Season’s Greetings From Design Monarchy

December 17, 2020 Rose McClementLeave a comment

Wishing all our readers and friends a Merry Christmas and a joyous festive season!

Festive Season is upon us. Can you believe it?

“Can you believe it… it’s the end of 2020 already?” “Christmas is literally around the corner!” “Where did the year
disappear to?” If, like me, you are reading plenty of Festive Season greeting emails you could well be muttering the same well-worn phrases!

Every single year, without fail, once we have passed the end of June (the year’s halfway mark) – the days, weeks, months just melt one into the other. Then – BOOM! – before we know it, it’s time for the annual shut down. Every year, at this time, just before we are about to shut our office doors for that well-deserved time out, I feel like the lead-up and the arrival of Christmas takes me by surprise – AGAIN!! I guess it could have something to do with the fact that as soon as the end of September has swung around, our industry busy season kicks in. Or, MAYBE, it’s just a game that Xmas likes to play with me.

I had intended to say something about what an exceptional and strange year 2020 has been. However, Marica kinda reminded me that in our recent email newsletters, I had already kicked-off with a chirp about 2020. So, I had to stop and consider, what is it I would really like to say about 2020?

I think it would be short and sweet: IT IS A YEAR I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET!

It reminds me of 1994, the year South Africans had their very first democratic elections. Previously disenfranchised folk stood for hours, in long snaking queues, to cast their vote for the first time. That too is a year I will never forget.

So, without any further ado, allow me to thank you for being such faithful readers and supporters of The Design Tabloid. Know that we deeply appreciate your presence. THANK YOU SO MUCH! See you on the other side of this unforgettable year in January 2021.

We have lovely plans for 2021. Plans hatched many years ago but found plenty of momentum in 2020. I guess that is one thing we can thank 2020 for.

KEEP CALM AND STAY SAFE.

Ciao, Rose and Marica

P.S. I would so very much love to hear what your short and sweet response to the year 2020 would be? Did you manage to hatch any plans for 2021? Love to hear about those too!

Our studio will be closed for business from 18th of December 2020 and will reopen the 13th of January 2021. Ergo, The Design Tabloid and our social media accounts will slow its pace a bit in terms of posts.

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Frame vector created by BiZkettE1 – www.freepik.com

7 Home Decorating Items & Decisions We Regret

September 9, 2020 Design Monarchy2 Comments

by Marica Fick & Rose McClement

Earlier this week I read an article on Apartment Therapy that set the hamster wheel in my head spinning. The title grabbed me immediately: “3 Common Home Items I Wish I Never Bought”. In the post freelance writer, Sarah Lyon, shared that her past home decorating efforts has been accompanied by a fair dose of regret.

Sarah goes on to explain that while some treasured purchases have found a permanent place in her home, others left her with a bad taste in the mouth after a few short months. Her regrets include: cheesy, cliched wall art, cheap wine glasses, and pieces that are “too nice”.

While we did not entirely agree with all of her laments, it did spark an interesting office conversation. So here is Design Monarchy‘s list of home decorating items and decisions we regret…

Beautiful Vinyl Floor — We would opt for a beautiful good-quality vinyl floor above carpet in a heartbeat. | source: Godfrey Hirst via Instagram

Wall-to-Wall Carpet:

The first item on our home decorating regret list is one both Rose and I can’t wait to say “goodbye and good riddance” to. Wall-to-wall carpets. Until recently, opting for carpets throughout the home has been such an ingrain and default choice in home decorating.

We found that carpets take such an effort to clean and maintain in the long run. It just does not have the physical and aesthetic longevity that some other floor finishes have. No matter how regularly you vacuum and deep-clean your carpet, it still becomes a dirt and odour trap – especially if you have pets or little kiddos.

The carpets in my home are a real eye-sore. It was gorgeous when first installed but now it looks grubby no matter what we do. We have had it cleaned SO many times with no real improvement. And these were good quality, high traffic carpets!

Now, don’t get us wrong – we are not saying that you should immediately rip up the carpets in your home and get rid of them. We understand that there are some situations and areas where it remains the preferred application. Especially a bedroom – most people still prefer the added warmth and soft feel underfoot that carpets provide.

When it comes to general areas and living rooms we often recommend a good quality vinyl to our clients as an alternative floor covering. It is much easier to clean and maintain and adds a lovely visual warmth to any space. You can always opt for a loose rug that can be washed or changed as desired.

Pantone Colour of the Year: Classic Blue | via thedesigntabloid.com

Pantone Colour of 2020: CLASSIC BLUE

January 29, 2020January 28, 2020 Design Monarchy2 Comments

Feature image via: Design Monarchy Interior Design Studio

by Marica Fick

Happy 2020 folks! 2020… can you believe?! It sounds very sci-fi. I hope you all had a lovely, rest-filled festive break and are all geared for the new year?

I’m sure by now you have all noticed a certain colour trend flooding your Pinterest, Instagram and blog feeds? You know the colour I’m referring to – it is a bold, almost primary blue… a kind of “delft-meets-school-uniform”. Well, however you choose to describe it, it is called CLASSIC BLUE and it is Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2020.

I know I mention this every year, but I was once again surprised by Pantone’s selection for Colour of the Year – it is never what I expect it to be. Not that I am going to complain because I just so happen to be a blue-girl. While Classic Blue is a tiny bit on the strong and bright side for me, I generally love all shades and hues of blue.

Thinking back on Pantone’s previous selections for COTY, it does seem that they prefer bold and bright above muted and soft. With the exclusion of 2015’s dusky Marsala and 2016’s soft pastel duo, Rose Quartz & Serenity, the last ten years have been pretty bold and punchy. Think last year’s Living Coral, 2018’s Ultra Violet, and 2013’s Emerald.

The selection of Classic Blue as Pantone’s Colour of the Year also came as a surprise to a good few trend-watchers and forecasters who anticipated a shade of green to win out. Plascon, for example, reflected this in their choice for Hue of 2020, Mulberry Leaf, a gorgeous moody green.

Some trend observers are of the opinion that Pantone was playing it rather “safe” by selecting a generally liked colour like blue.

In an article written for Dezeen, design consultant Michelle Ogundehin stated that in choosing a democratic colour like blue, Pantone played it safe and still missed the mark:

“… seeing as blue is routinely cited as one of the Western world’s eternally favourite colours – no doubt because it instantly recalls cloudless summer skies and warm calm seas – it couldn’t go wrong with such an inoffensive pick. Or could it?”

Michelle went on to say that this rather safe choice is a result of the backlash and criticism surrounding last year’s COTY, Living Coral. Design commentators and critics felt the inspiration behind the colour and name selection was an insensitive choice considering the rapidly dwindling amount of coral left in our oceans.

Season’s Greetings From Design Monarchy

December 13, 2019 Design MonarchyLeave a comment

Wishing all our readers and friends a Merry Christmas and a joyous festive season!

It’s that time of the year again! Time to eat & drink too much, celebrate and be merry – not to mention put the feet up! Thank you for all the tons of support during the year – we truly appreciate every like, comment, share and high five! As always, we loved sharing our passion for design, décor and pretty things with you this past year!

Our studio will be closed for business from 19th of December 2019 and will reopen the 16th of January 2020. Ergo, The Design Tabloid and our social media accounts will slow its pace a bit in terms of posts. Keep your eyes peeled however – next year brings new and interesting changes for us here at the Design Monarchy!

Have a good one, guys and gals! Design Tabloid out!

♥ ♥ ♥ Love, Rose & Marica ♥ ♥ ♥

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Leafy background vector created by Photographeeasia – Freepik.com

10 Drool-Worthy Luxury Walk-in Closets

July 3, 2019August 23, 2019 Design MonarchyLeave a comment

feature image: Who What Wear

by Marica Fick

I have to admit, for someone in the creative industry, I’m a bit of a fashion dud. Don’t get me wrong, I DO desire lovely, well-thought-through outfits and voguish attire – it is just not high on my priority list. Furthermore, I don’t think I was blessed with the expert “fashion eye”. For me comfort trumps style most days and, to be honest, I am fine with being a Plain Jane.

Having said that, there is something very desirable about a beautifully designed and organized closet. Gorgeous clothes, shoes, handbags and fashion accessories lined up and displayed like the posh shelves of a chic boutique. You don’t have to be a fashion guru, retail addict or materialistic diva to want and appreciate a stylish walk-in closet or dressing room.

Trend Alert: Terracotta & Earth Colours

May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 Design MonarchyLeave a comment

feature image: Dulux New Zealand

by Marica Fick

Like our previous trend post about the resurgence of Rattan, the hot and spicy colour trend we will be sharing today also smacks of retro deliciousness.

With the chill of winter fast approaching, we are quite happy to see the interior colour palettes shift to richer and warmer tones. I think it is exactly this yearning for warmth, cosiness, and womb-like comfort that has made TERRACOTTA the go-to home colour trend of the past few seasons.

To give you a greater scope of the massive popularity of this earthy-coloured trend, let me share this tidbit:

A few times a year, Pinterest releases as a category specific report detailing the latest and greatest pinning trends from around the world. Last year, they reported a whopping 95% increase of terracotta-themed interior and homeware images in the UK alone.