Make mine dirty. No. Filthy!

​I had a fabulous filthy weekend rolling around in the mud with a bunch of dogs. And that was bliss. The weekend did get dirty in every sense of the word 🙂

The head line though is a twist on the ‘shaken not stirred’ James Bond line. Yes and that would be a wonderful line if I was James Bond. But alas! I am not and in this case the line actually refers to a wall texture and not a mind numbing and possibly hangover inducing drink. I painted a wall in the studio a grey black recently and helped another friend paint her walls a ‘filthy’ mud. Hence this post –

Have you ever wondered why most people go for a staid cream coloured wall?  Maybe because it’s thought to be safe and neutral.  Or the reverse, they use shocking pick or orange? (In the interests of full disclosure I have to add here – mine were a stunning purple for a while which was offset with a fuchsia  pink sofa). You can see those images here, here and here. In my case it reflected the mood I was in at the time. Now it’s all white. You can see a version of that here.

Let’s discuss a colour that we think of as ‘meh’. But in fact has a bunch of possibilities. The colour of wall putty – it is a kind of beige/ mud. Just a lot lighter. It can be textured or smooth. One can also add a stainer to the mixture to give it as intense a hue as one likes. But I am partial to the raw nature of the base material. It reminds me of the earth.

The next time your friendly neighborhood painter is working in your home. Ask him to level and prime your walls. Then ask him to sand it down some and start to add wall putty in rough swirls or angry strokes. Yes let him work his frustrations on that wall. Hell I suggest you get in there too. After your wall looks all messy and filthy, do some more and then sand it down to an even finish. And you will get this absolute divine texture with bursts of colour intensity that will elevate the wall to a work of art. I guarantee it. And now pair that silk and damask furniture or add marble and stone. Use Rattan and Banana fiber – it will all work.  If you are the bold kind then add black strainer and see the charcoal/ cement like finish magically appear.  Pair that with a painting or soft furnishings in orange or fuchsia and see your room pop. For a quieter evening, tone it down with silver and lime. Try turquoise.

Ah! The power of putty – get your hands in there – get them dirty. Or like James Bond would say – Sweetheart, You would be putty in my hands. (Oh, come on. You knew that last line was coming :-))