DH Painter & Decorator gives colour and finish advice to homeowners in Camp Hill, about 1.8 miles south-west of Northampton town centre. Dean takes account of rooms that face north or east down Hunsbury Hill, small house layouts and, for the Grade II listed farmhouse, heritage-appropriate colours.
Why cool greys turn cold on the slope
The estate drops away down the north-east flank of Hunsbury Hill, which leaves a large share of rooms facing north or east. North light is steady but bluish, and east-facing rooms get their sun early and are in shade for the rest of the day. Put a cool grey or a blue-based white in either and it can look chilly and slightly grubby by mid-afternoon. Warm whites with a hint of yellow or red in them, soft stone shades and mid-tone greens and putty colours hold up much better in that light.
The answer is not always to go pale. In a small room with weak light, a pale colour can simply look grey. A deeper, warmer mid-tone can make the same room feel deliberate and cosy instead. We paint large sample patches, at least an A4 sheet each, on two different walls, and suggest you look at them in the morning and again in the late afternoon before deciding.
Thinking about the whole of a small house
A two-bedroom semi on Harksome Hill is around 721 square feet, and the terraces in the Squares off Dayrell Road are also small homes. In a house that size you can see into two or three rooms from the hallway, so colours have to sit together rather than be chosen room by room. A few approaches suit these homes well:
- One warm neutral on the walls throughout the hall, stairs and landing, with stronger colour kept to rooms with doors that close.
- The same white for every ceiling and every run of woodwork, so the house reads as one scheme.
- A single accent colour repeated in two places, such as a lounge feature wall and the front door, to link inside and out.
Sheen for busy, compact rooms
Colour is half the decision. In narrow hallways and on straight stair flights that take knocks from bags and bikes, a durable matt or eggshell that can be wiped clean outlasts a soft chalky matt. Kitchens and bathrooms on the shaded side of the house, where condensation sits longer, need a finish made for moisture. On 1980s softwood skirtings and doors, satin hides small dents better than high gloss, which shows every imperfection in forty years of wear.
Front doors and trim in shared courts
Camp Hill is not a conservation area, so most owners are free to choose exterior colours. That said, the terraces in the Squares open onto shared courts where every front door and window surround is seen together. A colour that suits the run of neighbouring houses, rather than fighting them, tends to look better and age better. Leaseholders, for example in Benjamin Square, should check whether the lease or management company sets rules on exterior colours before choosing anything for a front door or communal area.
Hunsbury Hill Farmhouse and other exceptions
Hunsbury Hill Farmhouse on Rotherthorpe Road is the exception to Camp Hill’s freedom on colour. It is Grade II listed, an 18th-century ashlar house with sash windows and canted bays, so colour changes to its joinery and any change to its character may need listed building consent. Traditional off-whites and stone tones on the sashes, with breathable finishes, are the usual starting point, and the council’s conservation officer should be consulted before anything new is planned.
At Parsons Meade, the retirement bungalows managed by Northampton Partnership Homes, good contrast between walls, doors and floors helps residents with low vision find their way, although any scheme there would be agreed with the landlord.
Colour advice comes with every Camp Hill quote, given on site in the rooms concerned. The method we use for undertones, sheen and sampling is set out on our main colour consultation page, and other decorating services for the estate are on the Camp Hill area page. To put the chosen colours on the walls, see interior painting in Camp Hill.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
