Patience is a virtue

Felt like a movie star all weekend as flowers and champagne kept arriving at the door congratulating me on the new show (Get Your House in Order, which airs Thursday nights 8pm C4). There are now so many flowers all over the house that I've run out of vases and had to call on glasses and bottles to double duty, very exciting to say the least. With such beautiful weather in London you would think that a stroll in one of the Royal parks would be in order, or a potter along the river with the kids (although that’s a little stressful as every duck, swan or goose gets barked at full throttle). Nope it was a painting weekend and it didn't go quite to plan. Recently I discovered this beautiful new paint colour, bulrush by Sanderson and so enamoured was I that I've banged on about it ever since, dreamt about it continually and planned our whole new bedroom around it. However after about 3 hours in I started having a bit of a panic attack it wasn't causing my heart to beat faster I wasn't skipping around the room and singing at the top of my voice (as is usually the case). My gut said down tools move away from the paint, time out etc., but no, I knew how it looked in a clients pad I loved it so it was going to work here right? More painting ensured until I flipped, ENOUGH. I could take no more, the room now looked so bad I couldn't stand to be in it. So on one of the most beautiful of Spring days the whole thing had to get painted again this time in London Clay, an old friend type colour that never lets you done, picks you up in second when you are feeling rough and envelopes you in warmth! Now I've had time to think about it the problem is an obvious one - my clients pad had little natural light, my bedroom has two very large windows which unfortunately turned a very beautiful hue into a flat one. I'm not giving up on bulrush I plan to use it the bathroom but a lesson well learned. Paint huge swatches on walls all over the room, repeat all over the room and be patient, look at it at different times of the day even if you've seen it in someone's else place. I should also add that I am extremely fussy, because I adore dark colours I can't stand it when daylight makes them lighter they loose that intensity I ‘m after (another problem my end). Hey ho that's life you don't always get it right, and as always I've learnt by my mistakes. Will I, when it comes to painting the school room out, paint various swatches of black and pop in a different times of the day to analyse? Of course not, way to impatient, have no doubt that that room will look fine! Below one of the inspirational images I've had on my desktop of a beautiful bedroom, taken by my friend Graham Atkins Hughes. One more tip never be lazy and leave a pot of paint on top of a ladder thinking you can move the ladder without the paint spilling. It will, it did all over me, I had hair the colour of London Clay – as I said not the best weekend.