Candle – Dolce & Gabbana. Perfume – Gucci Bamboo. ‘Hello’ Ornament – West Elm.
The two things you will learn about London in the first hour: 1) WALK ON THE LEFT, STAND ON THE RIGHT (this quite literally will be yelled at you in the tube, but you will never have a conversation with a stranger otherwise), and 2) Every space is multi-purpose: Heathrow, for instance, is basically a giant sandwich shop that is also occasionally an airplane parking lot. With nearly 9 million inhabitants trying to divide into cupboard-studios and oddly shaped 2-bedroom flats, walls are no longer used for what it’s made for. (Which reminds me: for the love of God, landlords, stop trying to make cheap IKEA screen-dividers happen, it’s not going to happen.) I, for one, don’t remember the last time I’ve actually been in a ‘living room’ that didn’t have some part of the kitchen and/or bed/closet spilling out into a corner, but perhaps I should stop hanging out with teenagers.
We recently moved out of our duplex studio loft flat in an attempt to grow up, where – if you remember – we had a wall of shoes next to the dining table, sofas next to that, and an open kitchen opposite all that. I think we only barely got away with the bed being above this all on the mezzanine. Our new abode is indeed a proper house, and while I can pride in the fact that our kitchen is actually surrounded by four walls and a door, we still had to find a way to fit the bedroom and living room into the second room for the sake of an office next door.
After having paced the room scratching our heads, noticing one too many echos, calling Ghostbusters and getting put on hold, we decided to consult outside help. I’ve had my eye on West Elm long before we could afford to place yet another thing in the stir-fry of a studio we were living in, and now that we were starting from scratch, decided it was time. I noticed their free Home Stylist service and got all up on it like a crazy Asian lady over spinach sale. Well, now that the room is finished, here’s some handy tips I learnt from Ben, the Home Stylist, on fitting two rooms into one without breaking a sweat.
Don’t overfill with patterns and colors that you might tire of. Pick out a few belongings that are must-haves in the space and use them as starting block for the rest of the room.
I decided on going for a mix of dusty blue, pewter and grey for the warmer seasons. In winter I plan on swapping in with lots of texture and monochrome accessories.
Hex side table
Avoid bulky furniture – you’ll most likely have a lot to fit in to the space so pick out pieces that will help lighten the room not overwhelm it. Light-surfaced furniture like glass or marble are great for this.
We have a basket under the marble side tables for all bedside necessities.
Group three decorative items in different heights to allow the eye to follow the triangular shape, brings harmony and focus into the particular area.
Riad wool rug
Use rugs and flooring to divide the space. That alone works with dual purpose – giving clear definition between the two functionalities whilst adding essential warmth to the room.
this shaggy rug feels like a fluffy cloud at the end of the day…
Use patterns cleverly to bring fluidity in the room.
We opted for this long herringbone-esque pattern on the cushion to direct the eye towards the window and the garden.
Gold-dipped bowls and ‘hello’ object – West Elm. Glass Vase – H&M. Black marble vase – Dwell.
Top – Uniqlo. Dungarees – Alexa Chung for AG Jeans.
Click below to watch how it all came together ↓
This is entirely a personal initiative, but as a disclaimer, a discount was kindly given by West Elm.
This is going in to the file for ideas when I get my own space!
http://www.whimsicalzoo.blogspot.com
The colour scheme is absolutely beautiful. Elegant, calming, great for focus and minimalistic. You even managed to have a plant there, well done ! I am a huge fan of greys being mixed with tones of blue, natural creamy tones as well as tine bit of geometric shapes. The whole place perfectly mirrors your personal style !
Love your design aesthetic – both interior design and web :) i’m looking to move soon, will definitely be bookmarking these tips. not quite sure i understand point #3 though… what does that have to do with the power of 3? or is that a joke i’m just not getting..?
Hi! Thank you for pointing this out, I just didn’t add the correct copy in! It just means using three items of different heights to bring focus to a group of decorative objects :D
This space is utterly gorgeous, I am in love! Everything is so cohesive and beautiful, the tips really work!
Tessa at Bramble & Thorn
Once again, such a lovely interior post! And so intimate (but to a decent degree >.<)!
I love love love what you’ve done here! All the details pull together exactly, and I love how you’ve put together a calming colour palette but added in pops of metallics and other colours. Hoping I can take on the advice you’ve laid out here and apply it to my tiny box flat!
asdfjkdsa that’s such a lovely space, unni! and you managed to make it so open and wide. stealing all of your ideas for the house rennovation. i covet your rug!
xx http://tanaditya.co.vu
Love the elegance of the space and your quirky touches with cushions and soft toy! Adore the fiddle leaf fig plant in the living room. Impressed that it’s real! Where from please?
Ah thank you – it’s from House of Plants!
Web design, fashion, photography, and now interior design…. You are like the goddess of lifestyle blogging, Shini!
http://www.peppermintswing.tumblr.com
Looks like you’ve picked the perfect flat.
Buckets & Spades
Always love to read your blog. Love the layout so much :)
http://www.vonnydu.com
your new space is beautiful! I’m keeping in mind the triangular rule now…
http://heyprettything.com
The marble coffee table matches your fireplace perfectly. I saw a great space saving tip whilst visiting a hotel today, they had a V shaped bespoke sofa in two corners of each bedroom – very clever
Suze | LuxuryColumnist
Oh my, your space is absolutely STUNNING! I love that coral/tree sculpture thing…..when can I come over? ;-)
Office tour next, please?!! x
Jasiminne | Posh, Broke, & Bored
It looks so beautiful! And I loved the video :)
You place is beautiful, I love all the details, I could move there immediately! lol.
Glamoury Armory Blog
Great dwelling space! love <3
Best, Albert | Palming Pebbles
Palming Pebbles FB
love the neutral colors. thanks for the ideas!
OMG. I want to come over for a cup of coffee.
xx
Lovely Pics ! :-)
I know it’s Monday but … you’re awesome! | Lisa | Joy Della Vita Travelblog
Oh, you did such a fantastic job with the decor!!! The colours are amazing and the way everything fits, marries and flows is flawless… Love love love… x
It´s so lovely! Every single piece is so beautiful and I´m pretty inspired to rob every interiour shop in the city XD
Best wishes,
http://www.themultiplechoice.com
I absolutely adore your style and your blog. You present such an effortless, classic effervescence. Lovely!
XoXo
Sarah
http://www.6footsexy.com
I absolutely adore your style and your blog. You present such an effortless, classic effervescence. Lovely!
XoXo
Sarah
http://www.6footsexy.com
I’m very much impressed, is there anything you can’t do, Shini?!
Gorgeous new place with great bones and it’s only gotten better since you waved your stylish wand over it!
Thanks for these tips (I’m about to – finally – finalize my workspace yay); can’t wait for more interior posts!!
XO,
Izzy
This space is so incredibly beautiful. Simply breathtaking.
TPN
Love this post! New York has the same issue when it comes to apartment space and I can definitely use some of your ideas in my apartment.
This design is a good idea . The room is nice and neatly.
You have a nice home now. I liked the loft also, this new house equally. And your tips, I find them, let’s say, normal. But not so easy to implement without some headache.
This is the perfect space!
http://alexamjohnson.com
Your house is amazing! Especially love the gold touches. I totally hear you on London flats. Mine gave up the living room to make way for a closet :P
Such an amazing colab! Love the ideas. Thanks for sharing Shini!
le-sycomore.com
beautiful!
http://www.killthemwithchic.com
[…] the blogs I visit have loads of pictures! A practical and recent blog post which I liked a lot is this one with decorating tips on Park & Cube, one of my favorite fashion sites that also features interior design once in a […]
Your new space is beautiful! I’m keeping in mind the triangular rule now…
cách vào facebook mới nhất 2015
Always love to read your blog. Love the layout so much :) Go to SEO Blogspot!
Great tips
only if we all had your sense.. what a beautiful cozy place!
I absolutely LOVE everything about this — all the items are gorgeous, the color scheme is great, the place looks so comfy and homey and unbelievably chic at the same time. I love the bed and the rug as well! Love your photography and your amazing layout, as always :)
Characters & Carry-ons
I love your interior and your style :) Great tips for everyone of us – thank you!
A gorgeous home, I just love the large house plants,I really need to get more of for my house, thanks for sharing! x
Shini! Where is your sweater from in the video it’s sooo gorgeous!
Ah thank you
Loveeee this. So cosy. I want to move to london!!
http://www.shadesofray.ca
Beautiful blog! Love this post so much, love the effort put into layout and photography xx
Beautiful space! I love the fabric on the sofa. Do happen to know the name of it? Very inspiring, thanks for sharing :)
Always love to read your blog. Love the layout so much :)
Love how you pulled off the merging of the bedroom and living room. I’m trying to do something similar. Would you mind sharing the swatch name for the sofa?
Thank you!
Once again, such a lovely interior post! And so intimate (but to a decent degree >.<)!
Such a late comment over here but this space has me swooning! Also, a bit obsessed with your sweater (the tan one you’re wearing when they are setting up all the fun decor). Would greatly appreciate it if you’d say where you found it!
[…] inspiration, take a look at their gorgeous blog where I found a link to how the insanely stylish Shini Park incorporates a little West Elm goodness into her […]