So often when designing your home it’s easy to play it safe, and the idea of shaking things up with our colours and furniture is a daunting one. However, an experimental style when it all comes together is one of the best ways to make sure your home stands out from the rest, and make sure you can fully realise what you’ve got in mind for your home.
Luckily, we’ve been in conversation with four designers from OKA, who are on hand to give you the best advice on how to add a splash of the unpredictable to your home.
Colourful contrasts
Sue Jones, luxury interior designer and co-founder of OKA, had this to say when we asked about the best ways to push the boat out with your designs: “When it comes to colour schemes in the home, you can be quite experimental and opt for contrasting colours.
“The opposing shades you choose will depend on what look you would like to achieve – for example, if you are looking to create more of an impact then you could go for bold shades of each colour you are choosing.”
However, when combining different colours and designs it can be easy to end up drowning in ideas, and Sue had some advice on how to let your colours clash in only the best ways: “An easy way to apply contrasting colours is to pick one shade that is bolder and another that is softer. For example, if you want to incorporate two colours on the opposite side of the spectrum, such as red and blue, select a deeper tone for one and a softer tone for the other.
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“If you are looking for a calming feel in a room, choose a pale tone of both shades for a subtle contrast.
“Favouring one colour scheme throughout your home isn’t recommended as this may fall flat. If you prefer to keep to one colour throughout your home, try using different variations of that colour to create points of interest from room to room.”
Funky furniture
It’s one thing to shake up the way we choose our colours, but it’s a whole different kettle of fish when we’re trying to decide on which patterns we think might bring our furniture to life.
Charlotte Saunders, interior designer had this to say on how to get the best out of our furniture styles: “A great way to mix patterns is by layering them, so if your curtains are floral, you can add a geometric pattern on the chair; they will work really well together.
“Also think about the scale of the pattern – if you’ve got a really large-scale pattern on the sofa I would opt for a smaller-scale pattern on the chair.”
Sophie Gammon believes in the benefits of layering your furniture with different fabrics and patterns in order to make them that extra bit eye catching: “Trying to have at least four different fabrics in each room is a great way to layer up, too, which you can do easily with cushions.
“Silk, velvet, linen, cotton – there are so many different variations we can add to make a space feel luxurious.”
In with the old and the new?
One of the scariest things about mixing up our style and trying the ideas we’ve always wanted, is the transition phase.
In many cases, updating your style and trying new things brings the question: what to do with the old? However, Sarina Hawkins believes that the contrast between the old and new brings fresh opportunities to any home: “I think mixing old and new designs allows your contemporary and more classic pieces to really sing.
“If you’ve got a beautiful antique dining table, for example, you can pair it with some modern dining chairs, or some more contemporary linens. Don’t be afraid to just go to town with mixing and matching – it’s all about layering.”
