Interior Design

Overcoming a practical problem

Living: The chairs were reupholstered with a heavy cotton fabric chosen to compliment the tan of the walls and the darker tone-on-tone brown stripes of the curtains. Both husband and wife love to read, so creating a good spot to sit with a book was important – their new layout is devised for sunlit reading by day, and late nights huddled by the lamp. The artificial birch tree, a favourite species of the homeowners, adds an exciting splash of natural green to the setting.

Bedroom: This master bedroom was a problem. Not just a decorative one, but a practical one too: the husband of the family works rotating shifts, but the constant light from the huge windows made it almost impossible for him to sleep during the day. This was the first thing the decorator addressed, choosing heavy room-darkening blinds as a centrepiece. The paisley blue pattern for the bedding became the springboard for other colour selections. The decorator suggested balancing the blue with tan colours to maintain a soothing ambience, and helped choose paint and accessories to match. The homeowners wanted to work with their existing furniture, but the addition of artwork, new lamps and a simple painted drum table by the bed injected new life into the set.

Bathroom: The next natural step was to move into the en suite bathroom. While retaining the original flooring, they brought the tan and blue colour scheme in with paint, artwork and several accessories from the towels and curtains to a scented candle. The new off-white shower curtains are elegant and simple, and for a bit of variety the decorator added a silver leaf frame to the bathroom mirror, skillfully accenting the faucets and light fixtures.