Inspiration

Thinking about making a statement in interior design will typically lead you into doing something daring. Dark colours, feature walls, unusual paint finishes, an unexpected or oversized piece of furniture, a pattern-heavy rug or eclectic jumble of cushions that leap off from the sofa, are all examples of answers given when we asked a handful of people what making a statement in their home’s decor meant to them.

The bold aspect of statement-making is a definite theme in our autumn 2019 collection. First, there’s Ink  – our borderline-black shade of navy – that’s confident and compelling in its impact whether it’s on a single statement wall, on a key piece of painted furniture or used to envelop every available scrap of wall space in the room. Then there’s Chawton, which you can design as an impressive, mighty, impossible-to-not-stop-and-stare-at bookcase or display piece that fills an entire wall. Not forgetting, a whole host of new cushions that are designed to tonally work together while being texturally poles apart – look out for our bouclé Tussock sheepskin cushions and our first frill-edge cushion in particular. Sit these side by side on a sofa or bed and your room’s statement of being purposefully not matchy-matchy becomes all the more eloquent and powerful.

But the bigger point to note about making statements bold and beautiful is that they’re at their boldest and most beautiful when they’re personal to you. If you find there’s a smaller piece like our Ashford black marble ball that speaks to you but isn’t in-keeping with the rest of your interior choices, then be bold and take hold of it with both hands. Your home’s statement is constantly evolving, the storytelling is never complete, the plot thickens, and new characters will come in over the years to mix things up. So be bold by embracing what appeals and running with it. With interior design, having the courage in your convictions and sticking to what you truly love rather than what’s trending is a strong statement in itself.

The other side to our seasonal story and new collection champions the fact that statements don’t always need to be glaringly obvious or speaking decibels higher than the other items in your scheme. Statements can be softly-spoken, just-about spied and barely-there; shouting the loudest isn’t the only way to make yourself heard. Also, a room can have multiple statement pieces and they can’t all be noticed at the same time. Just because there’s a hierarchy to your statements, doesn’t make the more muted touches less worthy.

Take colour as an example. Ink doesn’t have to be used in a full-format way to be deemed a statement. Perhaps you’re a neutrals person, and stepping into a shade like Ink is something you’ve been waiting and wanting to do. Using it in a small way, such as painting the legs of a dining or coffee table or the inside of a cabinet or alcove, is a personal statement of intent and adventure. Or maybe there’s an accessory that provides a totally different shape (such as the rounded Howell finials in a sharp-lined, contemporary space) or character (try the Hemerdon statue in a room that’s mostly traditional in style) in your room’s design. These are the pieces that your eye won’t immediately pick up. They won’t call out to be noticed. They don’t jostle for the podium. But, when you do notice them, the intrigue sets in, interest is held, and the statement is made, softly, subtly yet undeniably strongly.