Morning bit or newsy stuff to start the day first.
New dates have just gone live on the site for my
Design School with dates through until April, although I should warn January tends to sell out fast as lots of people buy as a Christmas present which is lovely hey! Also this afternoon we're having a flash sale on all our seconds which includes dog lights, mirrors and art. I'll notify through all my social media channels as soon as itâs live.
Lets talk accessories this morning - they're like a 5-minute face-lift for any room. Plop a vessel with flowers on a shelf and watch it transform, or prop art against a console and watch magic happen. When it comes to styling shelves, mantles or bookcases there are some simple tricks of the trade. There are also some, dare I say criminal things you could possibly do which if the design police came a knocking would see you locked up in jail. Probably for months!
Putting things in rows is an immediate offence. Straight to jail you will go. Sounds harsh I know but rows are lazy, rows are like decorating by numbers. No thought, no skill just boring. As I say in my classes all the time if you want tantalising, engaging interiors you've got to work at them a bit certainly when it comes to styling them. So for example instead of leaving negative space and gaps (big gaps are also an offence btw) vary the height of the objects you are grouping, that will give you your negative space but without the gaps. Easy as anything right? Look at grouping objects as a 3 dimensional process, cross things in front of things and look at them from in front and from the side.
An example below:
Its also important when you have a long shelf or console to make sure you get this lively rhythm going on. So for example you don't want all the tall things down one end and the small things down the other because it will feel like a sinking ship. Also its good not to match - for example matching lamps either end of a shelf. Its easier to match I get that but not so cool! Decorating isn't super easy it does take some skill pulling off rooms that take your breath away. That is the same as anything like opening a store, running a business people only see the glam exciting side and think what a fabulous life you lead. Little do they know what goes into it which is good because when rooms or stores look effortless like you've just come in and thrown it together then you know you've nailed it. No one needs to know it took hours, or months or whatever it took - its not easy but for me its most gratifying thing ever!
Back later with the flash sale.
