This year I am going to allow the children to decorate the house. One would assume that I am an absolute control freak where house decoration is concerned, but at Christmas I am slowing learning to lose that highly unpleasant quality….
I was trying to think back recently to when my love of colour began. My mother was a strong influence – I get that – she did allow me to do my room in royal purple and apple green in my teen years. But I think the pivotal moments were probably the years I spent in London. My husband Mark and I decided to go to London while we were away on our honeymoon, and were there a mere 8 weeks later.
Our first bedsit was in Notting Hill Gate, and I discovered Habitat and IKEA pretty quickly! Within a year we bought our first of two homes, and for the first time I got to decorate my OWN home. We used to spend time with family in Copenhagen and it was there that I first saw really intense colour on the walls used with confidence and quiet abandon!
Tricia Guild
The second thing was the discovery of Tricia Guild’s store on Kings Road. I can pretty much tell you everything about that first visit from memory! I think it was just the sheer scope of the store – with wallpapers and walls of floor to ceiling drops of fabrics to peruse, carpets and rugs in the one half of the store. The other half was full of bed linen, cushions, knick-knacks, kitchenware and furniture. I only ever went there when it was in sale – and their warehouse sales were legendary! People often gave me her books for presents, and to this day Tricia Guild on Colour is still one of my favourite books. She was always the antithesis of the clean, natural palette of Terence Conran (founder of Habitat and The Conran Shop) et al. I always thought there was such joy in what she did…
So imagine how happy I was to review her new book Tricia Guild, A Certain Style.
It is a gloriously large book – with beautiful detail just in the book itself with all the pages edged in neon orange, the spine in black grey and white and a delicate lime, black and white ribbon bookmark. All this, and there are the punchy, jewel-coloured flowers and vases on the front cover. It is a beautiful thing, even before you open it! The book is divided into various sections, to suit just about anyone with a love for colour, pattern and texture.
Houses have been done in the ‘Guild Style’ all around the world – some of the houses are quite simply extraordinary. They cover Country Style, Parisian, English Manor, and Penthouse styles to name a few. All are done in her signature style of turquoise, pinks, purples and lime green with plenty of use of both block and patterned colour, wallpapers, paints and textiles. And there’s also a very eclectic use of furniture from various periods.
My favourite is the Coastal Retreat, which features a magnificent house perched high on cliffs overlooking the sea. It is modern, and pretty much all white, but with no pattern. It has lashings of furnishings in bright coloured linens, including a white sofa with a loose cover that has each cushion in a different colour. I covet that sofa! It also features some amazing glass vases around the house – and these I covet also! The other house I love is the ‘Art House’. It is a 60’s inspired home that you just wouldn’t imagine would sit well with the Guild Style – but with a light touch and an inspired use of paint and earthenware, it is made into something quite sublime.
For all of you who love colour, and for those of you who wish to see colour used with skill and confidence – this is the perfect book for you. Published by Quadrille, and distributed by Southern Publishing Group. RRP is $99.99 Available now.
Christmas decorating
Christmas is officially upon us. This for some is a time of cheer, for others, not so much. All that needs to happen in the next 25 days can seem a little overwhelming what with cards to be sent, presents to be bought, houses to be decorated, lights to be hung and food to be organised. The tree will be pulled down from the attic today, along with all the decorations, and this year I am going to allow the children to decorate the house.
One would assume that I am an absolute control freak where house decoration is concerned, but at Christmas I am slowing learning to lose that highly unpleasant quality. When my children leave home I will be that person – but right now – Christmas is for my small people. They prefer the broken Rudolph decoration that my youngest chose when he was three. He dropped it in the walk from the shop to the car – and now it only has 1 leg left. It always hangs at the front of the tree – and causes great mirth whenever the story is (frequently) told.
I am choosing this year to have these beautiful hand painted deer. They will be placed where I can see them, and the children have chosen the colours. I can live with that! They are available from Madder and Rouge in Auckland and Wellington. The large one is $69 and the two smaller ones are $49 each. www.madderandrouge.co.nz
Christmas entertaining
It appears that our Boxing Day is going to a sight to behold at our place, with a pig on a spit tended to by my brother. He is bringing the beast up from the farm, and my children are happy, as they never met this particular animal in the real live flesh. So they are happy to consume it! I assume plates for the day will be of the paper variety, as I will NOT be doing washing up for 40 people that day! Had we had something a little smaller in scale planned, I might have had to buy these plates from Republic Revolution.
They come in three colours; black, lime green and turquoise. I love the turquoise but even the lime green is quite Christmassy with a splash of red on the table. What I like about these plates is that they mix so well with white. If you can’t cope with a whole set in it you can just add one set of plates or dishes to update your old white set. I really like the mugs as well. And at only $2.99 for the mug, $3.99 for the bowl and side plates and only $4.99 for the dinner plate you’ll love that the injection of colour cost so little. The spotted tins are on sale at $6.29 sml, $7.69 med and $10.49 for the large. They are a great gift all on their own – and would be lovely if you were giving cakes or baking – they would get to keep the gorgeous tin! Both the tins and the dinnerware are available from The Warehouse. Please note that the tin prices are their current 30% off price – as they are on sale. Excellent!
Christmas flowers
Essential for me over Christmas is flowers. Don’t ask me why – but we could leave the entire house undecorated, but if I had flowers I would be fine. The two flowers that stand out right at the moment are of course Christmas lillies and peonies. I wait all year for peonies to be in season – I just love them!
I love also waiting for them to be near the end of their lives, and the petals to start to fall. I leave them there as they start to disintegrate – they are still beautiful while they are doing that! Coral are the first ones to come out, and then they are followed by the dark red, white, and then my personal favourite, pink. These ones were from Vida Flores and they are selling beautiful quality peonies for $10 a bunch on their market day each Wednesday. Phone 095235454, www.vidaflores.co.nz
Clean sweep
I just had to put this broom in. I figure that as I have wooden floors, and children, there is always a need for a quick sweep. I loathe having to have an ugly broom that needs to be put back in the cupboard each time it is used. This one stands up, or rather leans, and seems to live permanently in my kitchen. It is made by Magi, and is called Mago. I love all the variations of colour and as an added bonus; you can buy extra heads for the broom. I have had mine for 8 years so the cost per use gets more than balanced out! It is available from EEC in Auckland and Wellington. Its RRP is $154 but at present it is included in their sale at $92.
Have a sit down…
I love the stool with the broom. It is done in Resene LURE and is from the 2011 Range. See www.resene.co.nz. I just used lumbersider and painted it straight on with no undercoat. I can be a little impatient at times.
…and relax.
This last one is just because it is so damned beautiful. While we were in London in June this year we saw splashes of these African inspired fabrics in clothes and in textiles. I coveted a book about Yinka Shonibare while we were there and I got to see a sculpture of his, a giant ship in a bottle and the ship is made from these fabrics. Though at first glance these fabrics look African, they were in fact made originally in Holland and shipped to Africa. They are called ‘Dutch wax’ cottons. Shonibare makes extraordinary costumed sculptures mixing these fabrics and Victorian clothing. They are truly worth a look.
These cushions are available in at Madder and Rouge in Newmarket, Auckland and also in their Wellington store. This cushion, which is 50cm by 50cm is $210 and is backed with coral pink velvet.
Have a very merry, colourful Christmas and see you in January…
By Anya Brighouse, 3 December 2010.
A Certain Style photography by James Merrill. Mago brooms image supplied. All other photography by Anya Brighouse.
Leave a Reply