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Ask Décor Diva: Does Blue Go With My Brown Leather Sofas?
Christina recently contacted The Design Tabloid to ask our resident Décor Diva some advice…
Christina asks:
“I’m trying to jazz up my sitting room. I have two dark brown leather sofas which I love, and two big Morris chairs with loose cushions back and bottom. These need re-covering and I want to them to be the focus to pull everything together – so new upholstery on the chairs = new scatters for the couches, new rug. I can’t bear beige and shades of cream and brown (dogs and cats don’t help) but I love jewel colours and would like to go deep blue. Question: does blue go, do I need to pick a patterned, textured fabric for the chairs that would feature brown somehow to link with the couches.
Many thanks – I have just discovered your site and really like your approach. Not scary at all.“
Décor Diva says:
One thing I am pleased to hear is that our blog does not scare you off. Nice to know that we are regarded as approachable.
I have to start off by saying that not having an image of the actual room and style of your sofa makes this reply very general. But I guess the purpose is to give you an indication of where to drive your thoughts.
More to the point though is the fact that your query is whether or not your favoured colour choice of deep blue will work with your dark brown leather sofas? The answer to that is a definite YES it will. In fact Indigo blue and jewel blues will work very well with brown. You can even consider introducing a some warm tones like a Tangerine Tango colour to add dimension and warmth.
It is always best to work from the floor upwards in terms of décor layers. In your case, this would be your rug. If you are brave enough, I would suggest you consider something with Moroccan, Aztec, or Navajo patterns, which include the colours I mentioned earlier. Kilim is super trendy once again. Then keep an element of fun going, by continuing on with pattern on your Morris chair cushions. I would say that a narrow striped fabric, with chenille or velvet type texture would work well – the stripes can be drawn from the colours in the rug. What you could also consider is using the stripes as the main fabric, and mixing that in with a matching plain fabric for the border.
Then have loads of fun with your scatter cushions patterns and textures. Again draw the colours out of the rug. Mix in plain fabrics, with geo fabrics, with retro patterns, with stripes and then very tactile textures fabrics as well. Not too many scatters – they will literally be scattered around if too many. If your budget allows you, please consider using a feather mixture for these scatter inners. Vary these cushions in size and shape. Pop a rectangular scatter on each of the Morris chairs as well.
Re-upholstery always presents a perfect opportunity of going about introducing your personal style in colours, patterns and texture. My advice to you would be to take your time in going about doing your research and sourcing – create a mood board using fabric samples, images of pattern, rugs, whatever you can find that represents the colours and patterns you want to introduce. Once you have that settled, go out and shop. Best of luck and enjoy the process!
Love, Rose x x x
Design Titbit:
Online image websites like Pinterest is an invaluable tool when creating mood boards or collecting interior inspiration. Marica & I use Pinterest when working on a specific design project – gathering concept images & fabric samples and general style aspirations unto one board. I you find an image on the web that you like or would work for your décor project be sure to “pin” it – soon you will have a whole board with gorgeous inspirations. Below are some images from Pinterest we have pinned that can work for Christina in some way or another (in a “that chair” with “this rug” in “that colour” kind of way)…
Click on the images below to view it in Pinterest and to see the relevant image sources:
Related articles
- Ask Décor Diva: Ideal Cushion Arrangement? (thedesigntabloid.com)
- Ask Décor Diva: Renovating Bedroom Cupboards? (thedesigntabloid.com)
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Ask Décor Diva: Ideal Cushion Arrangement?
Raylene recently contacted The Design Tabloid to ask our resident Décor Diva some advice…
Raylene asks:
“I have two 2-seater neutral sofa’s and 2 wing-back chairs in my living room. I have bought new scatter cushions: a few striped, a few coordinating florals and a few plain.
My question is should the cushion arrangement be exactly the same on both the sofa’s or can I simply mix-and-match?“
Décor Diva says:
I would say go the mix-and-match route. You don’t want your décor to look like ‘paint-by-numbers‘.
Were I to be present there with you, I would probably play around a bit and have fun doing it. I would fiddle with the cushions as I mixed them up, until I hit a combination that I felt satisfied with. Then in all probability, in about a fortnight’s time I would fiddle again. That is the total beauty of scatter cushions. Just adopt a playful attitude and you will find a combination that will sit well with you. Even if in the end it does pan out that you landed up with the same arrangement on all the seats. At least you know that you went through the process of elimination.
Enjoy the process.
Love, Rose x x x
Design Titbit:
If you have a neutral or plain sofa like Raylene it is a good idea to have a complementing and well-balanced selection of plain, striped and patterned cushions. It adds interest and dimension to an otherwise boring space. Just a fair warning to not over do it – cushion are supposed to aid comfort and a sofa swimming in scatters are more of an irritant then anything else.
Image – Linen House SA: here
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It’s A Goal!
It was only a few years ago that I discovered that January is the international goal setting month of the year. Or so it seemed then and still seems this year. Almost all types of business blogs and others seem to focus on getting your goals for the years sorted, and then chunking it down to smaller bite size pieces. I even got introduced to the South Africa’s “Fairy Godmother”, Donna McCallum, last year when listening to our local talk radio show. And this year was no exception for the re-appearance of the Fairy Godmother and her magic wand that she waves over you to motivate you into reaching your goals.
South Africa's own Fairy Godmother, Donna McCallum.
So, I am not exactly the Fairy Godmother, but I rather fancy the idea of waving my magic wand in your direction, to inspire you to re-visit your interior spaces, with a view to setting some goals that will usher in some fresh elements to office or home.
Marica and I so often have these awesomely interesting discussions around interiors and I have wished that it could be more public so that many others could draw the benefit of these as well. One of the topics that we touched on in length last year was the fact that we get so accustomed to living with stuff, that we don’t even begin to notice that the curtains are fading, or that the clutter is growing on the desk, or that our décor is beginning to date, developing a rather stale appearance.
So, let’s join that “IT’S A GOAL” mob and set a few goals re: the interior design and décor of your space right now – it is January after all.
Goals should apparently be SMART: (My response to that is: of course they are smart – they originate from me and that makes them smart).
Seriously though, that acronym looks like this:
S – SPECIFIC
M – MEASURABLE
A – ATTAINABLE
R – RELEVANT
T – TIME – BOUND
Here goes:
1. The “research” phase: – get into the décor mags and those online décor blogs, just so that you can see what is out there in terms of trends, colour, style and what the retailers have to offer. Remember – the objective is to keep your décor fresh and vibrant.
Décor books, mags and blogs are an excellent source of style inspiration and to point you in the right décor direction. Image via The Paper Pony
2. Grab hold of a pen and a notebook. Then take a slow stroll through your house or office. Do it room by room – slowly.
3. Stop and take a long look around the room. Remember to view the room through new and creative “lens” and particularly with a view to bringing in “freshness”.
4. Note all the things that have bugged you terribly in the past and which have become the things that are put off being done. That then becomes the “priority list” items on the “TO DO LIST“. Then note all the things that would be on your “wish list”.
Organize your inspirational décor images & create a concept board. Image via House Beautiful
5. Don’t make it an unattainable and unrealistic wish list – rather focus on that which you know could be easy to do and that which would not break the bank to buy.
6. After you have covered each room, chunk it down even further (this I have discovered is a well worn cliché in the “goal setting” scenario).
As an example: After having been through my house, I instinctively know that my bedroom is the one room that needs the most refreshing work done in it.
7. Next step after chunking down do a short list of “TO DO GOALS” - set out a list of no more than four actions that need to be achieved. E.g. – “paint 2 walls a contrasting colour. And – freshen scatters with new fabrics.”
8. Thereafter; chunk those actions down into the real “stuff to get” list. E.g. – select paint colour, – chunk it down further, asking questions like, WHO (will paint) WHERE (to buy paint) and WHAT (colour paint). In terms of say scatters; WHAT (fabrics & patterns) WHERE (will I buy); etc. STICK WITH THE LISTS – IT HOLDS YOU ACCOUNTABLE AND RE-INFORCES THE ACTIONS.
The mighty "To Do List". This funky printable To-Do list can be downloaded for free from A Pair of Pears. (Image link 7)
9. Now that you know exactly what it is you need to do and also to buy, SET YOURSELF A BUDGET. Put a figure next to each line item and try to stay within those confines. This alleviates emotional and impulse spending
10. LASTLY – set yourself a realistic time frame in which to perform and complete this task. I would recommend no longer than three months. Just to circumvent boredom. Long term goals are different animals, but that does not exclude them.
These tips are not foolproof by any means, but I reckon that it is a step in the SMART direction.
…
ENJOY YOUR INTERIORS AND BE INSPIRED.
Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
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A reflection on 2011…
And we’re back! I hope everyone had a splendid festive season – I sure had a smashing time. To ease ourselves back into the blogging groove and to kick off the new year, we’d like to share with you some stats on our blog’s activity in 2011.
Did you know that we wrote 109 new blog posts this past year and uploaded a grand total of 707 images – not too shabby! Rose and I watched with absolute glee as our blog following and interaction steadily grew this past year. Our busiest blog day of 2011 was the 14th of December which was the day we posted our Christmas greeting (you must have liked seeing our faces, lol)! We are happy to see that most visitors came from South Africa (thanks for representing Mzansi, local is lekker), and interestingly enough the United States and United Kingdom were not far behind!
The stats indicate that the most popular posts that got the abounding views in 2011 are…
1. Décor Diva: To Paint Or Not To Paint in which Rose discuss the current trend of painting vintage furniture pieces.
2. Design Indaba 2011 Through Rose Coloured Glasses where Rose recaps her visit to the 2011 Design Indaba and lists the products and designs that impressed her most.
3. Décor Dictionary: Recycling & Upcycling attempts to define the rather elusive terms, recycling and upcycling - specific to the design industry.
4. In Tretchikoff: The People’s Painter we pay tribute to the “king of kitsch”. Rose and I really enjoyed the Vladimir Tretchikoff exhibition in Cape Town.
5. In Spice Up Your Interior With Some Quirky Stools I selected a handful of awesome locally designed South African stools. These babies are stunning feature pieces.
Rose and I also sat down and discussed our personal favourite blog posts of 2011…
Rose said:
“I guess that this “looking back” should actually have been a task undertaken at the close of 2011. But as with every year, buy the time we hit December, the days just melt one into another and before you know it the doors of the business have closed for that well deserved summer break.
Besides for which, it is just so much better to sit down and take your time browsing through the posts of the past year with a clear and fresh mind. I have to say that I found it difficult to narrow my choices down to 3 – 5 posts, because there were quite a few that really caught my eye again. There were a few topics that did however jump out at me as having been noticeable for their own reasons. Here goes:
Marica’s “Get The Look“ articles are always such a pleasure. Two tickled my fancy – the Industrial Chic and the Nautical Bedroom. Somehow or other, that just manages to stir up that “lust-have” feelings within me.
Naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed the Décor Diva posts – I managed to sprout off my opinion on a few décor issues that niggled at me. Some topics I thought worthy of putting out there for comment and input. There were three in this category: 1. “Wallpaper – To be or Not To Be”; 2. “Damask is Dead”; 3. “Décor Diva: To Paint Or Not To Paint“
Two others that struck a cord with me – The Royal Wedding and all those totally gorgeous goodies that came onto the market as a result and the article on our own popular artist, Tretchikoff. Marica and I attended that exhibition. It was a real “call back the past” experience for me as I grew up with Tretchikoff being a household name, a bit of a mysterious figure, who managed to get the locals talking about his particular lifestyle.” 
On my part – like Rose, I also enjoyed the Get The Look posts as well as the Colour-Coded Inspiration posts – they are tremendous fun to put together. I also really like the Design Indaba 2011 report back – loved writing about local talent like Design Kist and Raw.
I generally enjoy all our Décor Dictionary posts, it’s such fun to hunt down décor and design terms and definitions to share with you – always short and sweet!
However, my favourite post of 2011 would have to be our report on the beautiful Cuvée restaurant at Simonsig wine farm. I was almost giddy with excitement when I came across this breathtaking beauty design by Neil Stemmet of Koncept Design.
As we attempt to build on the strong foundation of last year, we intend bringing you more opinions, people, tips, dictionaryterms, places and interesting goodies.
We will look at trends, expo’s such as Design Indaba & Decorex C T; additional info on wall finishes and plenty, plenty more. Rose will also dish the dirt on her favourite interior hobby horse: hotel interiors (mainly local). Also keep your eyes peeled for a feature by one of our favourite contributors, James Russell on “toile” design (COMING SOON)!
Thanks for all your wonderful support during 2011 and STAY WITH US, we promise to deliver the goodies.
Is there anything design and décor related you would like to see us writing about – any local person, place, space, query – let us know – WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
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Window Treatments 101: Roman Blinds
We recently kicked off the series “Window Treatments“, painting a bit of a historical background picture, just to set the scene for the future articles.
For those of us living in the Southern Hemisphere spring is making way for those hot summer days. Our interior lifestyle begins to swing with it, as we go about the business of creating cool spaces to rattle around in.
Speaking for myself, I find that the seasons definitely impact on my window treatments. In winter all I want to do is hibernate indoors, pull shut the heavy draped curtains to block out all consciousness of the bleak cold and wet weather. The “bear-effect“.
Sheer curtains are a must for summer!
In summer just as we strip away the layers of clothing, so I feel like I want to strip away the layers on the windows in order to create more of that feeling of “openness”. Light-weight sheer fabrics for curtains – unlined naturally – that hang from a silver metal pole, so that when the breeze comes up, it gently lifts the curtain and plays with it.
The other ‘”less is more” option in terms of dressing a window are blinds that are either fitted into the window recess or externally if on installed on a door opening.
Some pretty plain-fabric Roman Blinds - perfect in bathroom setup. Image via: Urbaneblinds.co.uk
The varieties of blinds available today are just amazing. Today I will open up one of the old favourites:
ROMAN BLINDS: These are normally made using a fabric and they are lined with a plain white or cream fabric as a rule. However, that does not mean that you are restricted to plain fabric linings. The only reason that a plain sateen fabric is used for lining is due to the fact that this is the fabric that will be visible from outside the house. The rule of thumb is to have all the curtains lined with the same fabric to retain a coherent exterior view when the curtains or blinds are drawn. It does begin to look a bit like a patchwork quilt if there are a variety of fabrics seen from the outside.
The other purpose of a lining is that it protects the main fabric from dust and dirt that penetrates through open windows. It also serves to protect the front fabric from the fading that happens with exposure to ultra-violet light.
You will find a lot of easy DIY Roman Blind tutorials on the net. Like this one from the Adventures in Dressmaking blog.
I cannot possibly go into the details of how these blinds are put together in the workshop, as that is just not my thing. If that is where your interest lies, I would suggest that a good google session will help you out there.
Suffice to say that these blinds are drawn up and down by means of a group of string cords thread through plastic eyelets.
The Roman Blind can itself be treated in a decorative way – such a having different shapes at the bottom, which can also be finished (or trimmed as we call it in the trade) with a piping cord. This piping cord can be covered either using the same fabric, or a contrasting colour.
A rebated curtain rod / pole. The curtain rail or blind baton is then fixed into the recess. This is a neat and elegant way of dealing with those unsightly curtain rails.
For a good many years now, the top of the roman blind (which is attached to a wooden or metal baton) can have the added feature of a covered wooden pole (either in same or contrast fabric). Or it can be painted to work in with the main body of colour in the fabric. This wooden pole has a small rebate cut out in it, into which the top of the blind fits. Very neat.
I like this finish as it completes the picture somewhat, making the blind look as if it is falling from under the pole.
Choose a nice funky and simplistic fabric design for a contemporary Roman Blind. Avoid a busy or "cluttered" pattern. These pretty blinds are via JohnLewis.com
In the 1980’s and first half of the 1990’s when the Laura Ashley country style was very popular we saw the resurgence of this blind as a window treatment. Here in South Africa Biggie Best adopted the same décor style and roman blinds were everywhere to be found.
As the “less is more” style moved in, the younger generation were less inclined to adopt their mom’s country style. Today although roman blinds are still to be found, the popularity has dwindled – like most trends.
The advantage of the Roman Blind is that you can have the fabric of your choice made up to fit the window in a less fussy manner to that of a curtain. Certain windows like those in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, staircases, smaller and narrower windows are more suitable to blinds and this is where the roman blind can work well.
These stunning sheer Roman Blinds allows for privacy without loosing too much light. Image via Blinds by Bayliss
The disadvantage of Roman Blinds is that fabrics need to be washed. That can be quite a little exercise when you have to take the blind down and then re-install. Invariably you will need the assistance of a professional curtain installer. Other disadvantages – when the eyelets perish and break – the cording system is affected. You will find you have a wobbly and lopsided blind when drawn up.
Naturally as a decorator you work with the likes and dislikes of your client, but I have to admit that I have moved away from the Roman Blind window treatment. My preference now – “less fuss is best”.
Next time we will look at the rest of the wide variety of blinds as window treatments…
Images via: Sheer Curtains: left & right Bathroom Blinds: here DIY Roman Blind: here Curtain Pole: left & right Funky Roman Blinds: here Sheer Roman Blinds: hereRelated articles
- Window Treatments 101 – A Quick History (thedesigntabloid.com)
