Whimsical interior design ideas as mooted on my Interior Design Directions 2023 post have now well and truly arrived. This quirky, interior design style that transcends the generations is what some might consider a much needed, mood-boosting tonic. With a playful sense of humour, design companies are putting us back in touch with our inner child, suggesting that decorating with cartoon and storybook designs isn’t just for the nursery.
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Not since the 1970s when Laura Ashley’s love affair with all things Victorian/Edwardian has there been quite so much interest in this decorative era. Ruth Eaton, Coco Conran, Anna Mason and Sarah Vanrenen are in the vanguard of fashion and interior designers creating a new age of elegance for the 21st Century. To find out what is so appealing about late 19th/early 20th Century design, the blog invites you to visit The National Trust’s Lanhydrock House in Cornwall.
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A Somerset antiques dealer has not only been catching the eye of fellow antique dealers but is now feted by several A-list architectural and interior designers who cross the world to visit Rebecca Christie-Miller’s showroom near Bruton. What makes Rebecca’s style stand out is her intuitive eye for the antique designs decorators might be after but also because she seeks to source new to the market pieces that have been in the same family for generations. So it was high time the blog paid Rebecca Christie-Miller Antiques a visit…
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With inspiring art as well as luxurious woollen textile designs and dark wood antiques, Pembrokeshire offers interior design a unique weave of Welsh style. The longish journey to this coastal region of West Wales makes the arrival (and lack of crowds) all the sweeter. You can be assured of incredible colour and light, from textural landscapes with medieval field patterns to pretty wildflower hedgerows and colourfully painted buildings. And that’s not to mention some of the best sandy beaches in the UK …
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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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Charis White Interiors 