I have invited some of my favourite interior design to share their design tips and stories on my blog.
First up is the lovely Yasmin Chopin:
“When I’m creating a design I begin with something the client has picked out as being one of their most favourite things in the home and, perhaps not surprisingly, this is often a painting. I’ve developed numerous schemes with an artwork at the centre of my focus and since I have a deep-rooted love of the subject it’s very rewarding. I studied Art History for my degree and really enjoy analysing the lines, colours and shapes portrayed in a piece in order to draw out what I need for an interior. And so it comes as a privilege to be invited by Jessica to write about my work for publication on her blog.”
In this scheme you see an extract of a painting I worked with; it’s a triptych, the name of the artist is not recorded but at approximately 2 metres wide it dominates a room. I pulled together several colours that I thought would work and then went about sourcing appropriate furniture and furnishings. This project was one I did several years ago and if I were to work on it today I would definitely include:-
Voyage wallpaper by Christian LaCroix (from Designers Guild)
Aerin Maurice bowl (from Amara Living)
Kartell pannier table (from Amara Living)
Speckled Cowskin rug, if the client had no objections to animal skin (from Amara Living)
Developing a design for any client is a very individual thing, whether it’s a new layout, a bespoke kitchen or a colour palette and decorative scheme. The reason someone chooses to use an interior designer is to have a home that is unique and offers family, friends and guests something they will not see anywhere else. Above all the design must make the home work better and be aesthetically pleasing.
One of my clients loves black decor, displays bones and various objects with a questionable past. I love to work with clients who have a highly developed sense of style, however, it can be challenging because firmly fixed views may not easily be open to new ideas. Another client wanted to bring colour into their newly built home but… not too much. Judging this is a little daunting especially when personally I adore colour and pattern and can take it in plentiful supply! I decided geometrics would be a good way to keep things neat and tidy while bringing in some energy with pale shades of grey and warm yellow. This is what I included
David Hunt Ammonite table lamp (from John Lewis)
Marlo Stripe Steel fabric for sofa (from John Lewis)
Karndean Morning Oak Parquet
Wallpaper Axis Pebble 110835 Scion Wallpapers (from WallpaperDirect)
Westfire Uniq 21 Standard Wood Burning Stove
My work is only done when the client is happy and the saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder is very true! So it comes down to two things really:
Getting to know the client well enough to appreciate their needs and preferences, and
Developing a design that takes the client right to the edge of their comfort level and then slightly beyond
It’s a fine line we tread and sometimes it doesn’t work but fortunately most of the time it does!
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Yasmin Chopin is an award winning Interior Designer and Blogger based in Spaldwick, Cambridgeshire.
She is often called upon to speak at events and writes for one of the world’s largest interior design websites, HouzzUK.
Yasmin’s blog was shortlisted in the Amara Interior Blog Awards 2014 as one of the top 5 UK blogs written by an Interior Designer/Stylist and is listed by Decorex International as one of the top 100 design influencers on Twitter, @YasminChopin. Her website and blog can be found at www.yasminchopin.com
