Brief: I am moving around the layout of my home, as I want to make the most of the South-facing room that gets filled with sunlight throughout the day. Currently, it is my bedroom, but I want to be able to have guests lounging there and even have a little dining area where I can share a meal with my daughter and enjoy a good conversation. The room in not big, so I want the decor of the room to be as much pared down as possible. I want to infuse Mediterranean accents through a terracotta limewash paint and natural textures such as palm leaves, jute, linen and wood. Choosing a limewash paint for the walls will enable me to add even more texture and provide an authentic feel to the room. I will paint the skirting in the same colour to add height to the room. The focal points of this room will be the pendant, a curated collection of large wabi-sabi vases and a designer sling chair with cognac leather. We are so lucky that, despite living in central London, our window view showcases big trees and our neighbours’ well-maintained gardens so I am conscious of keeping the window sill streamlined.
Keywords: primitive, tribal, minimalist, wabi sabi, experimental
Brief: Since our large living room is not getting much daylight (being North-facing), I will transform it into the master bedroom. The size of the room is substantial but as it will contain most of my furniture it won’t feel oversized. To reinforce the feeling of cosiness and intimacy I will choose a dark colour of deep intensity for the walls, probably using limewash or chalk paint to create texture. I will complement the blue-grey walls with neutral linen bedding and dark wood antique stools, aiming for a ‘old-new’ style. To contrast with the darkness of the room, I will use antique brass and golden touches like table lamps and hardware. Dried foliage and architectural branches are always a good idea: they bring nature and scent into the home, add another layer of texture and result in interesting displays. Fresh eucalyptus is the perfect greyish green to use in winter and it smells divine. Adding a few sources of light are crucial for this inky room and will create pockets of glow, especially in the evening and during gloomy days.
Keywords: inky, moody, natural, soothing
Brief: One of my good friends recently moved into a new house with her family and had so much space that she was hesitant about how to use her most North-facing room, located next to the entrance. She and her husband talked about turning it into a library but there was no vision of what this room would function as, for whom and when; it was pretty much dead space. She had already painted the walls in sage green and her husband insisted on getting a Chesterfield sofa for that room. After much discussion, we all agreed this would be a space where adults can relax after a day of work or looking after the children as well as the husband’s main work area. We chose a restrained palette that includes fern green, tan leather and soft grey. I advised complementing the Chesterfield sofa with modern, masculine chairs that create sharp lines and a strong impact. Adding sculptural elements would be a great way to add interest to the room. As the room is North-facing it is important to pay attention to lighting and have a few sources sprinkled around the room.
Keywords: masculine, sculptural, modern, elegant
Brief: This room functions as a guest room. My friend had already put up the peacock wallpaper (image included in the moodboard here below). She also had a velvet-like bed cover in deep blue and asked me if she should keep it. I am a strong advocate of “shopping your own house” and repurposing objects rather than buying everything new so of course, I said yes. This fabric will help us achieve a sense of opulence, also enhanced by the exoticism of the wallpaper. To add depth to the room and introduce contrasting shapes we will hang a round mirror that reflects daylight and spread it across the space. Here again, we are working with a restrained palette to ensure the space feels cohesive, soothing and polished. The final touch will be to add a large potted plant (one big looks neater than a few little) to purify the air and give pizzazz to the room.
Keywords: playful, lavish, exoticist
