A Bold Blue Fireplace Is the Striking Focal Point of This Home Office
As founder of Swish Colour and a Colour Consultant for YesColours, Emily Harnasz is more than comfortable working with paint to create spaces that make people feel something and enjoy the homes they live in.
In Emily’s own home, a Victorian Scottish Villa built in the 1890s, each room had very limited work done to it over the years. One of the bedrooms quickly became her personal office, but it needed a refresh.
The “Old-Fashioned” Space Didn’t Fit Her Needs as a Color Consultant
Her office isn’t just a place where she meets clients virtually — it’s also a space where she designs plans and creates the ideal color palette for each client.
“The room itself felt very flat and old-fashioned, and for my job as a Colour Consultant I knew I needed a space more inspiring,” Emily explains.
She Instantly Fell in Love After the First Step Revealed an Exciting Surprise
Emily’s first step was removing the plywood from the fireplace. “To my (and 14 million people on Instagram!) absolute shock, it not only turned out to be fully intact, but it was also bright blue!” Emily shares.
Emily’s viral Instagram Reel explained that she had to strip a thick layer of paint from the intact fireplace, and it revealed a bright, cobalt blue. “I’m obsessed with it,” Emily said in the video.
The bright blue metal is actually an original Victorian embossed tin fireplace feature. It was a cost-effective way to have a luxurious look, and it became very popular in the late 1800s as cobalt blue became trendy for decorative details and tiles.
Emily immediately knew the blue fireplace “had to be the focal point of [her] office space and became the basis for the scheme.”
But she didn’t just stop there with the rich blue — she painted everything between the hearth and mantel YesColours’ “Passionate Blue” to match the historically reclaimed fireplace.
She Did Everything Herself — “From Stripping Wallpaper to Sanding Floors”
“I worked on everything myself — from stripping wallpaper to sanding floors, painting, and decorating — which was a very tiring and laborious process,” Emily says.
Hiring a professional wasn’t a budget-friendly option for Emily, but she mostly did everything herself because she wanted to learn new skills. The office transformation was the perfect solution for both cases.
Plus it allowed Emily the time to work on it incrementally, which added to the rewarding experience.
Bold Colors Became Accents in a Space That Needed a Bright Backdrop for Virtual Calls
Despite Emily’s love of bold colors, she recognized the importance of choosing one main color for the walls and woodwork. She needed a calm backdrop for the multiple virtual calls she has every day, but she also wanted to utilize the room’s south-facing windows and highlight the natural light.
YesColours’ “Serene Neutral” was the perfect choice to create a calm and bright space for Emily to work in. But of course, she was still going to feature color in other areas. Besides the blue fireplace and matching hearth, Emily painted the ceilings with YesColours’ “Passionate Olive Green” for a surprise accent.
For Emily, the fireplace and fun colors that inspire her work make her smile every time she walks in.
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