Find the answers to all of your decorating dilemas and stay up-to-date with the latest Interior trends.

Bright colours continue to be a key look for 2010.  As predicted in our trend forecast last year (colour blocking feature) we are now starting to see this trend really come to light.  Nearly all of the high street stores, including BHS, Matalan, Next, Marks & Spencer & Habitat, have a bright and confident collection that will launch over the next few months.  If you want to create the look but are a bit scared of committing to a large piece of bright furniture then why not start out with some accessories to see how well they work within your room.  This will also avoid any costly mistakes.

Credits: Glass vases, mugs, clock, plastic tubs, cake stands all from the lovely Hambledon; yellow lamp, orange stool and yellow cube all from Habitat

Below are some fantastic examples of adding bright pieces of furniture.  If you live in a home with a neutral colour palette, this makes the perfect backdrop for introducing splashes of vibrant furniture such as dining chairs or a sofa.  You can see below how well these orange chairs work within this white kitchen.  Not only do they make a statement but they also bring personality and style to the room.  The same applies with the lime green sofa and chairs.  Although the sofa is not to my taste, you can see how successful the scheme is.

Credits: White & orange room: open-space-interior-design1234.freshhome, lime and white room: open-space-interior-design1234.freshhome

Credit: Bedding from Really Linda Barker

I am quite excited about this new Jigsaw homeware range as it’s the first time they  have branched out into interiors.  Well known for their muted and delicate colour palette in their fashion collections, Jigsaw will be looking to carry this same theme through into their new homeware range and it looks set to be rather special…It’s going to be available through House of Fraser  from early February 2010.

These images show examples of their new bedlinen collection which will consist of high quality cotton and linen which has been inspired by the British eccentricity.

Here is what they have to say….The collection has a distinctly British feel and features several designs inspired by Jigsaw clothing or iconic branding. The Wobble Spot design features the distinctive blue and white Jigsaw dot which fans of the brand will recognise as the print on wrapping paper used in stores. For a current fashion reference, the neutral coloured CapuletVegas cushion features another reference to Jigsaw’s fashion history with folded silk embellishment inspired by the Vegas clutch bag from the 2009 collection. Available in gold, silver or blush pink, there’s a Vegas cushion to mix or match to every design in the collection.

It was another busy week for Pippa Jameson Interiors.  Amongst lots of styling and Blog news (that I will post about later) myself and a few other bloggers and journalists we were invited to have breakfast with the lovely Claudia Winkleman.

Claudia is the new face for American Express Richer Rewards card and during the informal breakfast we chatted to Claudia (who is exactly as you would expect her to be, very funny and warm) about the new card whilst getting an insight into her busy life.  As you can imagine, there were lots of questions about Claudia’s sense of style and ‘Strictly’ before we got to talk about the card… (more…)

This glamorous look is so now now now! It’s all about brights and the best thing is it’s all from the very affordable BHS.

The basic rule to apply when decorating is to stick to a maximum of two colours (you can use various shades of this colour within the scheme) and then introduce a third texture for the furniture.  In this image they have used glass but white high gloss or modern dark wood furniture would have worked equally as well.  You can buy all the items in store now.

(more…)

Well, I am now back from all of my shoots and feel exhausted, but happy that they all went well.  First we worked on the TV commercial for CSL sofa’s.  Some of the crew flew out to New York to film the city scenes and then the rest was shot in the Film Studio…sadly I didn’t go to New York :0(

(more…)

Here is the moodboard I designed for the pop stills shoot I am working on.  I always design them for shoots as it provides a good visual for all the team (make-up artist, photographer client etc).  This particular shoot is for an up and coming singer and the shots will be used for her album cover as well as promotional material.  The moodbaord should represent; attitude, confidence and beauty all in one.  The location will be The Cinnabar in Manchester and is being shot by photographer Simon Iredale who wants to go for a David LaChapelle feel.

More pics to follow after shoot…

Styled roomset: for Real Homes magazine

South American colour scheme

Photograph: Lizzie Orme

With all this doom and gloom around due to the credit crunch, I thought I would post some bright colour schemes to brighten things up.  If you are bored of the neutral colours adorning the magazine pages then liven things up with hot South American tones .  The image above was inspired from a trip to Cuba. I styled the shoot with photographer Lizzie Orme and then it was published in Real Homes magazine.

Paint: To create the look use colours confidently with strong green,  bold blue and hot pink and team them with lighter colours such as soft lime and cool cream for furnishings and accessories.  There are several paint suppliers you can use to acheive the look: The  Serenity collection at Craig & Rose offers a good selection.  Dulux paints have a Rich collection that offers vibrant colours perfect for this scheme.  Their selection of ‘blue’ paints are especially stunning.

The Brief

We are two female colleagues starting a new business in Wedding Photography. For about 4 years, the space has been used as an office for a photographer’s agent and a photographer. The room has always been (invisibly) split down the middle to accommodate the two businesses. At present there is no order to the room and boxes are on the floor everywhere.

The new business will be the two of us working together on the wedding business but also running our own businesses at the same time. We therefore need to look like we are working together but also have the space to run our separate affairs. Basically, we don’t want to be on top of eachother, if you know what I mean!

We want to be able to bring clients to the office to show them our work and our products. We were hoping we may be able to fit in a small sofa and a coffee table. The storage therefore needs to be tidy and attractive. We would really like to have shelves that also hold lovely books, and other products that ’say’ we are in the creative industry, as well as the obvious photography.

We also want the room to be ’softened’. The white walls are very corporate and bare, so maybe we can have a colour on one wall. The lighting is terrible – strip lights in up-lighting constructions! See the pic showing the side walls. There is a great window down one side of the room that is a wonderful feature, I think. The carpets are standard tile mats, dark blue in colour – these can’t be moved but rugs could be an option.

• First choose the wall colour. Opt for a pale blue or green. Farrow & Ball and Dulux have some great colours
• Create some affordable and bespoke artwork for the wall. The pictures below were very easy to make. Buy three small canvases, rip out some vintage style images from magazines (fashion pages always look good). Lay them on top of the canvas and paint with PVA glue as this will act as a clear sealant. When the glue is dry, hang the pictures in a row of three vertically or horizontally
• Invest in a fabric dressmakers dummy. These look fantastic in the bedroom and if you can afford it, the older the better. Not only do they add a vintage touch to the room but they can be used to hang a favourite dress or all of your necklaces
• Buy some old fabric rose lights (anything other than fabric can look tacky). Hang them over a bedstead, round a wardrobe or over a window

Photographer: Lizzie Orme

Moroccan tea glasses make great toothbrush holders and will brighten up a plain white sink.  If you have a small side table in the bathroom then cover it with a striking runner.  Keep a note book in the bathroom as not only will it add a splash of colour but also come in handy when you remember all the things that you need to do whilst relaxing in the bath!

Photographer: Lizzie Orme