But before we smash into this week’s blog, I thought I’d mention that we still have a couple of tickets left for our upcoming Paint Colour Workshop at Studio Black. This event has previously sold out, twice! So get in quick and book your tickets for this fun-filled evening of wine, food, and colour! See you there  Click here for more info and tickets.

Distraction

Let’s start with the easiest and most affordable method – distraction. Your main goal is to distract the attention away from your TV. The first step is to disguise your TV by painting the wall behind it in a darker colour. The second step is to use objects in the space with PULL POWER: contrasting prints staggered up the wall, books, photos, a feature coloured chair, vivid greenery, vivaciously loud cushions and so on.

Furniture arrangement

When you walk into your room does the furniture layout say “conversation zone” or is it purely arranged for watching TV? To pull off a social seating space, you need to have furniture facing each other in a layout conducive to having a good chinwag. There are many ways you can do this without making the space look cluttered. One options is to select a slim line sofa with legs and modest sized arms. Combine this with light versatile seating that can easily be moved closer like occasional chairs, ottomans, foot stools and oversized floor cushions.

Clever cabinets

I’ve seen some pretty cool feature cabinets that simply have hinged doors to conceal a TV. Check out these ideas!

Rightio, let’s get mechanical…

TV lift systems come in a myriad of options. They are generally recessed into a custom-made piece of furniture, or wall cabinetry. You simply push a button and hey presto, your TV lifts up and out of your cabinet top. You can even get TV lifts that come out of your floor, ceiling or for under your bed!

Another option is using a sliding panel mechanism. It allows you to hide your TV in a wall cavity or cabinet with sliding panels. You can get creative with this mechanism by attaching a piece of art as the sliding panel. When it’s closed, you’d never know there’s a TV hiding behind it.

I hope you found this helpful. As always, feel free to post your queries below and I’ll respond asap

The fireplace is the focal point of a living room. It’s often where the eye is first drawn, where people naturally gravitate, and where the conversation zone is arranged. Let’s take a look at how to show your fireplace the love it deserves and give it impact!

Artwork

When it comes to artwork above your fireplace, go large! Either have it perched on your mantel and leaning against the wall or hung approximately a hand span above your mantel. The key is not to hang it too high.

If your room lacks light, go for a large mirror that will reflect more light into the space. Isn’t this antiqued mirror gorgeous!

Lighting

Adding a row of warm down lights (like in the image below) works magic in adding drama to your fireplace. It will highlight any surface texture, such as brick or stone, and illuminate your artwork beautifully.

When it comes to artwork, select a light source with high colour rendering index (CRI 90+) as this will help to depict the true colours in your artwork. Light sources with low CRI tend to depict red as a muddy colour.

Making your TV a little less obtrusive

Having your TV above your fireplace can be awkward. For starters, it’s not good for your TV to be directly over the rising heat. The TV ends up being too high for optimum viewing, and it turns your TV into a focal point. However, this is unavoidable sometimes. If having your TV above your fireplace suits you and your family but you’d like to make it less of a focal point, I recommend painting the wall behind a dark grey or black so your TV blends in.

Old dated bricks

Painting over tired bricks looks fantastic! Whether it’s white, black, or a bold colour – just go for it! I prefer it to plastering over them as you retain the beautiful texture that brick offers. Of course, the feel that aged and unpainted brick gives off can be divine, so if you love your bricks au naturale, leave them be.

Styling

I love styling fireplaces in winter, it’s all about turning up the cosy factor to full tit!

– Place one or two baskets of wood or pinecones next to the fire (even if it’s a gas fire) so the smell of wood softly scents the air. You could have one basket with wood and the other with rolled up throws

– Finally, sprinkle around a bit of magic: several votives with tea light candles, some large urns with seed lights, or chunky candles

Do you have a burning question about your fireplace? Simply comment below and I’ll give you the answer! Looking forward to hearing from you.

Here are my top five tips to getting your curtains right.

Selecting the right pleat style

• If you like a plush and full look, go for a French pleat. This uses more fabric and therefore expect to pay more
• If budget is a factor, use a pencil, inverted or New York pleat as these use less fabric
• For a modern, clean look go no further than a wave heading
• For a casual, French Country look, a tab or tie heading will do the trick

Let the light in!

Order your track or rod at a customised length so it spans far enough either side of the glazing to allow your drapes to stack entirely off the glass. This ensures your view is unobstructed, maximum daylight enters your home and your curtain fabric is protected from sun damage.

Take full advantage of the height of your space

By taking your curtains right up to the ceiling you will extend the sense of height in your room, and who doesn’t want their room to look spacious. True no? As a rule of thumb, tracks and rods should be mounted at least 200mm above the architrave, and if you have a really high ceiling don’t be afraid to take them right up close to the ceiling line.

Down to the floor

Nothing screams luxury like puddling drapes. Ok so it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so if you’d prefer not to go for that look, at least let them relax on the floor by 10 – 20mm. Most fabrics absorb moisture and shrink during the dry months, and this will prevent a gap between the curtain and the floor – it’s like having your fav pair of pants shortened just that bit too much. Ouch!

Even if you have a half height window, take the curtains right down to the floor. It looks ten times better. Promise.

Track colour

Unless you have a feature rod that you’d like to be on show, match your track colour to your wall colour. This will seamlessly blend the track into the wall, allowing your drapes to be the wow factor.

Before we start, there are two events coming up at Studio Black worth calling home about.  Firstly, next week our designer Fabric and Flowers evening and then in early June, the Lou Brown Design Colour Workshop – both will be loads of fun so see you there!

Under the foot of your bed

There’s nothing better than hopping out of bed and sinking your feet into a soft, plush rug. Especially with the cooler months knocking at the door; it’s the perfect way to cosify your abode.

When placing a rug under the foot of your bed, you want the rug to extend at least 500mm either side and the foot of your bed. So for a queen or king bed, a standard 2000mm x 3000mm rug will work. If you have space, you could opt for two runners either side of your bed, rather than one at the foot.

Layer them

Layering rugs is a great way to add extra texture and warmth to your space. The key is to use a smaller rug over a bigger rug. You can either place the smaller rug, so it’s nicely centred over the larger rug or have a smaller rug (like a sheepskin) hanging off the larger one (this looks so cute and cosy in a nursery). Play around, have some fun and see what you like best – it’s easy!

Large is best

I recently went to a product launch at one my wholesalers, and they asked the room full of interior designers what we’d like to see more of. The response was united, we all want to see more large-scale rugs coming through the product ranges. People no longer want small rugs with furniture surrounding the edge; they want large rugs with furniture placed on the top and there’s a good reason for this – it looks amazing!

Yes you can use different rugs in the same room, here’s how…

You might have a large open area, where you’d like to define each space (dining and living) by using two rugs. The key is to have some sort of correlation between the rugs. Whether its texture, style, colour or pattern. For example, you could have two rugs that are different patterns but have a similar colour palette. Or you could have two rugs that have different colours but are the same style, and so on. Of course, whatever two rugs you select, they need to complement the palette of the room. Read on for more info…

Accent colour – restraint and balance

Pick at least one colour from your rug and reference this somehow in the rest of your furnishings. Don’t go overboard, just pick two elements. This picture below references the yellow in the rug beautifully, through the artwork and the light shade. When working with bright accent colours not only do you want to practice restraint, but also think about the distribution of colour. For example, in this picture, they’ve used yellow on the ceiling, the wall and the floor, evenly distributing the accent colour and giving the interior balance.

Looking forward to seeing you at Studio Black next week for our Fabric and Flowers evening and then at the Lou Brown Design Colour Workshop!

Still have a burning rug question? Ask me in the “leave a reply” section below and I’ll reply asap

Hayley x

Rightio – plants. Ok so, of course, you can kill them, but this line up of indoor plants are easy to look after, except the Maidenhair Fern which I just had to put in the mix because it looks so dam good!

I love plants, yeah sure they’re hot on trend at the moment, but that’s not why I love them. Plants instantly inject texture and colour into your interior, purify the air and welcome good energy into your home as long as they are kept in good knick. Let’s take a look at my favourite indoor plants, how not to kill them and how to style them.

Succulents

These textural beauties are SUPER easy to look after! You can get away with not watering them for two weeks and they won’t complain, making them the perfect set of training wheels for an amateur plant enthusiast.

Use a potting mix with good drainage (50/50 mix of potting mix/ pumice is ideal) and water now and then; once a week or once a month – they thrive on neglect. Some of my favourite succulents include the Snake Plant, Houseleek, Aloe, Sedum Angelina, Donkey Tail and Echevaria.

Pothos

These cascading beauties are great for adding height to a room. Place them somewhere high and watch them elegantly waterfall towards the ground. They survive with little light and watering. They can also be trained to creep sideways or upwards.

Baby’s Tears

Absolutely love this little gem. It’s so easy to grow and looks amazing planted inside glass bowls. Water it once a week and watch it grow before your eyes.

Eventually, this vigorous plant will outgrow its container and will start to lose a little of its former lustre. This is when you simply break it up into smaller chunks and replant into several new pots. It will sulk for a while, but just keep watering it and before you know it BOOM it’ll be outta control again.

Prayer plant

At night, this indoor plant folds up its leaves praying to mother earth, hence the name. During the day, it showcases its spectacular patterned foliage. Simply keep evenly moist and keep out of direct sunlight.

Maidenhair fern

As I said, this one is not an easy plant to look after, but I just love the dappled texture it brings to a space. It hates windy spots, being dry, dark positions and draughts. It loves regular feeding, being kept moist and a bright position out of direct sunlight.

A few styling tricks…

• The cool thing about plants is you can get away with putting all sorts of different varieties in the same room. Same goes for pots. Go a little nuts and experiment it’s fun and easy.
• Arrange your indoor plants at different heights; some grouped on the floor, one on a table, a row on a high shelf, a few hanging from the ceiling and so on. Kokedama are a great way to hang plants.
• Hanging plants high is a great way to draw the eye up and visually expand space.
• I’m not a fan of trays; they add unnecessary visual clutter. Select a container you’d like to be the show piece. Then plant your plant in a cheap black plastic pot with matching drip tray and place this inside your container, this way you won’t have to worry about water ruining your furniture or your plant roots rotting.

Check out my Pinterest board for loads more plant inspiration!

A few indoor plant maintenance tricks…

• Pop your plants in the rain for a good soaking every now and then; this will wash the pore blocking dust off the foliage and give them a much-needed boost.
• If an indoor plant ever completely drys out, submerge it in a bucket of water until the air bubbles stop, about 2-3 minutes. This will evenly wet the soil.
• Feed regularly with a liquid fertiliser (especially during the hot months). Don’t feed newly purchased plants until they are more established (wait a couple of months) as you can burn the roots.
• To prevent root rot, all pots need to have holes at the bottom so water can drain off.

Never miss a post by subscribing here and receive my latest post each week – the perfect read with a hit of caffeine! I’m also constantly updating my Facebook  and Instagram so you can keep up to date with my journey through the exciting world of interiors.

Bye for now,

Hayley x

Don’t forget, I’ve got my fabulous Colour Workshop coming up on Thursday 24^th March at 6:30 pm. Don’t miss out on this one ladies, I’ll give you confidence in the notoriously difficult to navigate world of paint colours – oh the choices! You’ll be a pro by the time I’ve finished with ya. Flick me an email to save your spot.

Yes! Autumn is just around the corner, so stop denying it and let me show you how to prepare for the cooler months with these simple tips. I know I shared a few of my tips on the Paul Henry show, but it’s a bit hard to get a word in, so here goes the full hog.

This season’s hot (and cool) colours!

I’m excited about the colours coming through this season. They are rich, luxurious and pack a punch! Moody deep blues, teal, dark green, grape purple, mustard yellow and burnt orange – yum yum yum. These colours are being expressed with soft sumptuous textures like velvet, fur and wool. For more on this season’s colour trends visit the  the Dulux 2016 Colour Forecast.

It’s not about redoing your interior each season, just swap out a few items that will give you a fresh look. It might be a couple of velvet cushions, a fur throw on the end of your bed or sofa, or few textured wool rugs chucked around the place. Look for key items that will make a big impact.

Bring nature indoors

Kiwi’s love the outdoors and bringing in seasonal elements throughout the year helps us to connect with the exterior. This autumn, grab some leaves, pinecones, seed pods or twigs and pop them in three large vases for the centre of your table with some chunky black and white candles.

Another trick is to chuck a wood basket next to your fireplace, whether it’s a wood burner or not. The smell and look of wood will inject cosiness into your interior – promise.

Rugs, rugs, glorious rugs

I love autumn/winter for two reasons; you can start pulling out all of your amazing wool jackets that have been cooped up in your wardrobe for the past 6 months, and the excuse to use rugs! Lots of rugs! Pop one in your undercover outdoor entertainment area, in your lounge, under the foot of your bed, under your dining table, down your hallway – you name it, rugs can go just about anywhere. Even layering rugs on top of rugs works!

Loads of candles

Candles create magic in a space! The gentle flickering of candles ooze comfort and cosiness. Cluster them in groups on a sideboard or your mantelpiece, dot a few lanterns around the floor and place a supersized candle on your coffee table. You might have a favourite bowl that you’d like to customise into a candle, Trenzseater in Parnell offers a service that will fill any vessel you like with wax and turn it into a candle. Brilliant.

Never miss a post by subscribing here and receive my latest post each week – the perfect read with a hit of caffeine! I’m also constantly updating my Facebook so you can keep up to date with my journey through the exciting world of interiors.

I find doing a simple exercise like this (critiquing an image of an interior that catches your eye) is the key to being able to style a room like a pro. It takes practice, and like anything, the more you do it the more you’ll learn – about key interior elements (balance, texture, height, colour, form) and your own sense of style.

Right. Let’s get cracking. So why does this interior work? Let’s take a look…

Colour crash

When you look at the furniture in isolation, the colours and patterns don’t really work together. They are all different and don’t interlink with each other like, say, a typical soft furnishings scheme would. However, in the context of the whole space, these furnishings cleverly pull out tones from the large piece of art on the wall. This is the perfect way to create a cohesive look without it all looking too “matchy matchy” or “showroomy.”

Black accents

Every room can do with a few items of black. Notice the black chandelier, black window joinery, black library ladder and black fire place. These items break up monotony by adding a burst of contrast – imagine the room without it! Yawn.

Floor rugs

The power of floor rugs are totally underestimated. In an open space like this, where there are two conversational zones (or seating areas) rugs are a VITAL way of anchoring each zone. No rugs, equals floating/lost furniture.

Clash of eras

Combining the modern with the traditional (also known as a transitional interior) is an easy way to achieve a timeless interior. So next time you’re thinking of throwing out grandma’s armchair, think again; could it work in my modern interior? In this interior they’ve achieved this look by combining traditional elements such as the mirror, fire place, seating and moldings with modern touches like the rug, fabrics, ottoman, artwork, industrial joinery and crisp white walls.

Height

This room has nailed it when it comes to height. As you scan the room your eye happily jumps from low to high. The use of an oversized mirror above the fireplace, artwork, chandelier and tall pot plant accentuates the height of the room. When you look around your room and everything is at a low level, you know you’re in trouble.

Never miss a post by subscribing here and receive my latest post each Sunday – the perfect read with a hit of caffeine! I’m also constantly updating my Facebook so you can keep up to date with my journey through the exciting world of interiors.

All the best,

Lou (Hayley)

Scale

People underestimate the power of scale in a room. If you have a space that is full of smaller knick knacks and accessories at eye level, break this monotony up by introducing a really large piece. Try a large urn, vase with a tall branch, a lamp or some chunky candle sticks. Furthermore, try accentuating their height by propping them up on a stack of books or a table. When you look around your space, your eye should jump around at various different heights taking in all of the wonderful elements, not remain on the same horizontal plane.

Get arty farty

One of my favourite go to online stores for prints is Society 6. We recently bought this awesome highland cow print for our studio and had it framed in NZ. When it comes to framing, the trick to making a piece of art look grander is to give it a really wide surround. Schwanky!

Get creative and take a punt with paint

Pick a wall (or an entire room) and take a risk. If there is normal to good natural light in a space then you have the licence to go as dark as you like. While we are here, I’m going to smash the myth that painting a small room dark makes it look smaller. If you keep your ceiling, trims, and furniture light then the dark paint will recess the walls further back making your space look airier and more spacious – anyway I’ll save tricks on how to make small rooms appear bigger for another day. You don’t have to go dark if that’s not your thing, perhaps a fresh natural hue floats your decorating boat? Whatever it is, just take the risk and try something new!

Go green

I know I always bang on about this, but greenery really is one of the best and easiest ways to inject freshness into your pad. Plants add much needed texture and vibrancy to a space. You can get away with using all sorts of different plants in all sorts of different pots in the same room.

Style your books

Rather than having all of your books upright (yawn) stack some horizontal, creating a series of perfect platforms for sculpture, candle sticks, vases etc. Try to give your books breathing space by separating them into smaller piles, this gives them a sense of importance, like they’re a piece of art themselves. Gaps also make great opportunities for displaying some of your favourite finds.

Coffee table love

A tray is always a good way to anchor your collection of coffee table goodies – there are some fab brass trays out there that would add instant glam factor to any space. Then start playing. Add a scented candle, some greenery, stacked books or mags, something sculptural and boom, nailed it! Whatever you use, try to aim for varying heights and use colours that reflect and compliment the rest of your room.

That’s it from me! Stay tuned and never miss a post by clicking the “follow blog” button below. I’m also constantly updating my Facebook so you can keep up to date with my journey through the exciting world of interiors.

Talk soon.

Huka Lodge, Kauri Cliffs, Matakauri Lodge – we’ve all seen images and wished we were there. The key to nailing the lodge look is getting the right balance between rustic and luxe. Let’s look at the most important elements to achieving this look.

Keep your colour palette reined in

Combine warm earthy paint colours with the natural tones of wood, stone, leather, fur and iron. One of my favourite colours is Eggshell Acrylic paint in Cardamon from Porter’s paints – to die for! Or if dark is your flavour, Karen Walker Resene Fuscous Grey is a lovely warm grey.  The secret, of course, is to keep your colour palette restrained; this also applies to your soft furnishings.

Go crazy with texture

Ok so you’ve kept your overall colour palette restrained, now you have the licence to go crazy and add interest with loads of layers of texture. Think a smooth low sheen wooden floor (an oiled finish will draw out the natural grain) layered with a soft rug that anchors your leather furniture. Add a sprinkling of woven wicker, luxe fur, deep velvet and slubby linen accessories and, finally, top it all off with a roaring fire framed in raw stone – ahhhh now that’s what I call rustic luxe!

Go big or go home

Go big! Add instant grandeur with one oversized pendant or chandelier and don’t be afraid to drop it low when it’s placed over a table. I’m constantly noticing gorgeous chandeliers that have been tucked up high into the ceiling – drop it like it’s hot!

Even your accessories need to be big! Oversized cushions (600 x 600mm), chunky candles, large table lamps (at least 700mm in height) urns, pots, and antlers and so on.

A lodge style living room has to have a bold focal point. Bulk your fireplace up with something substantial above the mantel; an oversized mirror, a large deer’s head or textured oil painting. But make sure this is grounded by a substantial mantel piece, something with weight. No point in having a bold statement above the fireplace when you have it anchored by a pathetic wafer thin mantel. True no?

Nail the lodge look with greenery

Finally, the lodge look, of course, is inherently inspired by nature so you can’t go wrong dotting an abundance of plants around. Again, try to go large – large pots, large arrangements, large vases and large plants.

So that’s it for me today, stay tuned and never miss a post by signing up to the Lou Brown Design blog. I’m also constantly updating my Facebook so you can keep up to date with my journey through the exciting world of interiors.

Also, have a flick through some of my fav lodge pics on my LODGE STYLE Pinterest board below – loads of pics to get the creative juices flowing!

Talk soon!

https://www.pinterest.com/loubrowndesign/lodge-style/

Paint Your Dining Room Walls Dark!

Deep moody walls softened with warm furnishings such as a wooden table, feature leather chairs and a sprinkling of metallic accessories balance each other out and create a wonderfully relaxed and cosy dining atmosphere.  Resene’s ‘Fuscous Grey’ and ‘Regatta’ (a deep blue) are some of my favourites for achieving this look.

Deep colours add a touch of elegance to a space, making it perfect for dining rooms and living rooms. Remember, never select colours based on a paint swatch. Paint a large patch (three coats) on your wall, it will give you a much better idea of what it’s REALLY going to look like in your space, giving you the opportunity to back pedal if need be!

Add Flowers or Plants

Magic happens when you add greenery! It’s amazing really how much it can change a room. Whether it’s flowers or plants, whether they’re real or faux, hanging, or on a table, your space will immediately come alive. A pop of vibrant green or a bouquet of colour is just what the doctor ordered on a dreary winter’s day! I love!

Layer Textures

When you look around, do you see plenty of interesting textures in your space? Or are most of your surfaces smooth? Wallpaper is a tried and true way to add texture to your space. I love adding natural textures and colours through the use of wall panel veneers (like these veneers pictured above from Muros) that mimic roughcast concrete, various stone and brick. These panels are easily installed and produce a timeless look.

Cladding walls in painted pressed tin panels or rough sawn reclaimed timber, or using a speciality paint such as Porters Paints ‘Fresco’ or ‘Liquid Zinc’ are also great ways to add texture and give your space that wow factor!

Incorporate furnishings that have a combination of different textures and finishes; shiny, matte, rough, smooth, patterned, plain etc. Simply continue layering until you feel the room has enough and feels like home – voilà!

Feature Pendant Lights

One piddly light over your dining table just won’t do. One of the easiest tricks in the book is to place over your table either a group of small to medium pendants or one supersized pendant. This instantly makes your dining room more cosy and impressive. Get creative by turning just about anything into a light; a vintage bucket, vase etc. Chelsea Lighting in Glenfield will be able to help you with this.

If you’d like to see more of my Interior Design Tips and to keep up to date with what is happening in the exciting world of interiors, be sure to visit and LIKE my Lou Brown Design Facebook Page and sign up to my free monthly newsletter below.