Morning, I must begin with a big huge thank you to everyone who attended the master classes this past weekend. Such a fabulous group of people and I had the best time, thank you all again.
Monday, Monday I happen to love Monday’s never quite know where the week is going even though it’s pretty much planned out. The store is closed for 4 days major internal overhaul, cannot wait to get in there and place all the new products as well as the new spring flowers, new furniture etc etc so its a crazy busy week.
I get asked alot about how to make interiors magical, the weird thing is I never intend it, it just sort of happens organically. I don’t sit down and think lets infuse this room with energy, or intentionally make mischief it really just works out that way. I guess the biggest component, or the biggest bit of mischief I make is a trick I use time and time again – playing around with scale. its bedazzling its takes a space from drab to fab by throwing into the mix this shot of oddball. You don’t want your home to make perfect sense, perfectly co-ordinated, everything the same height reads as a big yawn. You want to throw in a curve ball, knock the room out of the park. to the next level so to speak and one of the easiest ways of doing that is as I say in the title to make mischief. Life can be dull enough, interiors don’t need to be!
Ditch decorating rules (rules constrain and hinder us) and instead sprinkle a little fairy dust magic on your space by putting things that are to big on things that are to small. Its the easiest decorating trick in the book I shall give you a few examples. Here at home mirrors that are to big flank walls that are to small; jugs of foliage or faux blooms that are pretty huge get plonked on tables that are to small; same goes for lamps extra large table lamps even floor lamps in this house get hitched up onto tables, so they almost topple over. You don’t want to over do it mind because my ultimate goal is to create spaces that are beautiful not gimmicky so one of two little touches kind of nails it. Then just sit back and watch as guests and family come through the door, they won’t quite know where to look and they won’t quite know what makes the room so intriguing and tantalising. Love it
Vases that are soooo tall sit on teeny tiny little tables in my bedroom
Floor lamps sit on ostrich tables in my lower ground floor distorting the scheme and adding that element of magical intrigue.
hi, do you still sell the penquin light? Julia
We don’t I hate to say they were one off limited editions
Hi Abi
x
I am very excited about your store makeover and will be heading down one Friday (with Mum, as she’s heard so much about you and the master classes I have been on & loves my poodle lamp!). I will also be armed with your new book for signing.
I have been so inspired by lots you have said…new art in the house; pieces with humour; I am addicted to sheepskins; colour is being infused and darker paint colours selected!!
I am now looking for a very large vase to sit on a smallish table in my bedroom, after reading today’s blog.
Thanks Abi, keep up the fab work
Thanks Annie, such kind words so sweet of you to say x
Hi Abi, I just love your style but am one of those people that you refer to all the time, I’m a complete coward and although I love my house it is safe, far too safe. After having ripped chocolate coloured leather sofas in our house for the past 11 years they are well past their ‘use by’ date. I have fallen in love with a lovely comfy sofas from Habitat but am a bit concerned about the size of them, (they are significantly bigger than the
ones I already have). We have 2 small conventional interconnecting living rooms, (they measures about 12.5 ft x 12.5ft). The depth of the sofa is about 3.5ft (length about 6ft 10′) and with a fireplace, window, tv, armchair, etc in the room I am afraid the depth of the sofa might be a bit overwhelming. I’m not sure if your oversize philosophy would run to something as significant as a large sofa in a small room…..Help please!
You can go both ways with this one. If you oversize the sofa its kind of fundamental that in the room you have other cool focal points going on to distract the eye purely because as cool as the sofa might be in order to create tantalising interiors more than one thing needs to grab the eyes attention. So that might be cool artwork, mirrors, lighting, a rug anything really that makes the eye tart around the space and not just purely alight on the sofa otherwise it will feel overwhelming. I’m all for big furniture it throws a room off radar my trick as I said here is to take the focus away from it otherwise you might feel its to overwhelming, but that is a simple problem to solve, no?
Thanks Abigail. that makes so much sense. Hope I can pull it off! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. You are very generous with your time and advice. Good luck with all the new ventures.
No problem
Is that Sibella Court’s Nomad I see under the lovely flowers? What do you think of the book?
It is indeed, love Sibella’s books
I love your against the grain ethos. Rules are there to be broken, right? It’s so refreshing to hear a truly unique perspective, thanks so much for the great inspiration.