How To Decorate With A Complementary Colour Palette

The best approach when combining two hues to make a colour statement is to pick from opposite sides of the colour wheel. This living room is a fine example of this decorating method: the teal blue walls paired with the burnt orange ceiling results in a striking yet balanced scheme. Notice how the main piece of furniture - the tufted couch - is in a slightly lighter shade of the teal walls, this prevents the piece from detracting or competing with the main statement of the room - the walls and ceiling. The strong colours of the scheme have been anchored with neutral textures, such as the jute rug and wooden table. For me, this shows how a well-executed colour scheme can breathe life into an otherwise formal and traditional space. Plus, the tufted couch is the definition of Divine, right?!
// House & Home | Photography by John Cullen

Home Tour: Beth Arrowood's Miami Brights

Shop the look: 1. Foxed coffee table | 2. Mikasa stripe mugs | 3. Trina Turk Palm Springs cushions | 4. Lecco two-seat sofa | 5. Simple wood clock | 6. Trina Turk Greek key rug | 7. Brera Rigato stripe fabric

Beth Arrowood is the founder of Miami-based NIBA rugs and her home is tropical treat of colourful decorating. Shall we take a look around? Come on in - the waters lovely! With walls painted in Caribbean Blue Water by Benjamin Moore you can't help but feel like you have been whisked away on an exotic holiday when you see inside Beth's home. Given her rug business it's no surprise that Beth advises one to start with the rug and work up from there when decorating a space, but her space is testament to it being sound advice. I love how each room has it's own unique feel yet the house as a whole flows with visual ease. This is helped by the core palette of turquoise hues that run throughout, both inside and out. Beth has added occasional yellow or green accents that break up the bold blue base tones. Great job! Anyone for a trip to Miami?!

// Photography by Mark Roskams

Sunday's Bright Links No. 73: Purple & Teal

Designers Guild | Grace Happens

Elsewhere

Thank you to Ecosalon for including Bright.Bazaar amongst their round of of the 20 best shelter websites.
DIY: ombre save the dates.
The spring issue of Sweet Paul went live.
Loose yourself in this dreamy English country home.
Gorgeous colours in this mint and blossom shoot.
Really helpful flower guide.
Panatone colour tarts.
Make your own sweater pillow.
Styled magazine's fifth issue went live.
I would like to eat at the Plan Check Bar, LA.
How to make dipped wooden utensils.
An interview with me on Erin's lovely blog.
The second issue of Mag Rouge launched.
Pixar minimalist posters.
Loved seeing Claudia's stationery in Martha Stewart Weddings.
Read about five things I love over on the Comfy blog.

Bright.Bazaar
Last weekend I baked jam and coconut cookies.
Zara Home's two spring/summer collections - Graphic Nautical and Feminine Brights.
Mr. Bazaar's colourful take on Amsterdam.
Sweet Paul magazine giveaway.
Book Review: Flea Market Chic.
Decorating with Pastels.

Happy Weekend

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Whatever your plans this weekend, friends, let's try squeeze in a little time for cocktails, shall we? Let's see, how would eight o'clock tonight suit? Perfect, we'll meet by the glorious yellow radiator in the drawing room. All I need to do now is find a fabulous outfit!

Home Tour: Delicious Darks Inside Location 78

Graham Atkins-Hughes is the talented photographer behind designer Abigail Ahern's book A Girls Guide to Decorating, and for those who have read the book you will be able to appreciate his ability to capture the personality of a space perfectly through his lens. Graham and Jo have recently decorated their East London townhouse in a glorious array of inky hues, with added punchy burnt orange accents to anchor the velvety dark shades. It's refreshing to see a home embracing dark colours across walls, floors and doors in the way the Atkins-Hughes have in their home. The mix of vintage vases, striking art works and the Racing Green armchair allows their living room to ooze class and sophistication, which continues in their bedroom with floor-to-ceiling teal cabinets. Quite simply: delicious. Whats more, if you are looking for a location to shoot in then stop looking because their home is available to hire for editorial and advertising shoots. Pop over to their website for all the details.

Graham Atkins-Hughes

Home Tour: A Teal Story

I fell upon this delightful little space whilst browsing the entries for Apartment Therapy's annual colour contest. It immediately spoke to me: the bold use of shimmering teal hues emblazoned on all four walls works wonders as a backdrop to Joshua's eclectic finds. The casually draped lighting cord with it's coral-orange fusion reminded me how delicious orange is with teal. Although this is a small space, Joshua has managed to fill it with interesting trinkets; by placing them in old sewing drawers attached to the wall it serves to frame them, whilst also preventing a cluttered look.

Positioning furniture away from right angles helps to loosen a smaller space, opening it up by adding visual interest; the eye focuses on the unusual arrangement rather than the shape of the room itself. Corners are softened with delicate vignettes (who knew stacked chairs would work the camera so well?!), whilst simple lighting casts a gentle eye over the proceedings. There must be something about small spaces that connects with me, as I almost always find them hugely inspiring.

Apartment Therapy

{Teal}

Until I started researching for this post I had never held Teal in a high regard. This wasn't purposeful, rather I just felt drawn to other hues more regularly. Well, I now consider myself fully converted because this set of images shows that it's an incredibly versatile colourway. From the insides of kitchen cupboards (1) and rustic shutters (3) to the anchor accent in a heavily patterned scheme (6) and then mixed in with a variety of other colours (7). Not bad, hey? My favourite has to be the kitchen cupboards option - simple but effective. Which is yours?

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