Wallpaper

The influence that colour has on our lives is huge, everything from how we perceive spaces to how we can feel in a room is impacted by the colours that surround us.

Focusing on children's bedrooms which double up as study rooms we were recently asked to recommend colours which would suit. This in itself is a clash of interests, as ideally bedrooms for children should be for rest and play, to allow them to switch off once they are finished their studying.

Also children's age is seen to affect their interaction with colour - For young children up to primary school pastels and light tints of colours are best in bedrooms and strong primary colours for play areas. During adolescence, their tastes have a tendency to change and develop away from the strong primary colours through to bright medium tones maturing to slightly more mixed colours such as turquoises, burgundy and greys.

For a mixed use bedroom / study room an earthy green is ideal, as it calms and balances the mind to help with concentration and relieve stress. Mix this with a complimentary pink to bring out a child's creative side.

Pink has some of the energetic principles of red but shouldn't cause sleep problems or aggression which can so often be associated with more vibrant red tones.

Violet is connected with dignity and respect and is also used to inspire creativity. A violet with blue tones is excellent for encouraging restful sleep. For study purposes this can help children focus as the blue tones are associated with calmness, serenity, communication and imagination. Mix in soft yellows for cheerful energetic positive feelings, but do be careful with yellow as stronger shades can inhibit sleep.

Colours to steer clear of in a bed / study room are reds and oranges as they are to distracting and energetic. Orange tones are excellent for energetic and creative activities, fantastic for the development of your little social butterfly but a no for any bedroom.

This autumns Interiors show in Decorex London had a lot of soft pinks & blues, moving away from the greys that have dominated over the past few years. These colours are especially wonderful for creating a country french inspired space that feels light and uplifting, exactly what is needed as a backlash against the approaching winter.

This type of style appears effortlessly elegant yet artistic at the same time. Splashes of light colour tones with flora and fauna inspired patterns is a wonderful way to style a room. Among others we love Anna French's wallpapers and so do a lot of our clients to give their homes that je ne sais quoi!

Mutiny Reception

Following from the trends for Spring 2011 we fancied turning our hand to the 1950's and 1960's for inspiration.

Through the refurbishment of a reception area for one of our clients we had a chance to explore and modernise this style. With holographic retro style paper and large bold splashes of colour we had a chance to bring this style into the 21st century.

A large blackboard covering a huge part of the space allowing for the writers and creative's that visit the studio to interact old school style, literally. With loads of funky touches throughout, from floating shelving to wall mounted floor lamps the space is full of details which add to the quirky feel.

Brighten Up your space with Yellows

Bring some cheer to your life and clear out the darkness of the winter months by introducing some bright new colours into your home this new year. Bring to mind fields of Sunflowers and summer sunny days (its never to early in the year to think of summertime even for those of us who might still be in hibernation at the moment!)Yellow is the colour of the season and is a fantasic way to cheer up any room. If you are afraid of using to much why not use one of the gorgeous wallpapers in Osbourne & Little's new ranges, mix with a warm grey to give a stylish and cheerful space. Great in modern or retro interiors.

Adorable colours and patterns for the little ones, mix and match the patterns from the Casamance Lollipops range available to order from our Design Studio.

Mix a gingham pattern with butterflies, flowers or heart patterns for little girls, or bold stripes with fish or stars for the boys. Or even create a patchwork of a few together to add some fun & imagination to kids rooms.

Kids will love the shapes and patterns in these papers & fabrics which is all about imagination and play. We liked it so much that we have the Lollipop Fairies wallpaper mixed with the Lollipops Stripes wallpaper upstairs in our shop, we've found that it helps us with our imagination too!