Can I say I adore designer Abigail Ahern’s style? Me and a whole raft of other people. She’s the darling of the interiors world with her charming personality, fresh style, great store and cool books. You can find her website at www.abigailahern.com.
I recently went to one of her style masterclass and came back even more impressed. She throws some conventional interior design wisdom out the door — a fun, refreshing, irreverent attitude. She advocates styling your home with items that you love and that reflect your personality and life. Nothing stuffy or show home-like about that!
Here are some general pointers to channel her eclectic vibe.
- Be brave in your approach – As Nike says, Just Do It!
- For the eclectic look to work, use a restrained colour palette with a few jolts of colour.
- Use lots of texture in a room such as wood, velvet, metal, glass etc.
- It’s boring to take in a room all in one glance. Have at least 3 focal points in a room. Layer objects on tables to make it more intriguing to view.
- Decorate your hallway, kitchen and bathrooms as you would a living room. Use wallpaper, furniture, lights etc just as you would if you were doing up your living area.
- Play with scale; everything in proportion makes a room look boring.
- Paint the ceiling the same colour as the walls to give the illusion of infinity.
- Mix expensive and cheap items – the contrast adds interest.
- Artwork in a room adds instant personality.
I love the curated clutter approach – I have stuff, I love stuff, I can’t live without stuff. So modern minimalism is out for me then.
I love casual, effortless, insouciant chic. However, much like the no make-up made up look in fashion, the effortless room takes some behind-the-scenes work in order to avoid looking just looking grungy. It’s not a license for chaos.
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