Choosing a paint colour sounds simple, but there are so many factors such a your property’s orientation, the way you test the samples, the vibe you want to create & morem that’ll impact your final choice. In the debut episode of our podcast, Your Home: A Designer’s Guide, our founder Athina sat down with Tash Bradley, Director of Interior Design at Lick and author of the bestselling book Master The Art of Colour, to unpick exactly why colour trips so many of us up, and how to get it right.
The lovely Tash from Lick
A Snippet Of Tash & Athina’s Conversation
1. Start with orientation, not inspiration
Before you fall in love with a Pinterest board, Tash’s advice is to understand your room’s orientation first. A north-facing room reads light very differently to a south-facing one, and the same shade can look flat and cool in one space, then warm and inviting in another. Getting this foundation right before choosing a colour saves you from repainting a room twice.
2. Light changes throughout the day, so should your patience
One of the most useful (and most ignored) pieces of advice from the episode: live with your samples before committing. Natural light shifts from morning to evening, and a colour that looks beautiful at 9am can feel completely different by 6pm under lamplight. Tash recommends testing swatches on multiple walls and genuinely sitting with them for a few days. Patience, not instinct, is the secret ingredient.
3. Rise of colour drenching
If you’ve noticed more homes fully “drenched” in a single colour, walls, woodwork, ceiling, the lot, you’re not imagining it. Tash and Athina discuss why this technique has become so popular, and how, done thoughtfully, it can bring warmth, cohesion and a surprising sense of calm to a room rather than overwhelming it.
4. Colour is psychology, not just decoration
The conversation moves beyond swatches into how colour genuinely affects mood, focus and rest. As a trained colour psychologist, Tash explains how different tones support the way we actually live in a space, whether that’s a calming bedroom, an energising kitchen or a considered, layered living room. It’s a helpful reminder that a paint scheme isn’t just about what looks good, it’s about how a room makes you feel.
Listen to the full episode
This is just a flavour of the conversation. For the full discussion on flow between rooms, real project examples, and Tash’s approach to building a considered colour scheme from scratch, listen to the full episode of Your Home: A Designer’s Guide, sponsored by Loaf.
Want expert guidance on your own colour scheme, layout or full room design? Get in touch with the Topology team or explore our design packages to find the right level of support for your home.
