Why it’s easy being green – start small and take it from there

It's a big decision to go green with an entire room, but the right furniture, fittings and accessories can let you try before you go headlong.

There’s no getting away from it: choosing green for furniture, furnishings or paint is a bold decision. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be done – merely that you need to make the move carefully.

One designer who did so with real panache is Guy Goodfellow, whose London sitting room we featured last week. Guy chose an olive-coloured paint that was an irresistible match for the magnificent Moroccan fireplace which he’d fallen in love with when spying it in a shop across the road as he ate lunch one day. From this metal fireplace came the paint. Once the walls were green, a sofa upholstered in green velour was the obvious choice: anything else might have jarred rather than complimented what Guy calls the ‘staggering depth of colour’ on the walls.

A green room becomes a peaceful haven within the home, a dark and cosy place for curling up to watch a film, or linger into the early hours. If you love the idea but aren’t ready to commit to turning an entire room over to the colour, then picking out an individual item is as good a route as any to dip your toe into the water.

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The paw-foot table lamp with a green shade in hand-made silk above — priced at £1,356 from www.charlesedwards.com – is just such an object.

So too is the armchair below, a Royere distressed walnut creation by Julian Chichester, at £1,542 from www.julianchichester.com. Something to bring a touch of this handsome, bold colour to your house without diving in headlong.

Before you know if you’ll probably end up looking for something else, like Oka’s Pacos throw, made in an Alpaca and wool blend, in moss (£275 from www.oka.com). And who knows? Perhaps after a few more months down the line you might feel the urge to go full green in at least one room in your home.