Imaginarium by Sibella Court showcases the stunning interiors she has designed

When interior designer and author, Sibella Court, moved into her glamorous art deco apartment in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill, she decided it was time to take her own advice.

“People always ask me what colour they should paint their home’s interior, and I always tell them, anything but white!”

Practicing what she preaches, there are no white walls to be found in Court’s abode. Instead, she chose to daub the walls in a range of colours from her own signature collection by Murobond.

The master bedroom is a colour called threadbare (Court describes it as a soft, lichen green with just a touch of blue); her four-year-old daughter’s room is painted seaglass (a dirty light blue); the long corridor that leads to the dining/living area is tarnished silver; and the kitchen joinery is a colour called boro 2 (a deep, inky blue based on a Japanese textile) with grey quartz benchtops. Bathrooms are green with Cararra marble.

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For the walls in the outside entertaining area, Court had a scene painter create a mural that resembles over-sized black and cream tiles. “It’s quite dramatic,” she says.

As for her aversion to white, Court says she has nothing against the colour per-se. “It’s the only colour I wear,” she says. What she doesn’t like is the way white has become the default for nearly everyone.

“Most people are naturally drawn to colour and yet they fear it, when it comes time to paint their homes. And so they opt for white, feeling it will solve all of their problems. It’s quite boring. God, if I see just one more white-on-white-on-white-house…!”

She says people play it safe when painting their homes, because they always have one eye on the property market. “It’s sad that our homes have become commodities, rather than a place where we can express our individuality. You should live in the moment; paint your house whatever colour you like. The new buyer will repaint it anyway … probably white.”

Court says she is spoiled for choice when it comes to her own range of 110 colours to choose from, but says for the price of a couple of tins of paint, it’s an affordable way to transform your home.

She is about to release a new coffee table book, Imaginarium: A Compendium of Inspiration, featuring 300 pages of full-bleed photographs (many taken by Court herself) depicting interiors she has designed over a decade.

“The book is about interiors, colour, and how I find inspiration, often through travel,” Court says.

As for a favourite colour, Court says she has trouble choosing, but was forced to select one for the book’s traditional linen cover.

“It’s called ships in the night; a really deep teal. It’s a lovely colour.”

Imaginarium is published by Harper Collins under an ABC Books imprint. It will be available from May 1, RRP$100. Purchase it directly from The Society Inc, or all good book sellers.