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01 Aug 14

Ways to display and the Law of Grouping

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A collection of vintage mirrors grouped all together makes this room feel glam. Image from Graham and Green

There’s no better way to add a punch of personality to your room than creating a feature from a personal collection. The one thing to avoid at all costs is a home that looks like it’s ripped from a page in a catalogue. Make your house a home by adding a dash of individuality, a collection of objects that are unique to you, that tell a story. It can be as easy as a collection of pictures of your favourite people.

Georgica-Pond-inspiration-photo-525x752

A single colour, like blue will help give your collections a unified look

Every room needs a focal point, somewhere that draws your attention and interests the eye. Rooms feel just niggly if there are random bits and bobs, bobbing around the room like flotsam like jetsam. Ladies and gentleman…drum roll… let me introduce you to the Law of Grouping!

So you have a collection of family photos, gorgeous! Now I think they look fab if you group lots of them all together. I think a selection of different frames look more interesting (I’m never a fan of matchy matchy) but pick a theme. For example all-white frames or all-metallic, all-mirror or all-wood. A totally random mix never hangs well together. If you’re a real stylista then you’ll simply have to print out all your photos in black and white. This always looks sophisticated and means your prints will look great in any colour scheme.

cf4f7da2f6b2b13eeb73a21ee8cfefdfA group of photos look good on a designated surface like a circular table, a grand piano, a book case, or mounted together on a wall. They don’t look good on windowsills or on top of the TV. If you’ve ever done any of these, go to the bottom of the class!

Sally Conran

A relaxed grouping of pictures and objects by Sally Conran

You can apply the law of grouping to other items too. I love a collection of framed prints grouped together to fill a wall. You can be orderly by choosing a collection of prints of the same size and displaying symmetrically, or go bananas group a medley of different shapes and sizes. No surprises that that’s the way I roll, it just looks more individual, like a personal collection that’s grown gradually and organically over time. You can even add to it, which you can never do with a collection of matching prints. Again I think it’s good to think of a theme so they look like a cohesive collection. Think about framing them in a similar colour, or pick a topic like flowers, or an artistic style like Scandi graphic design.

Choose a theme if you are grouping artwork together on a wall

Choose a theme if you are grouping artwork together on a wall

The same theory can be rolled out to decorative ornaments. Create a tablescape with items of varying shapes and heights. Again choose a theme either by colour code or style, like 60’s pottery, blue glass, or natural textures.With all these displays the trick is to keep free and fluid and don’t be afraid to jiggle and re-jiggle your items until you are happy with the composition. In the stylists industry there’s even a word for this science. It’s called ‘tweaking’ and us stylists, do it a lot!

Arrange your items loosely for am effortlessly stylish lived in look. emmas.blogg.se

Arrange your items loosley for am effortlessly stylish lived in look.
emmas.blogg.se

So have fun creating your personal displays, scour car boot sales, chazza shops, as well as your favourite high street stores or art shows until you can create your own personal display that makes your home pop with personality!

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The WOW!house at @designcentrech is THE date in ev The WOW!house at @designcentrech is THE date in every designer’s diary. Think of it as the interior design Olympics where the biggest names and most prestigious brands come together for some seriously competitive room dressing.

Maximalism was out in full force, with gloriously colour-drenched, pattern-layered, personality-packed interiors around every corner. Think upholstered silk walls, tassels the size of a small child, and enough backlighting to rival Mariah Carey’s dressing room.

Another consistent theme was designs that felt in deep conversation with heritage and culture while making something that felt completely alive and of the moment.

I came home absolutely bursting with inspiration and a renewed appreciation for the transformative power of great design. It’s open until 2 July, so if you’re in London, do yourself a favour and go - soak it all up. Your creative batteries will thank you and a portion of every ticket goes to United in Design, which is doing brilliant work opening up the industry to underrepresented talent.
This week on @InteriorDesignMasters with @chattyma This week on @InteriorDesignMasters with @chattyman, our designers took on the challenge of transforming bland corporate hospitality boxes at Brighton’s Amex Stadium into spaces worthy of Premier League passion.

Local legend @officialfatboyslim outlined the brief was all about celebrating football fandom while bringing a sense of luxury, style and occasion to the experience. Not an easy balance to strike but @liagoldinteriors @shaginterior @emmely  gave it their all 🙌

From bold colour palettes and clever layouts to unexpected design details, each designer approached the challenge in their own unique way. I’m decoding the colour schemes and highlighting the ideas I think were particularly clever.

But the best part of the show? We never all agree! Did you agree with the judges’ decisions this week? Let me know in the comments below…

And if you missed the show you can catch up on @bbciplayer. And next week the FINAL and I’m thrilled to announce I will be interviewing the winner live HERE on Instagram the day after the show. ⭐️
May you were magnificent! 1. wearing green. 2. May you were magnificent! 

1. wearing green. 
2. celebrating @chattyman 50th
3. @sophieabbottartist open artist house
4. Daytime Dancing at @brightonsundae 
5. New moon meditation at @alexadecastilho 
6. Artists pin board at @sophieabbottartist open house
7. Bought a painting! @beckyblairartist 
8. Visited @rhschelsea 
9. Enjoying Brighton Festival 
10. Lunch at home
11. Time out in my hammock
12. Dad turns 81
13. Love my Mum and bro @edwardrobinsonid 
14. Lucy in a heat wave
15. Working at my desk in a bikini 
16. working out with @teamyo_weight_training @charlottetsw 
17. Sea swimming with @beckyblairartist @sophieabbottartist 
18. My ❤️
19. Keeping cool watching the wildlife 
20. sunsets
I love nothing more than entertaining at home and I love nothing more than entertaining at home and this weekend we were blessed with the most gorgeous weather to celebrate my brilliant dad’s 81st birthday. My brother cooked the most glorious food, and I brought the colour - naturally! - with the table laying. I am obsessed with tablescaping and for this one I layered floral motifs throughout, mixing my Dahlia Bunch fabric from @harlequinfw with my classic Willow Bow china that only comes out for special occasions, armfuls of flowers from the supermarket and my Moroccan cups and jugs and my napkins from @mollymahonblockprinting It was so easy to put together and I love it because I think it’s the colour that creates the visual feast, while my brother brought all the yummy food.
This week on @interiordesignmasters with @chattyma This week on @interiordesignmasters with @chattyman , the designers were split into two teams and challenged to create two very different retail spaces in the book-lover’s paradise of Hay-on-Wye.

You might not be planning a guitar shop anytime soon, but there were still plenty of brilliant design lessons to take away. From clever zoning and lighting to the transformative power of colour, every scheme showed how great design can instantly communicate a mood, tell a story and shape how we feel in a space.

I’ve decoded the key takeaways in this week’s carousel. Which design was your favourite?

your quarter finalists: 
@duran.yucky 
@emmely 
@shaginterior 
@liagoldinteriors
Episode 5 @interiordesignmasters and the designers Episode 5 @interiordesignmasters and the designers took on their biggest challenge yet… open-plan living for a show home aimed at first-time renters. The brief? Create spaces that felt fresh and contemporary while still delivering flow, function and clever zoning.

I loved seeing how differently everyone approached the challenge. Gorgeous colour palettes, layered textures, smart use of materials and some brilliant second-hand finds too. Open-plan spaces can be tricky to get right, but there are so many styling ideas to steal from this week’s episode.

Whose scheme was your favourite?

Follow the designers here: 
@byajeetjugnauth 
@duran.yucky 
@shaginterior 
@liagoldinteriors 
@liagoldinteriors
Some say good design means always taking one thing Some say good design means always taking one thing away - but that couldn’t be further from the truth in my maximalist home. For me, more has always meant more joy, more colour and more of the things I love. I couldn’t have it any other way! 

Are you a more is more or less is more kind of person? Tell me in the comments

Audio @elleking
I was recently asked what career advice I’d give m I was recently asked what career advice I’d give my younger self and it really got me thinking. At this time of year so many teenagers are deep in exams be it mocks, GCSEs and A Levels, carrying so much pressure about getting life “right”.

Careers, especially creative ones, are rarely linear.

Since leaving school I’ve had the most extraordinary journey through interiors, magazines, television, product design, podcasting and social media. There have been twists, turns, setbacks, surprises and dead ends along the way, but I’ve loved every single chapter. Building a career in the creative industries takes courage, resilience and self belief. You have to stay curious, work hard, keep learning and trust your instincts even when the path ahead feels unclear. But it’s so worth it! 

What advise would you give your younger self? Let me know in the comments below...
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