As interior fashions go, the fine art of furniture-painting must be one of the longest-lived.

And if Dorset-based Farrow & Ball have their way it can only get better as they have asked nine of Britain’s top designers to craft bespoke items to increase their customers’ inspiration.

“Try painting a chair in fresh St Giles Blue to add colour, or paint drawers in grey tones graduating from Wevet right through to Mole’s Breath for subtle sophistication,” suggests Charlotte Cosby, Farrow & Ball’s Head of Creative.

She’s one of the contributors to the project, creating a ‘Beehive’ chest of drawers, using Arsenic Estate Eggshell, Green Smoke and masking tape to create the bold chevron effect.

If that’s too ambitious, then try their easier – yet equally stunning – ideas. Take the time to paint a plain wooden bureau in a dark colour, such as Railings, with a contrasting light colour, such as Cooking Apple Green for the interior.

Or attempt the ‘Patchwork Kitchen Cabinet’; prime and prep the doors with sandpaper, primer and undercoat, then paint each of the doors and drawers in different colours; say Calamine, Dimpse and Rectory Red, to inject a note of fun.

For the simplest idea of all have a crack at their Crimson console table.

“Simply painting a console table in a statement colour is all it takes to brighten up a hallway,” says Charlotte.

Best news of all – as with all paint projects – is that when you tire of your piece, you can simply rub-down, repaint and recycle again!

  • Find more inspiration at farrow-ball.com