Add a Pop of Colour to your Space

Meridan Plains Dining & Living Room

Lately, I did some decorating for a retired client who had recently bought a 4-bedroom home and needed the lounge and dining room decorated. Bright and clean with minimal furniture was the look she was after with two things high on her wish list; lots of room to move about, and bold pops of colour!

Now, I’m quite the opposite of a minimalist. I’m into ‘more’ of everything; colours, shapes, textures, patterns, accessories, and more accessories -a maximalist through and through! That being said, I have no problems exercising the restraint needed to pull off a quieter style by using the bare essentials in furniture while creating points of focus with statement pieces.

I totally enjoyed this decorating job! Despite wanting to keep things simple, my lovely client and I share the same love of contemporary decor with bold geometric patterns and colours so I was sold from the start! With this aesthetic in mind we worked together to create her desired look for the two areas and she loved the results.

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Wishlist

• Bright and airy feel
• Red and green accents
• Fabric arm-chair in bright colours and bold patterns
• Breakfast Bar overlooking the garden
• Recliner sectional sofa
• Pet-friendly furnishings
• Recycling of decor, wall art and personal mementos collected during various trips abroad

Living and Dining Room Changes

• Walls in the house were previously painted beige which we freshly painted white to brighten the whole house. Both spaces got light grey feature walls, as ‘dark’ as my client was willing to go.
• Old vertical blinds were replaced with curtains to soften the rooms
• New furnishings, including custom furniture, were added to the spaces

Let me share the key considerations in the two spaces I decorated, as well as places to source items.

Dining

Breakfast Bar

My client was particular about having a breakfast area by the window where she could dine during the day while looking into her garden. It was such a tough mission finding the perfect table with dimensions to suit the space/purpose, bearing in mind our intention to leave ample moving-about room. The tables were either too long, too tall, too wide or too deep; who knew it would be this hard?! Our fruitless search led to custom making the breakfast bar table to the exact dimensions we wanted which is something I recommend; budget allowing, custom make specific furniture pieces to suit specific purposes where needed. The guys at Image Business Furniture did an amazing job giving us exactly what we were looking for.

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We bought bar stools to suit and these were re-upholstered with a bright geometric patterned fabric which my client fell in love within a minute of laying eyes on it. These gorgeous stools were bought from Just Barstools, available in many colours and finishes so can be built to suit personal preferences.

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Living Room

Like the dining, the lounge was a blank canvas before we decorated. Once again my client wanted it very simple with a few essentials: Electric recliner sofa, coffee/side tables and entertainment unit. TIP: Choosing a neutral shade for the sofa allowed us the freedom to play with bold colours for the accent pieces without everything being too overbearing. Neutral light filtering and block out curtains installed by Lindy’s Curtains & Blinds replaced the vertical blinds, making such a huge difference in the space. We continued the colour theme of red and green here using mainly green accessories with little splashed of red.

Accent Chair

Not only was the accent chair intended as a statement piece but also as a tie in factor for both the lounge and dining areas. The same fabric (from Fabric Traders) was used to re-cover the chair; this is what it looked like before its makeover:

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Upholstery work for the bar stools and accent chair was done by Cover Story Upholstery

A vital part of any decor is accessories, particularly soft furnishings.

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And always throw in some personal treasures and mementos. It’s the key to turning a house into a home.

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Is the bright and light minimal look your thing? Or perhaps you’re a lover of colours and patterns? I’d love to work with you or just hear your thoughts. Please feel free to contact me if you have any supplier questions as well. 

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