November design inspiration from Hiltingbury Interiors
Hello,
In our last newsletter we talked about Sophie Robinson’s new collection with Harlequin, it's a well thought-out riot of colour and pattern, full of joy and maximalist wow. However, it's not something many of our clients would feel comfortable embracing in its entirety. We have however been using elements of this, and other new collections to bring pops of colour and personality to a few recent projects. Here are our tips on how to incorporate colour and pattern without overwhelming yourself and your environment.
1) Decide on a neutral colour palette for walls and flooring, this may be a warm shade or a cooler grey tone, that will flow throughout your home from room to room.
2) Introduce pops of colour that bring you joy. These may be specific shades you’ve had in mind for sometime or might be inspired by a particular wallpaper or fabric pattern you’ve found. If you're in two minds about colours you’ll be happy living with, then I would suggest looking in your wardrobe (assuming it's not a sea of black!), what colours do you see hanging up? Generally speaking, if you are happy wearing something you’ll be happy living with it and looking at it everyday too.
3) To ensure your colour scheme is balanced, maybe try thinking about which season your colour scheme would fit into and make sure each colour is tonally balanced or from the same season. Spring yellows and greens, for example, are going to be bright and fresh, whereas an autumnal shade of the same colours will be rich and muted.
4) When choosing where and how to add colour and pattern the same principles apply. There needs to be balance and harmony. Patterns need to vary in scale, you need something small and detailed, something mid size and something large. One needs to be your “hero” pattern, this is often the one that ties everything together in colour or design.
5) The same goes for colour, if in doubt base your scheme on three colours. Have larger items in colours that are more timeless and less influenced by fashion, that doesn’t have to mean boring charcoal grey though! It’s easy to change an accent chair and accessories but far more of an investment to replace sofas a few years down the line.
6) Cushions, footstools, accessories and artwork are where you can add fun and bolder colours. It’s usually these that will add the finishing touches and “wow” to a room. Please make sure you give them the thought and time they deserve. When successfully executed they make all the difference between amazing and meh!
Here are a few pictures from a recent project. For this client, links to the garden and the use of plants were key to the design brief.
The extension, designed by BBD Architects, maximises the light and visibility to the garden. Thin profiled, glazed doors, a huge glass wedge across the ceiling and large picture window on the side elevation make you feel permanently connected to the garden.
The Kitchen was designed and fitted by Searle and Taylor, in our chosen Little Greene paint colour, which complimented the rest of the interior finishes and indoor/outdoor porcelain tiles.
The clients love of plants and splashes of colour finish the space off, giving it a homely feel that reflects their personalities.
Please click the links below if you’d like to read more about the architectural brief or kitchen design for this project.
I can’t believe the next newsletter I’ll be writing will be our last one of the year. Where has 2023 gone?!
We’re looking forward to getting into the festive spirit, when we've completed a couple of large projects and installed a few more window dressings and finishing touches over the next couple of weeks.
Have fun decorating your homes for Christmas and getting your festive jingle on!
With love
Becci