Armada Cottage with Imperfect Interiors
Interior Designers, Imperfect Interiors, used a beautiful tonal palette of Paint & Paper Library shades to breathe life into Armada Cottage, a 15th-Century holiday cottage in the Cotswolds. Discover how they expertly combined gentle neutrals with dark and sumptuous hues to create a coherent scheme that complements traditional period features and natural finishes.
The palette
Imperfect Interiors chose the soft and versatile neutral, Slate I, to provide a seamless backdrop throughout almost every room. This neutral backdrop was punctuated by deep and earthy accents through richly coloured furnishings, dark wood floors and indulgent paint colours, such as Copper Beech and Bronze, on woodwork and window frames.
In the kitchen, they introduced the green-based neutral, Raw Chalk, on both walls and cabinetry for an all-over scheme. Its subtle green undertones create a sense of connection with the outdoors, which works perfectly in a kitchen scheme for a fresh and calming ambience.
Walls, Ceiling & Cabinetry: Raw Chalk
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![Slate II](data:image/svg+xml;utf8, <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0" y="0" height="262px" width="350px"><rect width="350" height="262" style="fill:%23ECEBDF" /></svg>)
![Bronze](data:image/svg+xml;utf8, <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0" y="0" height="262px" width="350px"><rect width="350" height="262" style="fill:%23595A3F" /></svg>)
![Copper Beech](data:image/svg+xml;utf8, <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0" y="0" height="262px" width="350px"><rect width="350" height="262" style="fill:%23423C39" /></svg>)
![Raw Chalk](data:image/svg+xml;utf8, <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0" y="0" height="262px" width="350px"><rect width="350" height="262" style="fill:%23E1E3DE" /></svg>)
The project
Beth from Imperfect Interiors shared her vision for this project and how it was achieved using Paint & Paper Library.
Tell us about this project and your vision for the overall scheme.
“We had been looking for somewhere that we could escape to at the weekends and in the holidays, and stumbled across Armada Cottage last Autumn. It felt very cosy with its thick stone walls & big fireplaces, and this had a direct impact on the decorating scheme that we chose. We have always bought houses that need renovating and knew that it needed a lot of TLC. We were really excited to be working with a 500-year-old cottage in the Cotswolds rather than a Victorian house in London. We didn’t want it to feel twee or dark, and also wanted to avoid it feeling like a bland beige rental property as we also rent it out.”
Walls: Slate II, Banister: Copper Beech
How did you find using Paint & Paper Library paints throughout the project?
“Although I have specified Paint & Paper Library on many of my client projects over the years, I hadn’t actually used it myself before and was really impressed by the coverage. I filled, sanded & painted every inch of the house myself, and using it felt like the difference between using a cheap, watery high street foundation versus using something rich and creamy from a luxury brand. Like a really good foundation, it really helped to soften the imperfections of the wood & plaster, of which there are many in a 500-year-old house!”
Walls: Slate II
How does your colour palette complement the rustic feel of Armada Cottage?
“I was really keen to use colours that would emphasise the historic atmosphere of the house without overpowering it. The dark, wide floorboards in one of the bedrooms are said to have come from a boat that sailed in the Armada, so those also set the tone. I kept the walls fairly light and added darker autumnal tones to the windows, joinery & newer flooring, which then tied into the tones of the exposed stone & dark beams in the loft bedroom.”
Panelling: Bronze
Raw Chalk has soft green undertones that make it a calm, gentle and versatile neutral. Tell us why you chose it for the kitchen scheme.
“I had my heart set on a chequerboard tiled floor in the kitchen, and wanted to avoid choosing a colour that would fight with that or date the kitchen. We chose Raw Chalk as it brightened the room and meant that we could have dark wood worktops & an interesting floor, which felt more in keeping with the period of the house.”
Walls, Ceiling & Cabinetry: Raw Chalk
You have demonstrated how you can incorporate some of the darkest shades in the Paint & Paper Library palette. How did you achieve this, and do you have any advice?
“The first question that I always ask clients is how they want their homes to feel, and I wanted Armada Cottage to feel historic without feeling stuffy or cliched. Comfortable and stylish, and somewhere that we could switch off from work. I wanted to experiment with darker colours & patterns that I don’t usually get to use in London townhouses, without overwhelming the spaces.
We had a tiny budget, and paint is always the best way to create impact and instantly change the look and feel of a house when you have those constraints. My advice is always to test paints in several areas of a room – on top of a pure white base – so that you can see how they look at different times of the day. And don’t be afraid to try something a bit different – if you have interesting windows & doors, darker colours will make them even more of a feature.”
Walls & Ceiling: Slate II
What are some of your best design tips for creating a coherent overall scheme?
“Think about the ‘big picture’ and how you want your home to feel, and always look at colours and finishes in relation to the overall scheme rather than on a room-by-room basis.
Try to minimise the number of different finishes – if the house feels cold, start by picking out some warmer tones for the flooring and work your way up. These will help to inform the tones on the walls, which will then inform the fabric & furniture choices. And decide where you want the colour & contrast to be – if on the walls, I would keep everything else fairly simple. Or you can do the opposite, like we did at Armada Cottage, and keep the walls quite neutral and put the colour on the joinery & windows.
Most importantly, don’t play it too safe. Rules are there to be broken and there are so many gorgeous colour combinations out there that will make your home unique to you, so have some fun & experiment!”
Walls: Slate II, Cabinetry: Copper Beech
