Talking Colour with Tash Bradley
Tell us about you, your work and what inspires you most?
“My name is Tash, and I am Lick’s Director of Interior Design and the curator of the brand's distinctive colour collection. In the last 10 years, I have specialised in colour and interior design, working in property development and home decoration and more recently, I created a personal colour theory that I share with my clients. I believe in the transformative power of colour as a tool for self-expression, communication, and wellness, because colour is a language and colour psychology allows us to both understand and speak it. My biggest goal is to help people bring colour into their lives and make their homes feel like a reflection of them and their personalities. Making that space somewhere they want to retreat to at the end of the day and they feel proud of. A space they are comfortable living in. What really inspires me is really being able to help people. Our homes are a huge part of our lives and having somewhere we feel happy can really influence the way that we feel day to day.”
When did you start working with colour and have you always wanted this as part of your career?
“In my early twenties, I was an artist but I found it quite isolating so I moved into the world of Marketing, which I loved but it just wasn’t creative enough for me so I decided to go back to university. I studied at the University of Arts, London doing Interior Design, and on my course there was a section on Colour Theory. I loved it! I was obsessed with it, and I wanted to know more. I wanted to know why I was making these conscious decisions, but when there was theory backing it up, I was fascinated. I kept studying, reading and doing courses and then in 2019, Lick came about and I helped them develop their colour range from the very start. I’ve been there 5 years and it’s by far the best career choice I have ever made. I have found my calling! There is so much to learn and I love educating people on why they make colour decisions, what colours they resonate with and which ones they have a positive connection to.”
What is your first memory of colour and which are you most attracted to?
"My mum is an interior designer, and she loves colour too. One she loved most was this quite rich yellow. It had a lot of orange undertones to it and was her signature colour. She developed so many homes when we were growing up and every hallway would be painted this colour. It’s the pull of nostalgia and the thread that runs through my own house. Everytime I see it it reminds me of my childhood, growing up and it fills me with joy as it’s such an optimistic colour so you can’t help but smile.”
We loved the pieces you chose from our Biography collection. Why were you drawn to these gemstones?
“I was drawn to the colours themselves, especially the green Malachite. Green is the colour of balance and harmony and for me, it is very restorative, reassuring, rejuvenating, it almost recharges my soul. The engagement ring my husband got me is an Emerald and that lovely combination of green and gold, it calms and brings me joy. I always gravitate towards that colour. I love the brown Tigers Eye, it’s so grounding, earthy and natural it goes so well with the gold - it’s the colour palette that I like to wear. The more earthy tones help me connect to nature, it’s supportive and gives me that feeling of comfort. The purple bracelet I chose because I would wear it independently, whereas the green and brown I’d pair up and wear all with my other gold jewellery. The purple has playfulness and for me, is more of an evening bracelet, when I want to add a little drop of colour. It’s got that nurturing quality to it and helps with self-reflection, which is why I’d wear it on its own and let the colour do the talking.”
Let's talk jewellery - do you have any favourite pieces in your jewellery box?
“My favourite piece is a ring that my husband bought me after the birth of our first child. His name is Zachery Blue (because I had to get a colour in his name somewhere!) My husband Sam’s eyes are this amazing piercing blue and I was manifesting, wanting Zach to have his eyes because I’ve got brown eyes. When he was born they were blue as many children have, and as he’s got older, he now has these amazing brighter blue eyes. Sam got me this beautiful Aquamarine ring that’s got blue Sapphires on the outside. Everytime I wear it, it just reminds me of my family and Zach - it’s just gorgeous. My favourite and most special piece, symbolising a lovely time in my life. For a more simple, everyday piece I love my pair of plain gold hoop earrings.”
How do you style them - do you love to layer or prefer a minimal look?
“I love a staple piece like the gold hoops, styling them by adding a few more pieces and layering but not over doing it - for me less is more, letting the pieces do the talking. With my new Astley Clarke bracelets, I’d wear two at the same time so you can really see the colours. I like things being delicate when it comes to jewellery - a bit more of a minimal look.”
What have you got coming up this year?
“Excitingly, I am currently writing a book. It’s all about how you can bring colour into your life. It’s called Living In Colour and I’m working on it at the moment, during my maternity leave and it launches at the beginning of next year.”
We can’t wait.
