Interiors

Green is a colour that resonates with nature, freshness, new life and a sense of calm. It comes in a range of shades and you need to decide, carefully, if you go for a yellow-based green which produces happy apple green and citrus lime. If you are considering blue-based shades there is a wide range of turquoise and emerald. It is important to remember the base, otherwise you might end up with different greens that clash. You can now by from paint companies such as Farrow & Ball, hints of green but be careful as they can give the

Deck the halls with boughs of holly! It is that time of year where trees, decorations and lights come out. Trouble is, I don't like the traditional Victorian style decor of Father Christmas, chubby angels and general red and green shiny baubles. Fortunately, there are now lots of different styles of decor you can consider. Traditional Victoriana This is where it all started commercially . Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert, brought over some of his family traditions of candles, cake and small gifts opened on Christmas Eve. Along with sugared almonds, Christmas pudding with charms inside to find,

There is that wonderful jazz song that says to, accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative and don't mess with mister in-between. It was one of those weeks where it was necessary to remind yourself about perspective and what is important and to look for the positive. It started with a small operation that didn't happen, continued with a furniture delivery that wasn't possible and snowballed with various minor disappointments. We had organised a weekend to start some work on our Antibes French apartment which required some organisation and planning. As with all good plans,

We were about to embark on decorating our Antibes apartment pre-Covid and as I reword posts in a different French apartment, it seems like a life time away. The space has been renovated but left at a raw state with a soft grey putty paint colour and lots of light. We needed to think about style, colour and furniture! After using Feng Shui practices, we took a step back and decided that we still wanted an Art Deco feel with modern furniture and a welcoming atmosphere. For us, this means clean lines, soft curves and fun decor. The Entrance

As Autumn draws in and we lose natural light, our interior lighting becomes so important. We are seeking a cosy, soft and inviting light to counteract the grey outdoors. Check out a previous post https://interiorharmonyblog.com/2019/04/28/lights-a-wow-factor/ which outlines the different ways to light a space through practical fixtures and those that give a wow factor. There are so many choices which can be confusing and there is a chance you may revert to something straightforward instead of going for  a statement piece that adds style to a room. What Does the Light Do? There are three key kinds of lighting, general functional

Living in France a couple of times, I am asked if shabby chic is still OK to use for interior design. The answer is - let's drop the shabby and focus on the chic but it depends what your definition is of this trend. There seem to be a range of answers within this style and it continues to be updated. French greys, soft neutral pallets with linen as a feature and chalk-painted wooden furniture with a bit of a distressed look to add age and texture. Recycled furniture, preferably 40s or mid-century and painted in soft colours including

It spans a range of styles from classic Art Deco sharp, metallic brutalist squares to Art Nouveau floral arts and crafts and I am instantly attracted to its chic Parisian mode. My preference is for the short period that sits in between the hard lines and ornate curves which shouts luxury but doesn't overdo it. The style works with modern and old and is best with the soft curves of wooden panelled furniture. Art Deco was the start of the interest in Asian and Egyptian decor so don't ignore a Chinese cabinet you can update to look Belle Epoque.

An architect friend gave me a key piece of advice; think if you are about to buy or rent - can you live with the bathroom and the kitchen? These are the two most expensive rooms to renovate. If it requires plumbing or electricity and you don't have the money, walk away. These incur major labour costs and, more often than not, you will discover other issues behind such as a leaking sink - our current apartment -or a totally live electrical box in my first house! If you have an unlimited budget, lucky you but this post is