By Ciro, Casa Ciro
I am Ciro. I started Casa Ciro because colour changed the way I live, and I would love to share the same change for homes in Taiwan. I do not talk about paint as a product. I talk about rooms that feel welcoming, balanced, and quietly alive. Farrow & Ball helps me do that because their colours behave like materials. They carry depth. They respond to light. They slow a space down.
Why warm colours make sense here
Taiwan’s climate is humid and often overcast. Cool whites might look flat and hard. Warm, complex neutrals add contour and calm. In simple Feng Shui terms they bring Earth for stability, with small notes of Fire for energy where you need it. I reach for Setting Plaster, Pink Ground, Jitney, Red Earth, Naperon and Dorset Cream. These colours have body. They do not shout. They hold our spaces together.
How I decide in a real home
Before I name a colour I look at four things: orientation, electric light, materials, and how the room is used by the people.
South facing rooms want softened warms that glow without glare. East facing kitchens like pale creams that feel fresh at breakfast and stay gentle at noon. West facing living rooms prefer muted ochres and clay tones that read rich when the sun drops. North facing bedrooms need warmth that does not shout, so I steer to Dorset Cream, Dimity, or a reduced Red Earth and keep contrasts low. I always test on site with sample cards, morning, afternoon, and night under the bulbs you will actually use.
A short story from practice
A couple in Da’an had a north facing living room that never felt settled. We put Jitney on the walls and Dimity on ceiling and trim so the room had one warm body and one quiet frame. The dining recess took Red Earth on a single plane, so the table gathered people and light. Oak, linen, and a small brass pendant did the rest. At night the room felt like dusk, not a showroom. Calm, not dull.
Finishes change the mood
Finish is not a footnote. It changes how a colour reads. Dead Flat Finish across walls and woodwork creates a calm, gallery like envelope, useful for cafés and studios where reflections kill mood and photography.
Materials and balance
Warm paints love wood, rattan, linen, clay, and unlacquered brass. Metal arrives as clean off white on trim or ceiling to keep edges clear. Wood comes from plants and timber. Water is depth, not a cold blue wall. A charcoal object or a deep blue textile is often enough. Keep circulation lines clear. Avoid tall dark masses tight to doors.
How we can work together
If you ask me where to start, I will ask for photos and a plan. We choose one warm family as the main voice and one supporting note. We test on your wall. We pick the right finish for how you live. Farrow & Ball is water based and low VOC, so it suits compact apartments that need easy ventilation. The result will not look like a stage set. It will look like you, here, in Taiwan, with a rhythm that makes sense every day.