A Bright Christmas

It’s no surprise that Joa Studholme’s home at Christmas is as much about paint shades as decorations… after all, she is Farrow & Ball’s colour curator

- Jenny Tucker

There is no other time that is as drenched in enchantment as the lead up to Christmas. With breath-catching anticipation the decorations are displayed, the days are counted down, and even that raw nip in the air inspires a delirious eagerness to believe something extra special is about to happen. Joa Studholme, a self-confessed advocate of all things festive, adores Christmas. ‘Out come the kitsch Santas we’ve collected over the years, the nativity scenes from around the world and even the Ken and Barbie we’ve dressed up as Mary and Joseph,’ she laughs.

As colour curator for Farrow & Ball, Joa is an expert in creating ambience. Colour for her is all about how it makes a person feel. She describes the choices she makes as being innate: ‘I see everything in colour rather than form,’ she explains. ‘Even as a child I spent hours messing around with my Caran d’Ache crayons. I am a total colour geek!’