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03 Oct 19

London Design Week report, colour trends and Podcast show notes S5 Ep1

We couldn’t be more delighted to be entering our fifth series of the Great Indoors Podcast and we’re back with a brand new sponsor – big thanks to John Lewis & Partners for coming on board and bringing more interior design news, inspiration and chat to your ears!

We have lots of juicy topics and special guests coming up this series, but first, on today’s episode, we give you the lowdown on the London Design Festival and we’re talking colourful kitchens and all things colour. You can catch up on the whole episode here.

London Design Festival

This is a major date in the interiors calendar and quite a task to take on, so we decided to divide and conquer. I headed West to Focus at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre and 100% Design whilst Kate went East to the London Design Fair.

Between us, we saw lots of emerging trends from an array of international brands and designers but we did see some common themes, so here’s a round-up to whet your appetite.

All about the curves 

We’ve seen the trend for curvaceous furniture for a while now, but this season we’re seeing lozenge-shaped rugs and scalloped edges especially by Floor Story who have collaborated with many talented designers. Like these two beauties below, by 2LG. Left, Portal in Pink; right, Pill in pink.

Sustainability

This has been quite a buzz word for a while now but it was so refreshing to see it represented in such a big way at the festival, and it’s all about, re-use and re-purpose. Which leads me on to French Designer Clemence Grouin-Rigaux who makes furniture using a leather-look resin that can be moulded to make furniture including stools and tables and can you guess what waste she has re-purposed? She identified that 60 billion animals are slaughtered on the planet each year – 1 billion in the UK, so she has found a use for the blood. Yes, blood! When you think about it where does it actually go? As well as other abattoir waste she says, it all has an overwhelming effect on our natural eco-systems, our land, in our rivers and in our oceans.

Hidden Beauty Collection by Clemence Grouin-Rigaux

Another designer I spotted was Benjamin Stanton who recycles denim after discovering loads of legs that had been cut off jeans as someone was selling hot pants to sell at Glastonbury! As a product designer he thought he had to do something with them rather than watch them being burned.  So he has laminated the denim and made pieces of furniture – my kind of upcycling!

Benjamin Stanton’s corrugated denim boards have been designed to store and display objects

Colour trends

As part of London Design Week, I was lucky enough to listen to a talk by Karl Johan Bertilsson, Creative Director at NCS Colour – a global colour forecasting company. He was very passionate about his job – I can certainly see why and he said that in order to choose colour you need to have two things – intuition and rationale although you need to have knowledge – so the stories behind these trends are key. Kate and I went on to discuss the Dulux Colour of the Year, and you can hear their ‘story’ behind the launch on this episode of the podcast where we spoke to Marianne Shillingford, the creative director of Dulux. You can also see my review on the Colour of the Year here.

This is a huge subject and there are lots of discussions and views on colour choice but at the end of it all, I say go with your gut and go with a colour that YOU would want to come home to, whether it’s a grey/green or neon pink!

Other new launches…..

Topps Tiles announced their Tile of the Year 2020, Syren. Shown here in midnight with a pink grout (we love a coloured grout) they certainly echo the ‘curve’ trend

Graham & Brown also announced their colour of the year as Adeline, a rich dark forest green.

 

Another launch from Graham & Brown, but this time it’s a Wallpaper of the Year. Bloomsbury in Neo Mint is a re-worked design from a 20th Century archive – a beautiful blousy floral but has a modern edge with the fresh mint green ground.

Colourful kitchens

You heard it here first, Kate Watson-Smyth says ‘colourful kitchens’ – it’s a thing! We have started seeing them with many a kitchen company introducing new colours to their portfolio. Pluck kitchens showcased a lilac design with yellow interior at Clerkenwell Design Week – you can check it out on a previous post I did here.

Designer Rita Konig has collaborated with Plain English to create a new range of paint colours for their kitchens. There is a rule according to Rita, she says you need three or four different colours in a kitchen – the upper cabinets and lower cabinets, the island (if you have one) and paint the stools, if you choose to have stools!

How about a larder painted in Candied Peel? yes, please!

My biggest piece of advice is to approach the kitchen as you would any other room in the house. It is an investment so why not choose what you love for a room you’re probably going to spend a lot of time in? Go for wooden doors so you re-paint them as and when you feel like a change. Or don’t forget you can simply paint the walls for a quicker and easier update.

A huge thanks to our fabulous producer Kate Taylor, our new sponsors John Lewis & Partners and to all our lovely listeners. Please do rate and review – it really helps! And don’t forget about our Facebook group.

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DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the paintbrush out! Giving old and unappreciated brown furniture of coat of colour is not just easy but quick too and you get ooodles of satisfaction giving something a new lease of life. Since the sun is starting to poke it’s head out it’s the perfect opportunity to fling open the windows, roll out the dust sheet, and calm your senses with the therapeutic strokes of a paint brush. I transformed these battered old Ercol chairs that I found at a car boot sale with an undercoat of Zinsser and a top coat of eggshell so they really can withstand the knocks. ( here’s a tip, use a sag brush for spindly furniture) I love how the pink legs pick up on the pink in the wallpaper. I’ve got a couple of pots of chalk paint waiting in the wings. This just might be the weekend to tackle the bedside tables at last! Have a wonderful weekend  and I hope the sun shines on you wherever you are! 

CREDITS Reclaimed terracotta tiles @ca_pietra_  Borastapeter Rubarber wallpaper @wallpaperdirect Clock @newgateclocks Doors painted in Rose Ash Light @sanderson1860 Everything else is vintage 

#easywininteriors #kitchen #countrykitchen #upcycle #upcycledfurniture #countryliving #countrylivingmodernrustic #countrykitchen #greenkitchen #greenandpink #interiorinspo #interiordesign
DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do with what you’ve got and making it work. For most of us, decorating our home and choosing all the things we want to go with it is a long if not a life time journey and there are plenty of compromises along the way. One of the ways I make do with things I’m less happy about is with distraction. You can use colour to draw the eye and highlight the bits you do like and similarly blend away the areas that need to fade into the back ground. For me joinery, radiators and my unattractive windows all get painted in the same colour so they fall to the background and then the cushions and artwork can come to the fore and catch your eye. I painted these lovely old solid wood doors bright yellow on a whim with some left over paint. It was a quick and easy way to inject a burst of  colour joy. So don’t discount doors and architraves as a fun way to play with colour, but only if you have nice ones. 
On the PODCAST today @mad_about_the_house and I discuss more ways you can make do. I interview leading interior designer and queen of colour and pattern @nicolahardingandco who has amazing insights on how to go about planning your schemes, conjure mouthwatering colour palettes and work with what you’ve got. And our style surgery is from Callum who finds himself stuck with a shiny blue green sofa which he doesn’t love and doesn’t know what to put with. Obviously cover it with cushions and distract the eye with A bright yellow door Callum! 

If you have a question for our style surgery do please send it in as we are lining them up for the next series and we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email to thegreatindoorspod@gmail.com.You can here all our ramblings and insights on today’s show The Great Indoors and thankyou to @katetaylorldn for producing the show. 

#thegreatindoors #bluesofa #yellowdoor #banthebeige #interiorspodcast #podcast #interiordesign #interiorinspo
DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling th DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling the benefits of an occasional chair. I’ve always loved occasional chairs primarily for their decorative function. I’m a patterned fabric addict and so an occasional chair I’d another opportunity to add more pattern, more colour and another cushion to boot! But during these extended periods of lock down and staying at home I’ve appreciated the quiet little corners they offer. I’m lucky enough to find a space for one here on my landing but they can also find a home in a bedroom, a home office, under the stairs or indeed #lifegoals in the bathroom. So rather than playing second fiddle to THE SOFA put your occasional chair in pride of place and grab yourself 5 minutes solitude! Most of mine are junk shop funds bought back to live with my hoarded stash of remnant fabrics. So it’s time to raid grannies attic and  create a seat that makes you smile . 🥰  use the hashtags #easywininteriors to share your favourite corners of escape.

#easywininteriors #vintagearmchair #armchair #occassionalchair #colourlover #banthebiege
DAY 15 of #easywininteriors and I’m having a re DAY 15 of #easywininteriors  and I’m having a reshuffle on the bookcase to celebrate the happy Back To School vibes! 🙌 YES! This one is a work in progress because sorting your books as to the spine colour can be really meditative! I’m excited for you guys to share your colour coded bookcases using the hashtag #easywininteriors because I’ve seen some amazing examples on here! This idea can also include colour coding your ornaments or glassware collection too. Somehow grouping them in blocks  just intensifies the colour and I love the 🌈 effect. Happy faffing! 

#interiorinspo #interiorstyling #colourlover #banthebeige #faffthegaff #bookshelf #shelfie #shelfiestyling #rainbow #rainbowstyle #mycolourfulinterior #colourfulhomevibe
DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are o DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are often the day I get the house in order before the week starts again. It’s laundry day, the on-line shop gets done and if I can be bothered I might do some batch cooking. 💪 But the garden is also pulling our attention at this time of year and I spent yesterday picking up twigs that have littered the garden after the high winds and piled it all up for kindling. Satisfying! I’m not a naturally tidy or organised person  but I do feel like I’m winning at life once chores have been done and everything is in it’s place. And here lies the easy win. If you have systems in place it makes it so much easier! This shoe storage was game changing. Before the hall was littered with shoes and bags that I was always tripping over. So planning your storage and then using it is key to creating order and an element of calm. And once the storage is fit to bursting, it’s time to have a declutter. How do you keep the house feeling orderly and calm and do you use Sunday as a Sort It day too? #sortitsunday 

CREDITS walls in Lazuli and woodwork in Perfect white @zoffanyfw . Havana Bauta cement Tiles @claybrookstudio . Fabrics are vintage and @thestripescompany . Stair runner @roger_oates 

#easywininteriors #colourlover #banthebeige #hallwaydecor #hallway #interiorinspo #declutter #storageideas #shoestorage
DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the bedroom and enjoying a well earned lie in this morning! My morning routine has been really important to me during lock down. In  his brilliant book ‘think like a monk’ @jayshetty talks about how a positive morning ritual sets you up for the day. Similarly a good night time ritual sets you up for a good nights sleep. Styling up your bedroom  to support these ideas really helps! I’ve taken to setting my wake up alarm an hour before the rest of the house so I can enjoy some quiet solitude before the day gets going. I make my coffee in my favourite mug and spend a while reading or exercising. But no phone scrolling! My bedside is laid out with everything I need including a big pile of books and a dish for my watch and specs. I charge my phone in the kitchen to keep it away from temptation! Admittedly I’ve never had a problem sleeping but I was hardly what you’d call a morning person. Now it’s my favourite time of the day! Have a gorgeous lazy weekend folks x

CREDITS wallpaper @mollymahonblockprinting bedside table is vintage. Lamp @pookylights Vases and dishes all vintage. Pillows and duvet @cocoandwolf Flat sheet and bedthrow @societyofwanderers 

#easywininteriors #bedroomdecor #countrybedroom #colourfiedhomes #colourstylehome #colourlover #banthebeige #patternclash #interiorstyling #interiordesign #interiorinspo #faffthegaff
DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half w DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half way there! Whoop whoop, March is  just nine short days away! And I can feel the Spring vibes! It’s getting lighter, the bluebells are coming and the birds are singing! But back to it, we’ve got work to do! Today I’m sharing how I switch my home from working day to home time, without leaving the house. It’s so important for our mental health that we can make that transition. I’ve worked from home for years so I’ve always done this, but I find it essential to tidy my desk/kitchen table at the end of everyday and get it out of sight. This often means piling up all my paper work, laptop, pen pot and putting it all into a tray. And if you don’t have a deep tray a cardboard box does the job. Then hide it in the cupboard, pop it on a shelf or slide it under the table. The key is that you can’t see it and it doesn’t encroach on your non-work life. Out of sight out of mind kind of thing. 
And you might notice in the back of this shot is my 2021 vision board. I keep this in my view everyday as it helps keep me focused, uplifted and motivated. Im hosting a live webinar next Tuesday on how and why I create vision boards for every aspect of my life, including my interiors. If you’d like to join me it’s 7pm 23/02/21 and I can promise a fun, creative and enlightening evening! Link to book is up in my bio if you fancy getting a boost of inspiration towards creating your dream home. 

Happy Friday and have a lovely weekend 😍

#workingfromhome #myhomeoffice #interiorstyling #visionboard #interiorinspo #interiorinspiration #homeoffice #creativeworkspace #colourlover #colourcolorlovers #banthebeige
DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make it super easy after yesterday’s kitchen cupboard love, which I’ll be honest, felt a bit strenuous! So today is all about creating as simple but effective styling moment; a trio of vases. Three seems to be the magic number when it comes to styling your objects and I have a few tips . I like to make sure there is a mixture of sizes, colour and textures but all held together with a theme. These three work because they’re  all vintage, Picked up from various car boot sales over the years! You can create little trios all over your home from the sideboards, book shelves, worktops, bathrooms and side tables. Push the tall one to the back and bring the small one to the fore but it’s the lack of symmetry that makes it pleasing. And you don’t have to stop with just vases, a trio of objects works with picture frames, ornaments and candle sticks too. 

#easywininteriors #vintagestyle #howivintage #myvintagehome #interiorstyling #interiorstyle #interiorinspo #colourlover #banthebeige
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