream shades of pink, blue and green in the ‘50s gave way to avocado and yellow in the ‘60s and then the groovy browns, oranges and purples of the ’70s. At the end of the century, it was all about the soft, soothing tones of warm neutrals before a mania for grey in the 2000s. In the last ten years, we have begun to crave colour once again to enrich our homes, and so the circle continues to turn,’ she says.
Anniversary celebrations will take place during this year's Festival, with a special event to be held in Farrow & Ball’s Chelsea Studio, which also celebrates its 30th anniversary this September. ‘I will be sharing memories of working with some of our much-loved colours, as well as their impact on the world of design,’ says Studholme. She adds: ‘For us, it’s never just about the colour; it’s the combination of craft and thoughtful expertise that helps people bring their vision to life.’
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Words by Tamsin Kingswell
