You can rent a room in The Merrion Hotel for a cool €7k a month
You can rent a room in The Merrion Hotel for a cool €7k a month

IMAGE

The IMAGE staffers on the spring accessories they’re shopping for this season
The IMAGE staffers on the spring accessories they’re shopping for this season

Sarah Gill

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Venting, oversharing, or straight up trauma dumping — when does confiding in friends turn toxic?

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Real Weddings: Aoife and Brendan tied the knot at a Tudor-style house in Co Carlow
Real Weddings: Aoife and Brendan tied the knot at a Tudor-style house in Co Carlow

Shayna Sappington

This modern farmhouse in Enniskerry is on the market for €945,000
This modern farmhouse in Enniskerry is on the market for €945,000

Sarah Finnan

3 ways to style your trusty adidas Sambas
3 ways to style your trusty adidas Sambas

Sarah Finnan

The best off-the-shoulder tops and jumpers to elevate any look
The best off-the-shoulder tops and jumpers to elevate any look

Sarah Gill

This charming Enniskerry farmhouse with gorgeous grounds is on the market for €2.5 million
This charming Enniskerry farmhouse with gorgeous grounds is on the market for €2.5 million

Sarah Finnan

What to eat this weekend: Fish n’ courgette chips with homemade tartar sauce
What to eat this weekend: Fish n’ courgette chips with homemade tartar sauce

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How to quit the cycle of feeling bad from social media

Niamh Ennis

Image / Editorial

Colour Masterclass


By IMAGE
04th Sep 2013
Colour Masterclass

The floor tiles, which replicate the original, are from the Roscommon Tile Centre. The wallpaper is by Cole & Son.

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When designer Carla Bendetti and her partner, photographer Jason Clarke, bought their rundown home in Sandymount, Dublin, they wanted to restore the house to its original design but give it a modern and personal twist. The most striking departure from the look of the mid-1800s is the use of enigmatic deep, dark shades. Huge swathes of rich, deep and dark greys stridently set the tone. Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe has star billing with Railings in a supporting role. “I love the way dark colours are especially intriguing when the light falls at dusk,” Carla explains.

The dark palette creates a very consistent backdrop for the rest of the interior design, which is eclectic and quirky with a mix of antiques, industrial finds and contemporary artwork. The master bedroom, which boasts bold patterned wallpaper by Cole & Son, is one of her favourite spaces. Initially she painted it in pale grey and mauve but felt it wasn’t working out. She booked into London design guru Abigail Ahern’s colour masterclass and changed it to a distinctive shade of deep brown. It has transformed the room into a rich, sophisticated space that looks particularly tantalising by night when it twinkles with lamps, candles and fairy lights. Carla is delighted with the results and feels people should embrace dark colours. “Grey for me transforms a space and gives a sense of cosiness and sophistication,” she says. “It just needs a bit of courage to go for it.”

Photography by Mark Scott. For more ideas for decorating with dark shades, pick up the September/October issue of Image Interiors & Living, on sale now.