Colours that I created for you!

Hello,

Happy Easter. I hope you are somewhere cosy, eating good chocolate, lingering over long lunches, and spending time with the people you love most. Long weekends like this are my favourite time to gently potter, daydream about colour, and think about how our homes can wrap around us.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the colours I reach for over and over again. The ones that quietly do the heavy lifting in my client projects all around the world, and never let me down. These are the colours I lean on when someone is feeling completely stuck, or when a room needs to feel both current and timeless at the same time.

When I was creating the Lick palette, I had to go into a lot of detail on one big question: what are the colours that people genuinely love to live with on their walls? What shades will feel just as beautiful five, ten, or twenty years from now? And which colours can you swap and change around to make a space feel a bit more on trend, while still standing the test of time?

Something I realised while building that palette is that colour paralysis is a huge problem. We are faced with far too much choice. I see it with clients every single day. Whether you are decorating one room or renovating a whole house, you are forced to make decision after decision, with endless options at every step.

I notice it whether I am chatting to you at B&Q, or we are on a colour consultation together. There comes a point where you just do not know what your style is, what colours you like, or even what direction you want to go in.

This is something I have tried very hard to break down and make easier, whether you are reading my newsletter now, reading my book or watching one of my Instagram videos. My mission is to build your colour confidence, and to help you really understand that your home can be whatever you want it to be. It does not need to be designed for anyone else. It can simply be the home that feels right for you.

The human eye can see up to 10 million colours, so when I was creating the Lick colour palette, which is just 100 incredibly curated tones and shades, I had to think very carefully about the most loved colours. Which ones have I seen time and time again, being used in different ways, in different types of homes, and in different room directions? How would I recommend using each one, and how would I decorate around it?

One of the nicest things about this palette is how much you can trust these colours. I have used them across thousands of homes, and I have tested them in so many room directions all over the globe, from New York and Germany to Paris and London. This palette is truly global.

When we took Lick to America, I worked with the most amazing interior designers and magazine editors to really understand what colours people are wanting now, and what they will still want in 5, 10, 15, 20, even 30 years.

That is why the palette I created feels so special to me. These colours are rich in beautiful pigment. We have added real depth, which means they balance light in a clever way, they work incredibly hard in a space, and they feel soft and layered.

What I love is that you can build on them. You can layer different tones, swap out furnishings, and the colour can feel completely different. That is what makes them so versatile.

So today, I wanted to give you a gentle deep dive into some of my absolute most loved and most used colours, the ones I have used in over 7,000 homes. I hope they inspire you to maybe go for that slightly bolder shade you have been thinking about. And as always, if you have any questions, I am here.

Let us start with neutrals.

The two neutrals, the two whites, that I use time and time again are White 05 and White 06.

White 05 is a really special colour because it is balanced. It has a lot of yellow, but also grey pigment, which means it sits between warm and cool. If you are in a north-facing room, this colour looks wonderful, and in a south-facing room it also looks incredible. You can really trust this white.

It has a rich, creamy, oaty tone to it, and it looks amazing when you colour-drench a space. I would always recommend painting the ceiling, the walls, and the woodwork if you want that soft, neutral backdrop.

Or you can pair this white with any of our other colours if you prefer a more traditional look on your woodwork. Painting the ceiling and woodwork in White 05, and then adding colour to the walls, is always a beautiful option.

The other white I lean on, for anyone who says, “Oh Tash, I just do not like a yellow undertone,” is White 06.

This white has a lovely pink undertone, so it feels really warm. There is a softness to it, and that slightly pink glow brings such a romantic feel to a room. It is a wonderful choice if you love low-level lighting and you want to warm up a space without losing brightness. White 06 is such a good choice.

Now, moving on to my softer, dusky pink tones.

First up, Taupe 03.

For anyone wanting that plastery pink look, Taupe 03 is magnificent. We actually created this for Soho House, and it took us a long time to get right, because that duskiness can feel quite flat if the undertones and pigment levels are not spot on.

But we got there in the end, and it has become one of our most loved colours for a reason. I have included it in our colour edit for the last four years because it looks great in almost any home, any style, any space.

It has a wonderfully calming quality. It is a very nurturing colour, and you can use it in any room, from your kitchen and bedroom to your living room.

One thing I always say with this colour is that, because it has a touch of blue pigment in it, you should test it in a north-facing room. It can read slightly purple in cooler light, and that is not the look this colour is designed to give you.

So in north-facing rooms, I tend not to recommend it. Instead, I would go for Pink 01.

Pink 01, when that cooler grey light hits it, goes beautifully dusky. If you want that plastery look in a north-facing room, this is the one.

Pink 01 is also one of my absolute favourites. I colour drenched the first flat that Sam and I bought entirely in Pink 01. It is a new neutral for a reason. It goes with everything. It is delicate, light, warm, and just very easy to live with.

It feels fresh in south and east-facing rooms, and then brings a lovely warmth to north and west-facing rooms.

Now to blues.

There are three blues that I use again and again.

If you are wanting a very soft but still grown up blue, Blue 01 is the one. I recommend it a lot for bedrooms, and for kids’ bedrooms too.

Blue 01 is a cooler blue with a bit of grey pigment in it, which gives it that slightly more premium, muted feel. I would not typically choose it for a north-facing room, but in a south-facing bedroom that mentally soothing pale blue is such a beautiful choice.

What I love about it is that, because it is such a soft tone, it can take bolder colours in your furnishings. It looks amazing with bright green accents.

My other go to blue, which I literally created for you to use in any room direction, is Blue 03.

Blue 03 has a yellow undertone, which gives it a slightly minty, almost jade-like quality. It sits somewhere between blue and green, and it is a warm blue, so it works in any room.

If you have a north-facing room and you really want to go blue, this is the one. It just looks good wherever you put it. It is such a hard working colour.

The final blue I want to highlight is Blue 18.

I actually painted the exterior of the Lick shop in this colour. It has punch and attitude, but I have desaturated it by adding darker pigments, so it still feels rich and elevated rather than bright or harsh.

It has real depth.

If you have a snug and want to do a tonal scheme, or if you are thinking about kitchen cabinets or a bathroom, trust me, this colour is amazing.

Now into teals.

Teal 01 has been one of my absolute go tos for the last Six years. You really cannot go wrong with it.

It has green, blue, yellow, and black pigment in it, so again, it is beautifully balanced. It sits in that light to mid tone range, and it is our lightest teal, but it still has depth.

If you are someone who wants to step into something a little richer, this is a great place to start.

It works beautifully in smaller rooms, bathrooms, hallways that lack natural light, and north-facing bedrooms.

It absorbs shadow really well and completely transforms a space. And once again, I love colour drenching with this one.

Then we have Teal 03.

This is a darker, more dramatic colour, and we created it for Dean Street Townhouse at Soho House.

This is my ultimate kitchen cabinet colour. I am actually thinking of doing our new kitchen in it, because it gives you that navy kitchen look that everyone loves, but even better.

Because of the green undertone, it has more depth and it shifts as the light changes throughout the day.

If you are creating a dining room or a home office, or if you simply love richer colours, this one is stunning.

Low-level lighting and candlelight with this tone are incredible. This colour was designed to create atmosphere. It is meant to be seen in the evening, when it really comes to life and gives you that moody, almost sexy feel.

Now to greens.

There are two greens that I absolutely love.

First, Green 05.

This colour probably took me the longest to create within the Lick palette, because it has a really strong yellow undertone.

When I was developing it, I painted it onto a larger surface and realised it was going too bright and zesty, which was not what I wanted. I wanted it to feel rich and deep, but still grounded.

So it took about three months to get right.

And honestly, it is one of our bestsellers for a reason. It just looks good. In any room. Every time.

Green 18 is the other green that I am really loving in people’s homes at the moment.

It also has a heavy yellow undertone, and we are definitely seeing more of those chinoiserie-style, yellow-based greens coming through, rather than sage. These more yellow-based greens are popping up everywhere, in interiors and in fashion, and they are genuinely timeless.

If you look out into nature now, especially in spring when everything feels like it has a new lease of life, those little shoots on your plants and trees, and even the grass, all have that strong yellow undertone. It is that feeling of new life coming into the season.

That green is Green 18.

Honestly, this colour in a kitchen it is pretty special. But again, feel free to use it anywhere,  it just looks absolutely incredible.

Now on to yellows

This is a colour I am using more and more, because so many of you on consultations have been inspired by buttery yellows and dusky, earthy yellows. Yellow 07.

Yellow 07 is that hay-like, muddy, earthy yellow with a real brown undertone. It still has energy and warmth, but it is not overstimulating.

It looks beautiful in a bedroom or on kitchen cabinets. It gives you that gentle buttery yellow that works so well with all the greens, blues, and teals we have just talked about.

And finally, the colour that has really taken off. Red 06.

Red 06 is our burgundy, wine-toned red. Whether you use it as an accent or go for a full colour-drenched room, it is pretty special.

I did a consultation recently where a client really wanted to lean into a dark, moody bedroom. I showed her what Red 06 could look like, and she had never even considered it.

But when you pair it with teals and greens, and take it across everything, this colour does not overstimulate. It gives you that cocooning quality and richness you are looking for, but without feeling heavy.

It is a very special colour.

I hope this little deep dive into my most loved shades has given you a few ideas to play with. Maybe it nudges you to test that braver sample or to simply look at the light in your rooms with fresh eyes.

I hope you all have a wonderful bank holiday weekend.

Any questions, drop me a DM on instagram. I genuinely love hearing from you.

Tash x