Pink |

My House…My Pink Console Table

Posted by deardesigner in Interior Design - (4 Comments)

Hello lovelies. I hope by now you’ve all read the latest issue of Heart Home magazine. Did you see the feature on page 76? Yes, it’s my house, photographed by the very talented Andrew Boyd.

I had a lot of comments about the very pink console table in my hall so I thought I’d tell you all about it.

I’ve had it for ever. It’s nothing special. Just a reproduction writing desk that I picked up in a junk shop to sit in that very spot. For years it remained as it was, dark wood with a green leather inlay on the top, embossed with gold. I bought the chair next to it almost at the same time and that also was dark wood with a cream silk seat. All very traditional and very safe.

A couple of years ago I painted it gold and had some glass cut for the top to hide the green leather. I painted the underside of the glass black and changed the knobs to black faceted ones to match. It still didn’t seem to be right.

And then, with the prospect of the photo shoot looming I painted it pink. And hello!

The black and white photograph of Miami with the pink Cadillac, I picked up in Homesense and I painted the frame black. The chair was next. Black gloss paint and a new seat fabric (a returnable fabric sample, that oops, I forgot to return) gave it a new lease of life and it became the home for the cushion I made at the Clarissa Hulse studio.

And there you have it. Nothing cost very much but I am very proud of that little corner now and the pink table always makes me smile.

Oh, and just in case you’re hankering after something similar, here’s one you can buy.

Available from Alexander and Pearl.

Don’t say I never give you anything.

Furniture, pink, upcycling

Pink and Black for a Young Lady

Posted by deardesigner in Inspiration | Interior Design - (0 Comments)

Desperately looking for some inspiration for a young lady’s bedroom. The pink is non-negotiable. The black is already there.

Am I the only one who messes around on polyvore instead of working?

Is it constructive time well spent?

Sources: here.

bedroom, black, cushions, Furniture, lighting, mirrors, pink, Wallpaper

How to Work It – Hot Pink!

Posted by deardesigner in Inspiration | Interior Design - (5 Comments)

It may be so last year, (honeysuckle – Pantone colour of the year 2011) but I’m so not over it!

Anyone who knows me, knows that pink is my favourite colour, and this most saturated hue is my favourite pink of all. But, a word of caution, never was the phrase ‘a little goes a long way’ more true.

Another overused phrase ‘less is more’ also happens to be true with this hot shade. Use it as an accent. It goes particularly well with white and all shades of grey. I wouldn’t personally use it with the warmer neutrals such as beige and taupe. But maybe that’s just me.

It’s such a statement colour and it works particularly well in unexpected places. It’s not called shocking pink for nothing!

If you love it but can’t quite commit to it as a colour block, it looks stunning used in graphic patterns. Looks particularly well with this polished wood too.

Of course you can easily use it on those soft furnishings that can easily replace next season. But some might say you have committment problems?

And don’t feel that an accent colour has to be repeated around the room. It can, but sometimes just one splash of colour is enough, especially in a small room. More pink in this bathroom would look contrived and overdone. A room should look as if it has evolved and that you haven’t tried too hard.

Another unexpected use of pink. And paint can easily be changed when you are ready for a change.

It’s the perfect colour to soften and feminize a room. All of the hard surfaces here, both glossy smooth and spiky look all the better for some soft, upholstered, buttoned hot pink!

So do I. So do I.

Sources:1 Harriet Anstruther 2 Our City Lights 3 York Wallcoverings 4 Micasa Revista 5 Apartmenttherapy 6 Michael Graydon 7 The Long and Short of it 8 Etsy

bathroom, dining room, pink, sitting room, stairs

Pretty in Pink at Ikea…

Posted by deardesigner in Interior Design | Shopping - (5 Comments)

There have been one or two short periods this week when the sun has made a brief appearance. The freezing temperatures of last week have started to fade from memory and there seems to be a tinge of optimism in the air.

Is it too early to be thinking of spring?

All it takes is a few pretty pictures in my in box and I’m planning a weekend of cleaning and sorting. And I never could resist anything pretty and pink.

And if I needed another reason to post these gorgeous shots – my niece has been fitted this week for her first pair of points. There, what more reason did I need?