Caxton magazines staffTired of your living room? Kirsten Di Clemente and Brenda Payne from Slate Interiors show how easy it is to update the decor and colour scheme just by changing a few key accessories
We used a classic neutral sofa as the starting point for creating three distinct looks,” explain decor fundis Kirsten Di Clemente and Brenda Payne of Slate Interiors. When choosing a sofa, opt for one in a neutral hard-wearing fabric rather than a trendy design that’ll date quickly, advises the team. “You can then change the look by adding accessories. The obvious way is with scatter cushions and objets d’art. To add an extra layer of interest, turn the wall treatment into a feature by adding a dado rail and painting the top and bottom in different colours or by wallpapering one of the sections.”
COPPER AND CORAL
The mood: warm and inviting
The look: “Rose gold and copper are hot colours at the moment, so we sourced beaten-copper elements and enhanced them with coral-pink accents to create a trendy yet liveable look. We selected velvet in copper and pink shades for the scatters, as this fabric always adds a touch of luxury. Take the look one step further with woven grasscloth wallpaper above the dado rail.”
*Sofa covered in Loom – Linen fabric by Home Fabrics. Rug by Hertex. Chivasso Monsoon wallpaper by Home Fabrics, scatter with beading detail, light-pink velvet scatter in York 31 by U&G Fabrics, copper-hued velvet scatter in Canyon by Home Fabrics, copper-finish side table, all Slate Interiors. Copper anglepoise lamp, beaten copper bowl, and Karlsson clock, all The Light Shed.
CHOCOLATE AND CREAM
The mood: tribal chic
The look: “Instead of using black and white, we chose a more contemporary chocolate and cream palette. To create a richly layered setting with tribal undertones, we added patterned fabrics and unusual touches like leather corners on one of the scatters and African woven baskets against the walls, and swapped the side tables for a pair of rusty-looking ones.”
*Coloured glass vase, scatter in Home Fabrics Loom – Linen with leatherette corners in Casual Chic, Chesterfield, Cocoa by Home Fabrics, plain scatter in Relax, Victory, Linen by Home Fabrics, patterned scatter in Carlucci Nomande by Home Fabrics, all Slate Interiors. Side table, La Grange Interiors. Beads, Weylandts. Square lamp and base, knitted throw, woven white baskets, all The Gatehouse at Mavromac.
TEAL AND FRESH GREEN
The mood: cool and tropical
The look: “This fun ensemble was inspired by UK fashion designer Matthew Williamson’s botanical fabric range and has a fresh conservatory feel to it. Although we added quirky elements like the parrot lamp base and mirror, we restricted the accessories to white, so that the scatter cushion fabrics take centre stage.”
*Teal scatter in Velvet Couture Scuba by Home Fabrics, tropical-pattern scatter in Matthew Williamson Bird of Paradise from Home Fabrics, mint patterned scatter in Designers Guild Zeno Pale Jade from Home Fabrics, mirror, all Slate Interiors. White glass-top table and ceramic parrot lamp, both Block & Chisel. White vase, Studio W at Woolworths. Aqua print box, The Light Shed.
