Finding Chris and Mandy's unique interior style
Chris and Mandy approached me to help redesign their home interior - in a way that reflected their personal style. I knew from the outset that they loved really interesting pieces - and were very much repelled by anything “boring”.
IDENTIFYING THEIR UNIQUE INTERIOR DESIGN STYLE
As part of completing their Personal Style Assessment, we got pinning to a Pinterest board, to start to get a feel for what their style was. These are some of the images Mandy pinned to her board - I love how both she and Chris had really flamboyant taste. This was going to be fun!
It can be really challenging for clients to make a distinction between what they love, and what will actually work in the space.
As a Designer it’s my job to help my clients sift through all the possible designs for their home, and the pieces they love, to create an interior that works well and reflects their personal style.
By studying the Pinterest board, and talking to Chris and Mandy, I learnt a few important things about their style preferences.
They love all things flamboyant
They love interesting shapes of furniture
They love colour and pattern
They don’t do boring!
CREATING AN INTERESTING AND COHESIVE HOME INTERIOR
On a shopping trip to test comfort and style of some furniture we liked the look of, we came across this occasional chair (below), purely by chance, that Chris loved (you should have seen the look on his face when he sat in it - bliss!) Not only was it super comfortable but both he and Mandy loved the fabric style and colours. So they bought it!
This decision helped give us a clear starting point for the rest of their design. The chair, while it may look very different to what they pinned to their board, had all the elements that I had identified as their style - it was interesting, the pattern was ornate, the chair was an interesting shape. Nothing boring about this chair!
I loved how well this chair suited the style of the villa - much more so than the boldly coloured pieces they pinned initially which wouldn’t have sat as nicely alongside their existing pieces of furniture.
We also found a really comfortable lounge suite with an interesting shape that appealed to Chris and Mandy - upholstered in a textured teal fabric it will sit well next to the occasional chair.
Knowing Chris and Mandy’s preferences, I knew we couldn’t go too plain with the selection of cushions. I needed to get as interesting, colourful and ornate as I could, while still keeping the colours and textures “reined in”. This selection is a good combination of texture, pattern and colour - because the patterns are not as bold as the fabric on the arm chair. They complement but don’t compete.
This is just the beginning of the overall design. Once the furniture is in place, we will look to add more life by introducing more colour with some teal cushions, and some ornate drapes that again - complement, but don’t compete.
The result will be an interesting, timeless interior that feels cohesive, elegant, relaxing and most importantly - personal.
