Decorum » Cushions

When Three is Not A Crowd

Jennifer — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:58:27 +0000

I was in a store yesterday and a lady was buying a number of ceramic balls to place on a tray in her entry. She was looking at two balls and I overheard the shop assistant say, “it has to be three”.

Yes, I thought, it has to be three or five or seven, never two or four or six.

Flower arrangement with three focal flowers

You see, odd numbers of items appear to be thrown together rather than arranged. Our eyes try to split even numbers into smaller groups but that can’t be done with odd numbers.

Margaret Olley's Artichokes via ANG Art Consulting

The asymmetrical arrangement of odd numbers will add visual interest to an area or collection and help create visual flow. Objects that appear in threes or fives are more appealing, memorable and effective than even number groupings.

We Three Kings photograph by Emily J Photography

Odd numbers also give dimension as we can create a front, middle and back and this creates a sense of balance.

3 cushions on a bed by Inside Out Colour and Design

We find odd numbers pleasing to the eye as well as being more intriguing.

Cushions on a sofa by Inside Out Colour and Design

If you would like assistance in making your home more intriguing, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

PS. And look, it’s my 300th post on the 30th of November. Freud would have alot to say about that!

Grab yourself a bargain

Jennifer — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:21:09 +0000

It seems everyone is having a sale. This is great as it means we can get our Christmas shopping done early and avoid the crowds. Now what would you like to buy?

Paper products?

Corban and Blair

Bed Linen?

KAS Australia

Throws and cushions?

Emma Jay

Fabric remanants so you can get crafty?

Signature Prints

Intersting and Quirky homewares?

Styletto

Go forth and grab yourself a bargain. Some of them are online so you don’t even have to leave home!

If you would like assistance with colour or design for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

Fashion Colours for Spring

Jennifer — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 19:21:51 +0000

I managed to take some time out last week and have a stroll around my local shopping centre checking out the new season fashions. I love the change of seasons and seeing the new colours gracing the shop windows and soon to be our wardrobes and then of course our home decor.

Many of the shops were featuring the classic black and white stripes.

Jessica Stripe Dress from Queenspark

Black and white has been gracing our lives for the longest time. It looks very modern yet can be at home in any decor. And no matter what decorator colour you add, your room is going to look fabulous.

via Decorpad

Coloured jeans are also this season’s “must haves”. Watermelon, Steel and Desert are the colours of one particular fashion store.

Sportscraft Coloured Jeans

Those colours sound a bit better than red, blue and brown, don’t they? But watermelon is softer than red and much easier to live with as decor pieces in the home.

Jonathan Adler via Elle Decor

Steel is like a washed out navy and is ideal for a more relaxed room. You could even paint a wall or two in steel rather than the stronger navy blue.

Stel Blue Dining Room

We’ve all been through the browns over the past decade or so. Many of our houses (and wardrobes) still have remnants of chocolate, latte, cappuccino and mocha so Desert is a way to add depth without having to start all over again. It can be teamed with a wide variety of colours too!

Bianca Bed Linen from KAS Australia

And then I saw this stunning colour combination.

via Kookai

The zing of the orange is balanced beautifully with the depth of the cranberry.

Orange and Cranberry for Warwick Fabrics

So what colours are you wearing or decorating with this Spring?

If you would like assistance choosing the right colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

Mixing it up

Jennifer — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:31:32 +0000

Don’t you just love the new seasons and all the exciting new colours that come with it?

It can certainly have challenges though. Like how do you mix a pair of brown boots that you bought new last winter with this year’s predominently grey clothing?

The same thing can happen in your home. You want to rush out and buy up the latest cushions and throws but will they go with your chocolate brown sofa?

This was the topic of my article in the latest edition of St Ives Village Life.

You can read my suggestions here by going to the June 2011 article.

If you would like assistance mixing the latest trends with your existing decor, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

Console Dilemma

Jennifer — Thu, 26 May 2011 19:25:27 +0000

TGIF! It’s been a big week again with lots of things happening on all different levels. I am looking forward to the weekend, which unfortunatley goes all too quickly.

I thought I’d show you the finishing touches I have recently added to a room makeover.

You remember this one, Country to Hamptons.

Orange checks before

We painted the walls, reupholstered the sofas, purchased new coffee and side table, had new cushions made and bought new lamps.

Revamped Lounge Room

The clients had a console table on the wall behind one of the sofas and we now needed to “dress” the table.

Console Table Before

I was inpsired by this image from Taylor Howes and loved the symmetry of the two lamps and two tall ginger jars. Fortuantely, my clients did too.

Decor by Taylor Howes

I set about sourcing the jars and lamps, but wasn’t really happy with anything I could find. Many of the ginger jars were very Asian, with dragons or the longevity character on them.

Chinese Ginger Jar

The lamps weren’t right either.

I then started thinking that we would end up with four lamps in a confined area and the lounge may end up looking like a lamp showroom! I love lamps, but……

We had used this wonderful fabric for cushions on the sofa, so that led me to thinking about coral. Then instead of lamps, maybe we could use candlesticks?

Coral Trellis Fabric in Porcelain

And I found these wonderful, modern ginger jars from OB Collection.

Bamboo Ginger Jars

So that was it, I had all my pieces. Now I needed to work out how to display them. Fortunately I have a console table too, so I set about mocking up a couple of alternatives.

Option 1

I had a large and a small ginger jar but felt the height was wrong for the two of them to sit together.

Option 2

So back to the original symmetrical look.

My clients loved it and I was able to use a couple of their favourite books to prop up the bowl of coral and shells.

Completed Console Table

You too can create this look, as I have a piece of the Coral Trellis fabric for sale in The Store Room as well as the two smaller ginger jars that I didn’t end up using.

Have a fabulous weekend.

If you would like assistance sourcing items for your home, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.

Spoilt for choice

Jennifer — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:59:58 +0000

Wednesday, half way through the week and time to think about the weekend. And what a weekend it is too. Look at all the events, sales and shows that are on. Great for those planning to renovate or decorate their home.

First, there is the HIA Sydney Home Show at Darling Harbour which starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday. It’s a great place to wander around and gather some ideas and see what products are available.

via www.sydneyhomeshow.com.au

Or if you are in the midst of renovating or building and need some tiles or stone slabs, Aeria Country Floors is holding a Warehouse Sale at their factory in Frenchs Forest. The sale will get under way at 8.30am tomorrow morning at 2 Aquatic Drive, French’s Forest and will be open each day between 8.30 and 3.30 finishing on Sunday.

Stone Basin and Tiles form Aeria Country Floors

Read and Bell are having a Trunk Sale at Newtown. If you are looking for a touch of ethnicism for your wardrobe or decor, you must take a look.

Quilts from recycled saris via Read and Bell

Markets? Finders Keepers is on again in Sydney at Eveleigh on Friday night and all day Saturday.

Click Image for Source

Need new bedding? KAS Australia is holding a Warehouse Sale at their factory, 78 O’Riordan Street, Alexandria from 9 – 5 on Sautrday and Sunday. Items start from $5.

KAS Australia Faraday Bedding

If art is more your thang and you are in Melbourne, head over to the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton for Art Melbourne. Over 80 galleries and 600 artists will be displaying their work and you could pick up a new piece for your home starting from $500.

via Art Melbourne website

And if you’re a US reader and happen to be in New York this weekend, Jonathan Adler is holding a Warehouse Sale at 513 Irving Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn. You can expect 70% off furniture, rugs, lighting and homewares. Wish I was there. I just love his OTT style.

Jonathan Adler Interior Design

And if you are about to build or renovate but are overwhelmed with all the choices available and decisions to make, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.

For Sale

Jennifer — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:16:48 +0000

I do hope you had an enjoyable long, long weekend. I took the opportunity to clean out my store room and found a number of styling items I have purchased in the past but never used. I’ve decided to offer them to you. So if you are looking for a new piece to add to your decor, have a look at The Store Room.Email me if you are interested in anything and I will calculate postage for you. And don’t forget to pop back every now and then as I put up more items.

Enjoy your very short week.

Before and After

Jennifer — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:39:23 +0000

Another week rolls around. I thought I’d start the week with a before and after I’ve recently completed.

Completed Bedroom

My client wanted a fresh look to her bedroom and replace the bedhead and side tables she’d had for many years.

Before

We had new a new linen doona cover custom made as well as padded headboard and matching valance.

After

The buttercup yellow toile cushions were already in the room with co-ordinating roman blinds so that set our colour palette.

Yellow Toile Cushion

Black bedside tables and antique brass lamps were added along with a yellow and linen coloured bed runner to pull the whole scheme together.

Bedside Tables from La Maison

My client is very happy with her new look bedroom, as is her husband, who is pleased that it’s not too feminine!

After

If you would like assistance with your master bedroom, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.

Styling 101

Jennifer — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:20:27 +0000

As you know I spent Friday in Bangalow at Shannon Fricke‘s first ever Styling 101 workshop.

It was such a treat to be back with a group of like minded women for a day, as well as learn from such an Interiors Expert as Shannon.

We learnt about the ins and out of being a stylist and how the image you are trying to capture must say something to the viewer. I’d never really thought about that before!

We also learnt about catching the image in a frame and deciding on the frame size prior to starting. It doesn’t always have to be a “big” picture.

We had some practical, hands on time too. Our brief was to create a concept for Country Style magazine with the theme of Spring. Cutting up Shannon’s magazines and rifling through her fabric boxes, we each created an inspiration board that would convey the story behind the image we would style for the photo shoot.

Then Shannon threw open the cupboards in The Little Cottage and everything else besides was up for grabs as we all worked to create a vignette of our own.

My idea for the Spring photo shoot was to take a bed onto a covered verandah of a country cottage and dress the bed in fresh, pastel coloured bedlinen. There would be bunches of wildflowers and Australian natives in vases on the bedside table and chooks and domestic animals roaming around.

So when it came to styling my vignette, I narrowed that image down to a bedside table and used flowers and soft pastel vases and cushions to illustrate my idea.

It was great walking around and seeing the other ladies ideas and listening to their thoughts behind them.

Shannon also gave some ideas on how the different scenes worked and what would happen on a real styling photo shoot to hide things like cars in the background or photoshopping ugly elements out of the final photographs.

Thanks Shannon, for a fun and informative day and thanks to Nicky and Charlotte for their assistance and the delectable lunch.

If you would like assistance with colour and design for your home, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.

All photos by me.

Here comes the bride

Jennifer — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:38:47 +0000

Union Jack

Union Jacks were HUGE at the three Sydney trade shows last week.

Trinket Box from CAM

I wonder if the forthcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton are the inspiration of the latest wave of Union Jack decor?

Prince William and Kate Middleton

They are bright and colourful and look very smart with their straight lines and angles.

Boxes and cushions from Universal Enterprises

Would you put a Union Jack in your home?

Union Jack soft furnishings by Lakeland

If you would like assistance in decorating your home, contact us for an on-line or in-person consultation.