Interiors styling and copywriting
It’s the start of the summer season and that can only mean one thing, it’s showtime for some of the UK’s top interior and garden design shows. Reporting from SW3 at the Press Day for The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 23 to 27 May 2023 (sponsored by The Newt), the blog takes you deep into the borders of the world-class show gardens – with a little reminder of other not-to-be-missed design events this summer.
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“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again” is the hauntingly evocative first line of Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca. So many authors, artists and designers have been captivated by the Cornish coast both for its magical coves and for its colour and light. Inspired by a recent trip to this part of the country, the blog pays its yearly homage to coastal decorating ideas with a tour of some of the fairy tale castles, country houses and follies that hug the British coastline.
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Stripe lovers may be pleased to hear that they are on top form and in good shape this year. Stripes are one of those deceptively simple patterns that can create a myriad of arresting moods and styles. Their geometry allows for playful interior design, from circus tent ceilings to the subtle (but powerful) pattern play of styling a horizontal next to a perpendicular stripe. Whether you are looking for a classical Regency stripe or for something more contemporary, here are a few exciting fabric and wallpaper designs that have been catching my eye.
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I always look forward to visiting London Design Week in Chelsea. And this year didn’t disappoint. From smart interiors ateliers whose showroom displays extended to pavements heaving with spring planters (of the woven and antique variety) to The Design Centre with its fabulous displays of new interior design. There was much to see, stories to unearth and people to meet. Here, as promised, is just a small snapshot of new interior pattern and colour that caught my eye this week.
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Amongst all the nature-inspired greens for interiors this spring is an unfurling palette of mood-boosting colour. From global colour forecaster Pantone’s colour of the year Viva Magenta 18-1750, to refreshing citrus shades, floral pinks and sea-hued turquoise, you might find yourself inspired to do some decorating this year. But how to use this uplifting palette and where? I talk to top interior designers Penny Morrison and Kate Guinness for a feature in Saga magazine and take inspiration from new UK paint, flooring, fabric and wallpaper collections.
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Precisely engineered box pleats, tented ceilings and trellis-inspired walls are just some of the tenets of interiors haute couture being adopted by interior designers for garden room designs. Elegant as well as poised, these chic interior design schemes are not only witty in their use of scale and of trompe l’oeil but also offer the perfect sanctuary in which to connect with nature.
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A very Happy New Year to you, I hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas. Rather like the Roman god Janus, interior design style for 2023 looks both to the past and to the future for inspiration. Finding decorative ways to capture the beauty of nature in our homes continues along with antiques playing an even greater role. You can look forward to lighting ideas that don’t require electricity (could be useful!) and inspiring ways from the past on how to use colour and pattern. There are some welcome ingredients of quirky humour as well as new designs from top UK interior designers.
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The Modern Makers Collective couldn’t have chosen a more seasonally appropriate venue to exhibit their annual winter market of British arts and crafts. The picture-perfect West Berkshire village of Yattendon – where forest green estate cottage doors serve as a colourful reminder to the acres of Christmas tree farming that lie on its doorstep – is the scene setter for this year’s winter market (19 and 20 November 2022, Village Hall, Yattendon, Berkshire, RG18 0UE, 10 to 4 pm). Yattendon village hall sits amongst centuries of architectural heritage that ooze period drama. Perhaps the only missing ingredient is a film crew from the new Shinfield Film Studios in Reading to cue… snow…
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My notebook is bursting with new interior designs this Autumn from the high street to independent and luxury design companies. With a spotlight on burnt orange and earth tone palettes, borders are back lining our rooms along with flirtatious passementerie. There are showstopping 20th Century antiques and patterned rugs that will have you floored! And working hand in hand with all this luxury design are some pretty big marketing ideas.
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There was always much discussion amongst expat Scots in the South-East as to the best way to travel home. Do the arduous (particularly pre-power steering) drive up the A1; take the overnight sleeper from Euston – fun in the days of breakfast served on a tray of hotel silver, especially with early morning views of breath-taking inland lochs and moors; take the car on the train or to fly. The excitement was as much about the romance of the journey as it was to see family and friends. Not to mention the drama of Scottish architecture and scenery. It still is.
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Charis White Interiors 