Pleat is a clever, slightly dusty teal with a grey underbelly, and the trap most people fall into is hanging it next to a brilliant cool white. Don't. A stark white throws the grey forward and kills the green-blue depth that makes Pleat worth using in the first place.
Instead, soften the woodwork with a warm off-white. Farrow & Ball's Au Lait (LRV 80) is ideal — that creamy warmth lets Pleat read as teal rather than mud. Paint & Paper Library's Paper III (LRV 75.3) does a similar job if you want a fraction more crispness on the trim and ceiling while keeping things gentle.
For spine, you want a deeper grounding tone. Mylands Cigar BH.20 (LRV 11.8) is a gorgeous tobacco-brown that anchors Pleat without competing — brilliant on a chimney breast, a cabinet, or carried through in joinery. It plays into that antique-brass-and-limed-oak story beautifully, so think aged brass handles, oak floors with a limed finish, and leather.
If you fancy a bolder move, a warm pink accent lifts the whole scheme. Dulux Fuchsia Falls 2 (LRV 29.8) in a cushion, a chair, or a single piece of art gives Pleat a contemporary, slightly unexpected kick — teal and a dusty rose-pink are old friends.
The "but what about" question I always get: *can I use a deeper teal too?* Yes — and you should. A darker inky teal in your textiles (curtains, a throw, upholstery) gives Pleat a richer family to sit within and stops it feeling flat across a big wall.
Practical advice: paint a metre-square patch and live with it across a full day. Pleat shifts noticeably between morning and lamplight, leaning greener in cool light and bluer when it's warm. Get the off-white right first — that's the decision the whole scheme rests on.