Choose Your Color
Choose Your Color
Today I′m crossing back across the pond and returning to my English roots to showcase this beautiful one-bedroom apartment in Central London. Based in Covent Garden and designed by the design practice, Kitesgrove, this restidential apartment is full of style mid-century design ideas for small space living. Click through after the jump to see the entire space!
This pied-à-terre was designed for a creative French couple who love mid-century design and furniture. Led by Creative Director, Sophie Elborne and Projects Director, Gregory Keane, the team sourced the art and antiques for the apartment with the couple allowing the space to nautrally evolve over time.
Both Sophie and Gregory share a passion for Fine Art and an Anglo-French upbringing that drives a European aesthetic evident across all of their projects — a vibe that is clearly eveident in the open plan kitchen, dining and living space of this Covent Garden apartment. The vintage 50s French ‘Scoubidou′ dining chairs took five months to find by scouring antique dealers′ collections and rummaging through Parisian markets.
The aim for the apartment was to create a liveable space that reflective of their client′s lifestyle, all the while underpinned by refined craftsmanship. For the main living space antiques and bespoke furniture designs were combined with decorative objects sourced from around the world.
The homeowner′s thespian lifestyle demands regular travel so the apartment needed to represent a restful and inspiring sanctuary in which she could feel ′at home′ when she was working in London. She had a particular affinity and discerning eye for authentic mid-century design, which is evident in the finished result thanks to the shelving and tapered legs of the coffee table.
To nail the exact green velvet the homeowner had in mind for the sofam, dozens of fabric samples were sent to New York where she was living at that time. I love the final result — the color really adds character and depth to the space.
I was recently hired by DFS to style a living room around their Pompeii two-seat sofa and armchair, and work in inspirations from the upcoming James Bond film, Spectre. The sofa and armchair inspired the overall look of the scheme as I took my lead from the characterful luxury leather of each piece. My aim was to juxtapose the elegant silhouette created by the scrolled arms of both the couch and the armchair with a fusion of vintage pieces, industrial notes and eclectic, curated pieces. Click through after the jump to see more of the space, and how I took inspiration from 007′s global travels to inspire the scheme.
For this space I had the vision of creating a room that had a layered, organic feel to it. The aim was to make it the space look casually lived in and as if it had been curated over a period of time. The palette is warm and inviting thanks to the rich leather and dark wooden furniture. I was keen to add in a conversational piece to the scheme, which I did via the vintage travel trunk used as a coffee table in the space. The trunk has so much character and from the faded labels and markings it belonged to a British solider during World War II; I love how it′s weathered patina reflects that of the buttoned leather of the seats. DFS hand make over half their furniture in their own factories in the UK and all their products come with a 10 year guarantee, so the luxury leather of the seating lent a subtly indulgent feel to the space.
Inspired by a world-traveller such as James Bond, the look pairs the buttoned leathered sofa and armchair with industrially-inspired metal and wood furniture; classic Jieldé floor and table lamps; an array of vintage pieces and flea market find accessories, such as old cameras and glass bottles, all layered with sophisticated, timeless neutral shades. The worn leather, statement map artwork and strong patterns in the fabrics lent a sense of heritage and masculinity to the overall final look.
I layered the bed in a series of soft blue tones — you know I love my blues! For this space I wanted to keep the palette calm and cool but still colorful, and so the watercolor stripe duvet cover and reversible coverlet were the perfect pair. Rebecca′s beautiful Dot-Dash throw pillow was exactly the accent piece I needed to inject a jolt of brighter blue into the room. Not too much but enough to bring life and energy to the primarily softer shades. It′s always those small details that make all the difference in a room, right?
I bought my Samsta light pink Soderhamn sofa back in late summer last year when I moved into what was to become my second NYC apartment (tour the first one here). This was long before I′d heard anyone utter the words ‘millennial pink′, let alone see the blush pink turn into one of 2017′s hottest color trends. And now here I am writing a post about millennial pink decorating ideas…! I mean, it all feels a bit like an episode of Younger TBH! Truth be told, I had been hunting high and low for a soft pink sofa to sit along one of the walls in the small living room of my new apartment. I knew I wanted a couch that had a minimal, Scandinavian vibe that didn′t cost the earth. I also knew that I really wanted it to be blush pink — now often referred to as millennial pink — in color. This was because I often like to decorate with varying shades of blue and this soft pink pairs well with both deep navy and brighter, truer shades of blue. It also works well with black and grey accents and yellow, too. Essentially, it works well with the main palette of colors I gravitate towards at home. After sharing the sneak peek progress video of my spring decorating updates over on Instagram a few days ago, I′m excited to blog a tour of my living room today! It′s full of millennial pink decorating ideas and gorgeous Scandinavian design. Take the tour with me after the jump!
In this apartment, the bedroom was the first room I tackled (I mean, there′s only three rooms total so that makes it sound like I live in a sprawling mansion but whatever let′s go with it because it sounds good!) and you may remember that I went for a cocooning palette of forest green, grey and black. I′m still madly in love with that space — it′s simultaneously fresh and cozy, which isn′t easy to achieve. However, for the main living space I was keen to provide a contrast to the darker tones of the bedroom scheme. To achieve a lighter look in the living room I decided to base the scheme around a core palette of blush/millennial pink, intense blues and black with splashes of yellow and aqua.
The Kabino sideboard is a piece I brought over from our last London apartment when my husband and I emigrated to America. I′m so pleased we did because it was the perfect size to for the TV. It′s funny because until we invested in this TV we still had our tiny ‘European′ sized TV. All of our American friends would laugh at us/lament at the small size of it when they came over. We had resisted getting a larger TV because we couldn′t find one that was aesthetically pleasing/didn′t look like a large lump of plastic and metal in the middle of the room. That was until I found the Samsung Serif TV which melds beautifully with the space and, I think, almost disappears into the room. Love!
I was keen to maximize the light and airy feel of the space with clean lined pieces and furniture that felt minimal without being cold and stark. The Visu chair was the perfect occasional chair for this because its minimal profile helps keep the feeling of space, while the gentle curvature in the legs and seat lend a gently feminine feel that softens the look of the piece. If you are looking for millennial pink decorating ideas that will introduce this of-the-moment hue in a subtle way, then this chair is the ideal piece for that. Sexy and subtle. Just the way I like it!
The Around coffee table is another gorgeous piece of Scandinavian furniture by Muuto. I′ve always leaned more towards rectangular or square coffee tables so it′s been fun to switch it up with a round one this time. I like how it softens some of the harder straight lines seen both in the architecture of the modern condo building, and of that seen in some of my other furniture, too. I decorated the walls with a small gallery wall made up of art I already had from previous apartments. My husband said the other day that he thinks the hand dyed linen piece by the amazing Mineral Workshop looks like a woman kissing a goat. I had never seen that when I looked at it but now that′s all I can see! Still, I love the color palette of this piece of much that it doesn′t matter. Isn′t it beautiful?
millennial pink decorating ideasAs I had re-used a lot of existing pieces for this space (remember the Donna Wilson badger pillow from the London apartment that made the UK cover of my first book?!) I was able to use some of my savings to splurge on the Kai high shelving unit. I love, love, love this shelving unit because it adds height into the room without dominating the space. The ceilings aren′t that high so I wanted to be careful that anything of height that I brought into the room wouldn′t feel over-powering or squished in. Of course, the pops of playful color in the dividers helped seal my love for the design, too! I also love how the JWDA metallic table lamp fits perfectly into one of the spaces in the unit.
At the heart of every home is the living room — a place to gather and unwind, to hang out wth friends and relax with family. Getting the look just right isn′t an easy ask. After all, you want to create a space you can feel truly relaxed in, but which at the same time shows off your style credentials. Every pick, from the sofa to the wall colour, needs to be carefully considered — and that′s where studying the latest trends can really help.
Paint colours
Grey may still be the neutral of choice for many rooms, but we′re feeling braver with colour choices in the living room this year. Moody interiors are more popular than ever, with brooding violet, navy and striking emerald green all key colours for 2018.
‘Neutrals in the living room have taken a back seat to the injection of colour,′ says Crown′s colour consultant Judy Smith. ‘Now, more so than ever, the use of multiple shades at a time is becoming increasingly mainstream. Clashing shades can be used on the walls and bought together cleverly via furnishings and accessories.′
How to decorate with 2018′s bold colours
Don′t be intimidated by bolder or dark colours. There′s a misconception that they can make rooms feel smaller — not if used correctly. ‘The use of a feature wall is still an effective way to add colour to a small living room,′ says Judy at Crown. ‘A feature wall allows bold colour to be added without overwhelming a small space.
‘Colour blocking — in other words, using multiple shades at a time in clearly defined sections of one wall, has become more of a prominent trend, particularly in the living room. This more unusual take on a standard feature wall allows for a palette of complementary or clashing shades to be displayed, without overpowering a space with colour.′
Velvet sofas
When it comes to living room furniture, both fabric and colour choices are becoming bolder. Velvet has been on the radar for a few years, but it′s 2018 that sees it really shine. This luxurious fabric oozes a warming quality, especially on sofas — it has that tactile appeal that instantly draws you in. Velvet as an upholstery fabric makes you want to touch it and melt into its softness.
‘We′ve seen a 150 per cent increase in velvet sofa sales in the last year,′ reveals Kate Butler, head of product design for Habitat. ‘There′s a big trend at the moment for colours such as emerald green, orange and purple. These now account for over half of these velvet sales, so people are definitely being braver and bolder in the living room.′
Compact living
The average home in the is UK shrinking in size, creating an increasing need for small-space living solutions. Add to this the fact that many have no option but to rent, and it means we need to create homes that can constantly change and evolve. Ahead of this new lifestyle trend, Ikea has developed the Fluid Spaces concept, focusing on modular and multi- functional furniture that can be easily modified to suit how we live.
‘Fluid Spaces is about products that can adapt to different styles and functions,′ explains Clotilde Passalacqua, Interior Design Leader from Ikea UK and Ireland. ‘ To keep up with constantly changing trends, buy modular furniture such as the Valentuna sofa, which can be added to and moved around at ease to adjust to changing home needs. When creating the look, the use of storage units with a simple design such as Eket and Himlinge work well and will fit into any room layout.′
‘Coinciding with the growth of the rental market, we have seen a significant rise in searches for small space living solutions. Consumers are seeking clever, practical and portable designs — our Hygena range was created with this in mind,′ explains Ian Chaplin, category manager for furniture at Argos.
‘The Remi 2 Seater Reversible Chaise in a Box, exclusive to Argos, was designed in-house. The sofa, when built, has two parts — the foot stool and the sofa. By re-arranging the cushions you can switch between the two configurations. The product comes in two boxes. The arms attach the back rest and base together making a sturdy little sofa. Then simply add the cushions, screw the feet on and its ready to go.′
