Color Psychologist Tash Bradley Can’t Live Without Her Vintage Coral-Pink Sofa

What makes a purchase “worth it”? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most shopping-savvy people we know—from small-business owners to designers, artists, and actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.

Who?

Raised in the English countryside by an interior designer mother, Tash Bradley developed an appreciation for color at an early age. She channeled this passion into a career as a fine artist before becoming a decorator herself. Eventually, she took her appreciation one step further by earning a degree in the applied psychology of color. “It’s how color can really influence your behavior and your mood,” she explains of the targeted science. “It’s the way you never see color in isolation.”

Now, Tash applies her color expertise to her role as director of interior design at Lick, a U.K.-based paint and wallpaper brand that recently launched in America. She’s in charge of client-facing color consulting, product development, and content creation. “My job is to help customers transform their houses into homes that they love and give them color confidence,” she explains.

Since Lick’s headquarters are in London, Tash and her husband (one of the company’s cofounders) split their time between a flat in the city’s Clapham neighborhood and a lodge cottage in her rural hometown of Somerset. Tash likens the latter residence to the charming sandstone dwelling in Nancy Meyers’s cult classic rom-com, The Holiday—but with one key difference.

Unlike the house in the movie, with beams so low Cameron Diaz bumps her head, Tash’s space has plenty of height. “It’s got the fireplaces and everything that you want, but what really sold it to me was it’s got these huge ceilings, and I’m really tall,” she says. “My husband’s really tall too, so there are small rooms, but really high ceilings. I call it a tall-person cottage. It’s cozy, but we fit.”

What?

Of all her vibrant belongings, Tash cherishes her burnt-coral corduroy sofa the most. “I call pink the color of cuddles,” she shares. “From the psychology side, it’s the color that represents being very nurturing. It’s incredibly welcoming. It’s the shoulder-drop color that, when you walk in and see it, you instantly physically relax.”

The couch’s inviting shape, deep seat, and comfortable cushioning add to the appeal. With tufted upholstery, rounded edges, and turned legs, the style is a creative take on the regal Chesterfield. “It’s got these amazing, massive curves, almost like a cloud that just hugs you,” Tash adds.

When and Where?

In 2021, Tash discovered her favorite pink sofa while perusing vintage trade shows with her husband and his antique dealer parents in Cornwall. Though the couple hadn’t yet purchased the cottage, and their London apartment was fully furnished, Tash couldn’t leave the coastal destination without the couch. “I was literally like, ‘I need this sofa in my life. I don’t know where it’s going to fit, but we’re buying this sofa,’” she remembers.