Orange & Purple

Orange and purple? In your home? What? 

There are colour combinations that are easy to work with. The orange and purple combo is not one of them. 

So I thought this unusual combination (a combination not exactly easy on the eye) deserves an extravagant setting. I made sure that purple is the main colour, its slightly toned down shade forming striking contrast with the vibrant orange on accent furniture. I also added black - shiny black on a slim chair. I felt that furhter contrast is needed, so to counterbalance the glam, a cowhide rug and a wooden table found its way to the moodboard. 

I agree that it is not everyone's cup of tea, but I just can not think of a better styling for such a dominant colour combination. 

Colour Combination: Emerald & Ruby

Today I am particularly lazy, so all you get is this autumn-inspired colour combination moodboard. 

Go green 3 - Extravagant and Classy

After a colourful and a muted colour combo I wanted to create something in between. I figured gold and a hint of blue would make a sophisticated look with the dark green of the sofa. These colours look bright and classy, and the patterned rug perfectly ties them up. 

However, I decided to give an exciting twist to the interior, so I mixmatched classic, modern and retro pieces to achieve an extravagant vibe. 

I love the Bellamour chandelier by Currey & Company - the curved panels of antiqued mirror reflect the light, and replicate the shape of classic chandeliers. Together with the Calabash pendant by Lightyears company they fight for attention. 

The Noguchi coffee table in black and the Eggchair in yellow leather by Arne Jacobsen are mid-century pieces, but became true classics. Notice how the Eggchair brings back the shape of the gold lamp. The cushions bring back the colours of the rug. 

This styling is probably my favourite of the three, because of its light and breezy spring feel. Which one is your favourite, and why? 

Go green 2 - Scandinavian

Yes, your guess was right, it is the Scandinavian style! I thought that after the last moodboard's vivid colours it is time to show something completely different. 

Scandinavians love using white - lots of ligh-reflecting white - in their homes. It means white walls (if you want to add texture, whitewash your brick wall) and white floors (or very light oak or maple). With a background like this you can still go for colours, but this time I decided against it, making the forest green the only colour here. 

I made sure that the furniture and accessories here are mostly from Nordic countires. The armchair in black leather is from BoConcept, just like the sofa. These universal pieces can find their way into most urban homes. The chair is especially my favourite, in spite of its thin shells, it is surprisingly comfortable, it supports my back very well. 

The tables are from the Tablo series by Norman Copenhagen - they come in various sizes and colours, and are utterly Scandinavian. It is said assembling them is easy, and no screws are recquired. 

The flower patterned cushions are by the Finnish brand Marimekko, the design itself comes from 1964, so if you thought it has some retro vibe, now you can be sure. The vase is the work of Alvar Aalto, another famous designer from Finland. 

The pendant lamps are by Louis Poulsen - if you remember, in my post about Arne Jacobsen I mentioned this Danish lighting manufacturer. Both pendants were designed by Poul Henningsen, whom I am sure I will write about in the future. The floor lamp you can also remember from the very same post. 

The overall look is Scandinavian, and just a bit feminine, because of the cushions - should you change them, you can have a more masculine interior. 

I think I collected many big Scandinavian designers here. In the next moodboard I will have to come up with a new look. Keep an eye on this blog. 

Go green 1 - Feminine New York Loft

So we have a classic shaped sofa in dark green. In forest green, actually, but I thought it is dark and a bit sad, so this is how the idea came to use bright pinky colours paired with light, vivid lush greens. They definitely brighten up the sofa, but to avoid the mess I toned them down with neutrals - this way I also enhanced the two lead colours. 

Please, note how the candleholder and the green lamp have similar features; also the green cushion and the green lamp (by Ciara O'Neill) have motifs on them. These are small things, but can tie the room together.

The armchair by Rémi Bouhaniche was inspired by the origami, and it seems super comfy. Depending on the colour it can look sophisticated or fun.

All these colorful, modern pieces could fit well into in a loft, with industrial features and brick walls, creating interesting contrast. The hues make it very feminine, too - gone is the dark sofa, this interior now oozes happiness!

In my next post on Friday I will show you another styling, one that is probably closer to what the Danish company envisaged for this colour. Can you guess this style? 

The green sofa project - 1 sofa - 3 styles

I am a huge fan of blue. (Odd way to start a blogpost about green. Let's start it again.)

Green, especially this forest green is not exactly my favourite colour. (Then why are you writing about it, you idiot? Delete.)

Green is definitely in. (You have already told about it in two posts in June - one about the new H&M Home collection and the other about an attic interior. Come up with something more original. And not so negative, please. Thank you.)

Experience taught me that the new trend colour, green is not exactly easy to match other colours with. (Not bad. Go on.) Naturally, the least difficult way is to use this colour on accessories, but why could not you use it on bigger surface? Like, on a sofa? (Maybe, because it is so striking?) 

Yes, this forest green is striking, it demands attention as it is just a big splash of colour. So, what can you do with it? 

Next week I will show you three ways to accessorize this green monster. (That is, for the record, the Cenova sofa by BoConcept, in forest green Napoli fabric.)

One sofa and one colour - three styles and three colour combinations. The Green Sofa Project. 

Stay tuned. 

Check the style here:

Style 1

Style 2

Style 3

How to make a black and white interior alive?

Today's big question: how to style the black and white interior to make it alive? 

There are boring black and white interiors and there are exciting black and white interiors. At first sight monochormatic color palette is such a jolly joker - timeless, classic, stylish. 

And at the same time, can be boring as hell. 

What can you do against it? The answer is simple. Just add:

- texture

- pattern

- form

- accent color

You will find that most black-and-white interiors are not strictly black-and-white. All the hues between can be found in these, just white and black are dominant because used on big surfaces. 

Don't let the artistic photos cheat you. There are other colours as well, just subtle. You can pick wooden floor in greyish tone (just like above), or even a nice light oak can look well. Check out this beautiful rug - it looks so well in this interior, yet has blue hues in it - but it is still the black and white that rules here! Some wooden items can add warmth - the cool goatskin cushion and the rocker chair does this trick. (I hope you read my post about the designer behind this chair - the Eameses - there was a period when only pregnant employees at the Eames Office could buy this version!)

I would suggest incorporating metal or glass into a black and white setting. Unusual forms can create interest in a room. You can mix shapes, patterns, materials, and mat and glossy surfaces. 

The interior is already alive. 

Color Combination: Blue and Orange

Some people like colours in the room, others completely avoid them. These people usually say that you will get bored with colours soon. I disagree. You just get accustomed to it, and it can happen to any colour scheme. So do not be afraid to express you personality with colour. Just use them wisely. 

This is the second moodboard in the colour combo series. As you might know, blue and orange can be found on the opposite parts of the colour wheel and called complementary colours or opposite colours. They are very powerful together, especially when used intensively, so the key to a stylish look is the smart proportioning of colours. I would suggest playing with bright vibrant tones with muted ones, as it is easier on the eye. Bright orange sliding door could look fantastic against darker, toned down shades of blue on less extensive surfaces, like cushions or chairs for instance. You can use lots of neautrals - they will emphasize the striking colour clash. 

For this colour combination, I had the image of an airy, lofty interior on my mind, with lots of white and streamlined furniture. There are actually many possible variations, let's see a couple of them:

- Take a bright orange sofa, white furniture, blue rug and lots of neutrals. If you use this mixture as a jumping off point, I would suggest a grey armchair. Some parts of the wall could be painted blue, or you can use blue backsplash or blue dining chairs. 

- If you are unsure about the orange sofa, why don't you pick a grey one? Add an orange armchair - this one is by Arne Jacobsen, the famous Swan -, blue rug and some small blue accessories. The dining chairs could be also white, and in the photo a huge sliding door reflects the colour of the armchair. 

- If you are still undecided, you could play with the accesories only. Settle for the blue rug, and use orange in small proportions: on a piece of art, a splash of colour in the paining, etc. You can play with various tones of one colour - using faded blue rug with electrifying turquoise could have a huge impact. 

I can imagine artistic objects, graphic lines for this style, it has certainly a contemporary edge. For real persons with real character. 

Colour Combination: Turquoise and Silver

This moodboard is the first of a series where I will show possible colour combinations for your home. I always say that if you want a balanced and stylish interior, but you are unsure about the outcome, pick just 2-3 colour you love, and use them with neutrals. Coordinating more than three colours really does require more skill.

Today's colours are turquoise and silver - together they create a calming, elegant and cool mood, perfect for summer. As you see I used them on big surfaces - silver on the sofa's fabric and turquoise blue on the rug. I chose glitzy blue wallpaper, to unite the shine of the sofa and the colour of the rug. Do not cover all the walls with coloured wallpaper, just a smaller section or one wall. 

Other materials used are smooth and shiny glass and acrylic, sparkling chrystal and some wood. For the floor I chose a greyish tone, completely neutral and calming. If you like this colour combination, yet you find it too cold for your taste, try adding warm wood. Just by picking walnut floor you can warm up the entire room. However, in this moodboard I went for a cool look, so I only added some wooden accessories in light oak.

The black floor candle holder is my favourite, it has a sculptural look, and its diverse height harmonizes with the pendant. The Ghost chair would look magnificent with an oak dining table, but you could also pick a table in glass and metal. The vases have lively, deep blue tones and call for attention. The cushions unify the lead colours.

How do you like this combination? Do you prefer it without wood, or on the contrary, would you warm it up?