My celebration of Indigo blues culminates with this summer’s Preppy take on Indigo. It is almost as if the fashion and interiors industries sat down and considered the colours of the The Leander Club in Henley for their summer collections! The Leander Club is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, has produced many of GB’s great rowing Olympians and its members sport a rather jaunty rowing blazer and cap in  – you guessed it – pale pink (traditionally known as ‘cerise’) and Indigo. With the Royal Regatta imminent (Weds 28th June to Sunday 1st July) what better time to see how everyone from high street fashion to interior decorators, textile designers, restaurants and bars are embracing Preppy style.

What is Preppy style?

In fashion, it is about conservative dressing with block colours, luxurious, unfussy fabrics. Prep school-esque ribbon edged jackets, bright trousers for men with penny loafers and brogues. Think of U.S. fashion designers such as Ralph Lauren, J Crew and Banana Republic. Rowing Blazers.com (based in NYC) manufacture blazers for The Leander Club in Henley as well as supplying other clubs and general preppy apparrel. In the UK, firms such as Cabbages and Roses, Boden, Jack Wills and La Redoute specialise in understated well cut fashion for women.

Left: Pink skirts, Right: Navy skirt, both Cabbages and Roses; Middle: rowers, Henley on Thames: image courtesy of Pinterest.

Rooms well prepped

Preppy style rooms, often feature stripes as well as curtains edged with contrasting borders (similar to rowing blazers), super plump cushions and rooms laid out in symmetry. Wooden painted panelling to dado height, textured rugs on wooden floors. Galleried picture walls might include more than a hint of past sporting triumphs, from turf to surf. Navy and white with yachty chrome-inspired accessories all with added dash of this year’s peony blush!

Uniform stripes and symmetry

Preppy fashion

Left: Jumper, skirt, plimsoles, Cabbages & Roses; right: Auriol Kensington Rowing Club, Hammersmith, rowing blazer;

Left: Pink Eco Coat and skirt, Cabbages & Roses; Right: Vintage photo of the Leander Club 1908 Gold Medal Rowing team, London Olympics. Courtesy of Pinterest.

Blissful blush bedroom ideas

If there is one collection I am rather in love with right now, it is this beautiful ‘Damask’ wallpaper and fabric hand blocked print wallpaper and coordinating fabric from the Peggy Angus collection at Blithfield. Blithfield fabrics and wallpapers can be seen at the Lewis & Wood showroom at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, London.

Blush crush moodboard

Bathroom ideas

Outdoor fabric cushion

It has taken a while for ‘nice’ outdoor fabrics to be produced so I was pretty excited to see this outdoor showerproof cushion in grain sack style design from OKA.

Sporty decorating ideas

This uninterrupted sharp horizontal line of Indigo/White paint across both walls and cupboards creates a really crisp preppy feel.

Quirky curtain pole idea

Oars make great props for shoots but they are also fun for hanging as decoration in sporting teenagers’ bedrooms. Another more practical use it to hang them horizontally as curtain rails. These are from ColonialSoldier.com. Check out The Vintage Look in Henley and Fanny’s Antiques in Reading who also regularly stock interesting vintage singles or pairs.

Henley riverside pub – great location

The Flowerpot pub is just outside of Henley on Thames on the North bank of the Thames in Aston. It is full of character and is a beautiful spot for walking along the river into Henley and returning for lunch after. I have used it in the past as a base for magazine shoots. Roaring open fires in winter and interiors full of Edwardian taxidermy (mainly fish). It is also a popular dog walking spot. Panda (our mini Schnauz) and her ‘posse of hounds’ have kind of earmarked this stretch as their ‘hood’ – plenty of riverside meadows in which to play chase. ‘Ruff’. Very ruff.

Stripey sporting wallpaper

I love the way Sandberg have styled their Nils wallpaper for a hall. The horizontal peg rail looks really smart with the Indigo vertical stripes.

Soho House hotel, Istanbul

The soft slouchy blush sofa and faded plaster tromp l’oiel painted wall creates a softer contrast to Preppy navy striped 50s shaped chairs. For cotton striped upholstery fabrics look at Ian Mankin’s comprehensive range.

For more ‘blush’ or pale pink inspiration, please look at my Pinterest board:

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know if you will be applying for membership to the interiors Indigo and Blush club?! If you need any help with an interior styling project or with styling for photography, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

In the meantime, if you would like to receive future posts by email, please press the large blue ‘Follow’ button either at the beginning or end of each post. With many thanks, Charis x