Small Hits of Colour

I love to use colour in my interiors, it's a brilliant way to make an impact, and it makes me happy. If you're a bit nervous about using bright colour, just work with it in small doses. In fact, it can be more powerful if you show a little restraint. I'll give you some examples...

This room has a clean base palette of white and wood. A gorgeous injection of colour in the accessories adds vibrancy to the space, but it's all removable and replaceable - accessories are a great way to experiment with colour in your home. Notice that while very bright, the colour palette has stayed consistent - try and stick to three main tones.

Once again this dining room has a neutral base as a starting point. Having one coloured light and one coloured chair is fun and playful without going overboard.

If you feel brave enough to add colour to a more permanent element in your home, take inspiration from this beautiful kitchen. The green laminate bench top is stunning, and with white it's a lovely fresh combination. Keeping everything else around quite simple makes the bench top really shine.

The yellow in this kid's bedroom is super bright and fun, but it's calmed down by all the black and white. The single shot of soft pink brings some relief by giving your eye something else to focus on.

If a whole wall of colour is too much for you, how about a smaller feature?! A painted door frame makes a cool statement and also frames and highlights whatever is beyond.

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I hope I've inspired you to bring some colour into your world, if only in a small way.

INT2 Apartment

This incredible apartment by Russian architecture firm INT2 is so cleverly thought out, everything flows, and there is a beautiful sense of cohesiveness.

A three sided built-in bookshelf provides a wall divider between the entrance and home office (you can see more of this further on in this tour).

When the TV is not turned on, the wallpaper behind becomes the feature. This leads your eye down to the rug, which also acts as an anchor for the living area in the large open space.

It's a toss up whether my favourite space is the kitchen or dining area. Even though they're both part of the large open plan, they have clever features which help to define their zone.

The kitchen has a striking batten ceiling to claim it's space. The dark wood on the front of the island bench is a gorgeous contrast to the stark white, and marks the end of the kitchen.

The dining room, with it's raised floor and lowered ceiling, is like a room within a room - a room with no walls - I love it!

Each space has very different, but equally stunning lighting. The light wood on the back of the island bench adds a link to the dining room.

A small alcove between the dining area and home office is the perfect spot for the piano. The grey wall is what defines this space, and this continues along one wall of the office beyond.

I love the half blue wall in the bedroom. It's a beautiful backdrop to the simple white bedding, and the mirror is a genius way of linking the two.

The wall behind the TV in the bedroom is reminiscent of the kitchen ceiling, and (like the wallpaper panel behind the TV in the living area) it takes some of the emphasis away from the TV. TVs are often a necessary part of a home, but I love seeing clever ways of making them not the main focus of a room.

More beautiful batten ceilings in the bathroom, and the tiles remind you of the wallpaper and rugs in the main living areas - there's that cohesiveness!

Everything has been thought of in this apartment - even the wardrobe and laundry are beautiful in the same simple, clean-lined style. If you look carefully you'll notice the mirror at the end of the wardrobe reflects the perfectly placed chair in the entrance (first pic). I've got lots of inspiration from this apartment, I hope you have to.

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From Fashion to Home

"Colour is key to creating your style, be it in the home or on the catwalk". I am in total agreement with these wise words from the team at Dulux, who collaborated with two amazing Australian fashion labels as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival. Dulux teamed up with Gorman and Romance Was Born to combine the latest fashion and interior trends.

As you can see from previous posts, here and here, I love the crossover between the world of interiors and fashion. So I've taken a couple of New Zealand designers, Karen Walker and Trelise Cooper, and trawled through my Pinterest living rooms board to create these matches.

If you ever need inspiration for your interiors, look in your wardrobe or flick through a fashion magazine. You'll find clothes with colours and textures that you're drawn to, try including these into your home to reflect your style.