As I’m in Norway today shooting for the Bright.Bazaar book I thought it would be the perfect time to take a look at what’s hot in Norwegian design and colour right now. In fact, it’s perfect timing as Fargerike recently unveiled the new purple-centric decor of the Mikado suite at the Grand Hotel, Oslo, which is in honour of Norway’s colour of the year.
Let’s start our tour in the desk nook area where the Alto table by Andreas Engesvik and Fjordfiesta sits in a gorgeous indigo shade in front of a deep plum wall. Personally, I wouldn’t have thought to layer shades of purple in this manner but it totally works, especially with a splash accent of hot coral in the curtains to give the palette a vibrant lift. Speaking of bold colour accents, can you spot the Bunad throw by Andreas Engesvik? I waxed lyrical about it on the blog last year after it debuted at 100% Norway as part of London Design Festival, so I’m really excited to see it as part of the Mikado suite. I’m also delighted to see the Beacon Lamp by Magnus Pettersen because it’s such a simple yet beautiful piece that’s perfect for introducing a purple accent into a space. A new discovery for me was the Thibaut wallpaper, an exclusive design for Fargerike that I would bring into my home without second thought – I love it! I think the suite shows how versatile the colour purple can be when decorating: when using several shades in one scheme the key is to introduce a surprise accent hue from outside the purple colour family to bring visual interest to the room, or introduce pattern as a way to soften the stronger, more dramatic shades at the darker end of the spectrum. Have you ever decorated with purple? What inspires you about the decor of the Mikado suite?
// Photography by Sveinung Bråthen | Styling by Christine Hærra | via Fargerike
I’ve always been fond of Habitat as I worked for the brand while I studied at university, so I was left with a heavy heart when the brand closed the majority of their stores back in 2011. However, the wise move of bringing creative talent Polly Dickens onboard as Creative Director has seen the brand’s collections do a U-turn, with many claiming their offering is speeding back towards it’s former glory. Not only are the collections improving but the result of being bought by The Home Retail group means that you can now also buy their colourful large rugs from Argos as well as their stylish curtains. I’m excited to see what Habitat have to offer for A/W13 at their press show in a few weeks but for now I thought I would share some of my favourite finds from their current collection.
There are some great styling ideas to take from these spaces: firstly, consider bringing a glass tabletop into your dining room if you’re keen to keep the room feeling spacious. As well as keeping the space light and airy, this also allows you to make a design statement with the trestle legs you choose to support the top. Above we can see how a solid oak base pulls the dining table and chairs together as they are made from the same wood. Hanging a statement pendant above the table helps to draw the eye down to the focal point of the space, as well as making the dining area feel more intimate. How about when it comes to introducing pattern to a scheme? Taking the cool white bedroom above as an example, we can see how multi-coloured stripes have been introduced to the space to bring visual interest to the scheme. By using a consistent pattern style across all the textiles in the space – the bold stripes of the rug reference those in the bedding, tying the two elements of the room together – the resulting look is consistent and stylish. Another way to pull the soft furnishings of your scheme together is to use colour as the reference point in the scheme. This method has been used in the yellow and grey bedroom seen above, where the colours of the Pixelate bedding are pulled out and used as the palette for the rug. This works well here as replicating the busy pattern from the bedding on the rug would clash, whereas referencing the colours still pulls the two elements together. In other words, you can use colour to take a softer approach to achieving a co-ordinated scheme.
Mr Bazaar’s notable favourites are the Hester dining chairs that bring refectory-style dining into the home with a contemporary twist thanks to their flashes of modern colour, and the sumptuous beetroot hue of their blur rug. I’d love to place a set of four Hester dining chairs in different around my dining table to bring some playful dashes of hue to the space. I’d love to know which pieces are catching your eye, friends?
// Photography by Habitat
It’s a delight to be reviewing Mr. Jason Grant’s first book, A Place Called Home, here on Bright.Bazaar today because I first featured Jason and his eclectic home on the blog back in 2011! When Jason wrote to tell me he was writing a book last year I knew instantly it would become one of my favourites. Why? Because Jason is a true styling talent with an ability to create effortlessly stylish spaces through his work. And I wasn’t wrong with my prediction: A Placed Called Home is a visual treat for creative minds.
Another testament to Jason’s styling expertise is shown by the book’s lack of words; A Place Called Home consists mainly of pictures with small scrapbook style scribblings offering styling advice to bring each page alive. Whilst this approach might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it works for the feel and theme of the book and, after all, Jason is a stylist so is used to telling beautiful stories through the spaces he styles. James Geer captures the spirit of all eleven chapters, bringing you closer to the vibrant, eclectic and relaxed Australian style with each of his shots. I also liked how A Placed Called Home has been photographed and designed with an editorial feel, not to mention the exotic escapism brought about by the maritime, coastal feel that flows throughout the book. If you’re in need of a book to dive into for visual inspiration then A Place Called Home is for you. Thank you, Mr. Jason Grant, for pulling together such an inspiring book for us all to enjoy!
// Photography by Will Taylor
