I first met Susi around five years ago when we were both on the Colour Group GB committee. At that time Susi and her family had recently returned to the UK from living in sunny Tuscany with all its glorious colours. Since then we’ve become great friends staying at each others homes and talking colour from the minute we get up til late into the evenings. To see her colourful designs blossom year on year has been a sight to behold. Here Susi shares in peek in her colourfilled world…

What is your earliest colour memory?
My earliest colour memory was the khaki green curved Ercol sofa at my Czech relatives modernist living room in Cardiff .

What does colour mean to you?
Colour means everything to me. It’s what inspires me and it is how I read the world – always colour first.

Do you have a favourite colour or a colour that you find yourself constantly drawn to? And why?
My favourite colour is dusky pink – it is feminine without being commercial or crude. It is a tertiary tone which is the palette I am always drawn to. It acts as a neutral to stronger tones. It isn’t obvious. It has an earthy element but I can’t place it. It reminds me of a soft marble tone and 30s lingerie! It is subtle but not fully neutral. 

Do you have a colour that you least like? And why?
I dislike Fuschia pink and royal purple – reminds me of nasty ‘girlish’ plastic toys.  

What do you love most about working with colour?
I love the surprise element of what happens when one colour sits next to another. I like to discover new combinations.

What do you think your life would be like without colour?
Dull and lifeless. 

What’s your favourite colour story?
Ointment pink and malachite green. 

Do you have a favourite colour place that you visit (or have visited)?
Pucci Florence. Museum of the Madonna del parto, Arezzo because I adore the colour palette in this Piero della Francescha.

If you could pick any colour and give it a name, what would that be?
Rich green – malachite.

Which colourful person do you most admire and would love me to interview for the On the Colour Couch series?
Iris Apfel. 

For anyone afraid of colour what would your number 1 piece of advice be?
Go with your gut on choosing colourful pieces and trust yourself. 

I’m so with Susi that a world without colour would be utterly dull and lifeless. And I adore Iris Apfel – anyone know her…? 😉

If you would like to discover more about Susi’s colourful world you can find her over on Instagram @susibellamy sharing her colourful musings.

Susi is currently the chair of the Colour Collective UK bringing the world of colour to England’s Northeast. Their focus is in creating cross-disciplinary events which illustrate the magic of colour in all its breadth. What they have achieved in the past two years is incredible. I’m proud to be one of their patron members/sponsors alongside Northumbria University Newcastle. If you would like to see their upcoming events or suggest a colour event then head over the Colour Collective UK.