Do you have a happy colour?

I’m obsessed with mine.

I absolutely have a fixation with my favourite colour. It has been with me ever since I was a child, it’s still true today and will be with me forever. Red, red, red, red, red. Any and every shade is good, from the deepest crimsons, sumptuous jewel tones to the brightest cherry. I love it and it makes me feel happy. That's pretty much the deal for me. It affects how I feel, in a good way.

I got to thinking about this obsession with colour as I was working this week on a brand new fabric collection for children... (incredibly excited and will show a sneak preview very soon…).

I was busy selecting the ‘perfect red’ for a star design; it’s a tricky business choosing the right hue when there are so many to select from. Every colour has a different feel, creates a different mood, from playful to elegant, grown up or fun. And as I was working on this I looked back to how this colour weaves it’s magic into my life.

My home

Over the years it’s visited most rooms in our houses old and new. There is currently a significant amount in our kitchen and in the nursery. I add splashes of it where I can, and I’m currently planning a glorious crimson invasion on our cloakroom (Pineapple in Garnet wallpaper, see photo below). It's going to look beautiful. I'm going for small room and big impact. Avoiding the trend for wallpapering the ceiling too though, the room can't cope with it. Neither can I.

This is going to look glorious in our downstairs loo.

On me

I would wear it all the time, I love it. Clothes, lipstick and nails: As many a woman knows a bit of red lipstick can make you feel better if you’re feeling a bit ‘grey’ or want to tell the world you’re feeling fabulous. I use it both ways.

I have a red shirt with little white clovers on that is probably a bit past it's sell by date now (buttons need an upgrade, I need to lose a few pounds) but I feel good in it. I have quite a few pairs of red shoes, my wedding flowers were red. I default to a red dress every time and Christmas makes me happy, because of the red everywhere.

My children

Littlest two currently have red coats, hats and shoes. The nursery has red curtains. It’s everywhere, from the toys I buy, to the books they read. I have boys so clothes in the shops are a bit blue/grey so where I can I go for colour! Our 8 year old supports a red football team... that I can take or leave.

My sister

She's a blue fanatic. It's everywhere. She loves it. I respect her conviction. Our mother dressed us in red and blue respectively as children. Do you think it had an impact?

My opinion

It does rather cloud my judgement. Whilst watching a spot of Netflix last night, I casually mentioned I really liked the glasses the main character was wearing. They were red and jolly. Now, the style of the glasses was ‘ok’ but what was fabulous was the colour. If you colour it red I’m pretty sure I’ll like it.

My work

Some of the reds we have in current fabric and wallpaper collections I've popped on this page. All rich and classic and beautiful. I love them, naturally. I will be adding more and more...

My ethos

Homes are for living in so unless you’re planning on selling next week, surround yourself in things that make you happy. If you have a happy colour use it, if you love pattern, use it. I adore both. Red will always find a way of sneaking into my collections.... It's part of me.

Me rocking maroon dungarees. Mr Willis was a bit mean when he saw this and said I looked too old for stabilisers...