If you feel the need to ring the changes but aren’t yet ready to embark on a complete full home interior redesign, some fresh new accessories can provide the ideal interior design solution. Items such as lamps, cushions and rugs are the perfect way to inject instant colour, texture and character into your home. They can be easily changed according to the season and the right choices really can transform the look and feel of a room.
Play with texture
Accessories offer the ideal opportunity to introduce texture to your interior architecture scheme. Why not play around with different types of texture to create depth, interest and character? Combining rough and smooth finishes such as leather, woven fabrics and metallics can completely transform your space and provide a much-needed contrast to a neutral scheme. In our experience, the tactile elements in a room such as a chunky woven rug or a luxurious velvet cushion are the ones which make the greatest impact.
The introduction of a textured rug can create a brilliant foundation upon which the other elements of a room can be built. In the case of our Bromptons project (above), the pale grey, hand-knotted rug anchors the scheme and provides the perfect foundation for the surrounding layers of colour and texture.
Reflect the latest interior trends
Antique brass is big news in the world of interiors at the moment, but you don’t have to totally revamp your home to make a nod towards trends like this. Just by changing a few key accessories you can update your look easily and affordably. A great example is to introduce aged brass light fittings – a really simple update. Or why not reupholster an existing piece of furniture in a tactile velvet with antique brass details as per the beautiful dusky pink ottoman we had made for our Carlton Hill project? The great thing is that when trends move on, as they inevitably do, you can simply change your accessories to create an entirely new look.
Mark the changing seasons
A few small touches can yield big results when it comes to updating your accessories to reflect the changing seasons. Take inspiration from the weather and introduce lighter objects, more delicate fabrics and floral patterns for spring/summer. And when it comes to the onset of winter, cosy textures and cashmere throws are the order of the day.
Cushions are also a really easy way to introduce seasonal colour into your home. We recommend floral brights for summer and terracotta or plum tones for autumn. And don’t forget to ‘bring the outside in’ wherever possible. A vase of fresh flowers in a sitting room or a pot of textural succulents in a dining room can be the small change that makes a seriously big difference.
Show your personality
The great thing about accessories is that you can afford to be a bit more daring than you might be in other aspects of your interior because they’re so easy to change. So make sure you go for bold choices and really grab the chance to express your personality. Accessories also offer the chance to experiment with colour, pattern and texture in a more adventurous way than you might in the core elements of your scheme. Contrast is key here.
For the entrance hall of our Bromptons project, for example, we turned our client’s existing pair of ornate vases into beautiful, bespoke table lamps which link with the striking details of the interior architecture and provide rich layers of colour and texture.
When it comes to artwork, why not have a constantly evolving display? You can change the pieces you hang according to your mood or taste, and that way you will always have something new and stimulating to look at. For the kitchen of our Belsize Park scheme, we designed a ledge display which gives the client the chance to vary the artwork they have on show simply by swapping the canvases around. A clean, contemporary solution which our client absolutely loved!
Photography by Richard Waite