Farrow and Ball Paint and Old Made Pop-Up Shop In Relics Of Witney

This month, Farrow and Ball are encouraging all of us to think more creatively about decorating and adding colour to our homes through their Find It, Paint It, Love It campaign. Farrow and Ball say that we tend to focus on the walls, often leaving the trim and furniture as an afterthought. 

When it comes to interiors, it pays to get creative with paint. By custom-painting furniture pieces, or introducing colour to your interior trim (such as skirting boards, banisters, door frames or dado rails) you can inject personality and interest to your decor.

At Relics of Witney, we've long been fans of helping our customers pick out paint colours to bring out the best in their homes. We think this means allowing homes to reflect their owners passions and personalities: what you truly love, not just having a magazine-beautiful space to tiptoe about in.

Two people who have this gift in spades of injecting personality into any space are Lee and Kate, owners of Old Made. 

We're very excited at Relics to be hosting them at what we believe is Witney's first ever pop-up shop. 

They sell an exquisitely curated collection of artsy, fifties-inspired pieces. Yet, let us be clear: this is no run-of-the-mill vintage shop.

Old Made has a unique take on interiors that is hugely influenced by Lee and Kate's combined background in graphic design and textiles, with a definite nod to Modern Rustic and light touch of Industrial style.

Think 'Last Tango In Paris' and eclectic apartment living, think jazz record covers by Reid Miles and Picasso's atelier, and you'll be half way there to understanding just what it is that makes Old Made so special.

Old Made love to work with local design/makers, such as these lovely cushions by Mabel and Bird who are based in chipping Norton.

Lee and Kate adore illustration, fabrics, maps and colour. They cite Farrow and Ball Cinder Rose and Blue Ground as some their favourite paints, as well as the monochrome hues of Lamp Black by Little Greene and White by Earthborn Claypaints.

So why did they choose Relics to launch Old Made? Quite simply because they love our vision too. We asked what their favourite Relics' buys are: 'We recommend Relics cup handles for adding a quirky twist to unloved pieces of furniture. The Bakelite light switches for a slightly retro take.  And it has to be Black Bison wax for perfect sprucing!'

Lee and Kate's blend of experience, as well as their obvious talent, combines to create a look that is different from anything we've seen before.

Find Old Made on their website, Twitter and Pinterest, and, for one more week at Witney's first pop-up shop in Relics! Then, in the near future, they'll be over at Love Your Plane in Oxford.

We wish them all the very best.

Make sure you come and visit. 

{You can find Old Made in Relics of Witney until Saturday 28th June.}

  

Relics of Witney Limited

Tel: 01993 704611

Fax: 01993 380029

www.relicsofwitney.co.uk

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The Best Grey Paints

We're often asked our recommendations for the best grey paint colours. Our answer is always the same: where will you be using the paint? Is this a grey paint for use in a warm, sunny bedroom, or a cool, urban kitchen? Or do you want a grey front door? Or shed?

Grey sample pot

Grey paint, you see, is rarely simply a blend of black and white. In fact, any paint worth its salt will contain a gamut of subtle colour additions that make each grey absolutely unique; it's the complexity of these added hues that create the paint's undertones.

Grey living room

For paint advice that's absolutely suited to your needs, get in contact with the Relics team; we'd love to help you find that perfect grey paint. However, for the purposes of this post, we'll first recommend our current favourite grey front door paints, and then our favourite grey wall colours.

The Best Grey Front Door Paints

Farrow and Ball Railings is the colour to choose if you want a classic black door with a contemporary twist. Railings is a soft, dark grey with a hint of deepest blue in full sun.

Front door in Farrow and Ball Railings

Front door in Farrow and Ball Railings

Farrow and Ball Down Pipe is a mid-dark grey with a hint of teal in warmer light. As the images below show so effectively, Down Pipe is a colour that springs to life as a front door paint whether placed against brick, stone or painted exteriors.

Front door in Farrow and Ball Down Pipe

Front door in Farrow and Ball Down Pipe

Front door in Farrow and Ball Down Pipe

Farrow and Ball Plummet, which is a paler version of Down Pipe, and fast gaining more and more popularity, has a coolly sophisticated charm of its own:

Farrow and Ball Plummett conservatory

Little Greene Scree is a true mid-grey. Bold and moody, it's a grey paint that looks great teamed with red brick houses:

Front Door Painted in Little Greene's 'Scree'

Front Door Painted in Little Greene's 'Scree'

Here's a good illustration of how Little Greene Scree sits on the grey paint spectrum. Eggs painted in Little Greene Loft White, Shallows, Inox, Pink Slip, Urbane Grey, Teal, Scree and Lamp Black.

Eggs painted in Little Greene Loft White, Shallows, Inox, Pink Slip, Urbane Grey, Teal, Scree and Lamp Black.

Dulux Weathershield products are outstanding in quality, and have some beautifully subtle grey shades. Dulux Goosewing is a soft putty grey with gentle green undertones.

House front exterior in Dulux Goosewing paint

The Best Grey Paints For Interiors

For those of you who want a grey paint that appears truly grey, choose Manor House Gray from Farrow and Ball. 

Farrow & Ball's Manor House Gray

Farrow & Ball's Manor House Gray

Choose Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray for a grey that manages to appear quite warm, despite having a cool blue undertone.

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray. 

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray. 

For a gentler take on grey paint, try Farrow and Ball Cornforth White: neutral and soft, this is a grey that let's a rooms' bones speak for themselves. 

Farrow and Ball Cornforth White



Little Greene French Grey is an excellent choice for a grey painted kitchen that will stand the test of time. It's possible to juxtapose it with a whole host of other colours and French Grey will still look beautiful. Bold brights, soft neutrals, gleaming whites and darker greys all work with this classic stony grey.

Little Greene French Grey

Little Greene French Grey

Little Greene French Grey and Dark Lead

Dulux Dusted Moss is an excellent choice of grey paint if you want a limited palette to run throughout your house for harmonious continuity. It comes in four shades from a dark green-grey to the palest off-white.

Dulux Dusted Moss

And, for those of you who love a bit of colour, next month we'll be looking at our favourite emerald hues...

Images via: Wilko, Housetohome, voysey and jones, Lifebylotte, kate bishop, klaus and heidi, pistonheads, emma turner, just fab design, Little Greene, antony georgiou, Little Greene, Dulux, apartment therapy, nice kitchens, Claire Carlos, New kitchens, bryan turner, higham, Maple & Gray, harvey jones, Abigail Ahern

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