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We’ve never been more excited to watch paint dry. Legacy paint brand Farrow & Ball is expanding its British style across the Atlantic for a new collaboration with the queen of California cool, Kelly Wearstler. It’s the company’s first pairing with a person in its 79-year history, and the series includes eight hues, each meant to reflect a part of the lifestyle Wearstler celebrates in all of her projects. “I wanted to share my key philosophy as a designer,” says Wearstler. “Living without color is like living without love.”
“Despite the fact that Kelly’s style is probably not what you would associate with Farrow & Ball—a lot of people think of us as very English—the key is she’s so different and distinctive,” says Charlotte Cosby, Farrow & Ball’s head of creative. “When you meet her, you get caught up in her enthusiasm.”
The pastel colors refer to the building blocks of West Coast life—sunshine, ocean winds, avocado toast—and are named to match: Tar (a black that points to the state’s highways), Faded Terracotta (a happy peach tone pulled straight from the area’s Spanish-style homes), and Palm (a green tint just a note lighter than, well, palms), among others.
“I wanted to speak to the California landscape in every shade. There’s an uplifting yellow that’s optimistic and reminiscent of the lemon trees. There’s a beautiful gray recalling the ocean mist over the bluffs,” explains Wearstler. “The variety is meant to help infuse all colors in your house with a relaxed, muted tone.”
And the collaboration goes beyond aesthetics. “What kind of color makes you feel good; what evokes positive emotions?” says Wearstler. “I think Palm would be a good look for a kitchen or a solarium-type room. The Salt and Sand paints are both great neutrals that still work well off of each other. That’s what we’re trying to get at.”
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