A Vintage Canadian Lake Cottage

I've just returned from Canada, where we were lucky enough to rent a lakeside cottage.  The current owners bought the house two years ago, but this amazing bungalow was originally built in 1967.  Its design and contents (right down to olive green kitchen appliances, a lilac bathroom, Sixties art and jazzy patterned china) have all been perfectly preserved over the decades - and being here was like stepping back in time - in a good way. 

Patchwork leather armchairs beneath lake-inspired art ...

Original kitchen fittings ...

Perfectly preserved original leather sofas ... and light fittings ... and a sparkly ceiling at night ...

Timber panelling mixed with stone cladding ...

Seeing this beautifully preserved house really made me think hard about today's current design obsession for chucking things out, and the need to constantly update.  If the original owner had done something similar, this wonderful place wouldn't still be here to enjoy.  Interested?  More details about Solklint Cottage here

Styling Interiors for Photoshoots/BIID/May 2017

It's always a pleasure to deliver the Styling Interiors for Photoshoots workshops for the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).  This Wednesday I did two sessions.  We started with coffee/tea and a catch-up so I could get to know the designers attending.  With the workshop divided into three parts, the initial focus was on why doing professional shots is essential, a look at the stylist/designer-photographer relationship and the practicalities of a shoot:

Image from Think Home (Ryland Peters & Small) Photography Polly Wreford

We moved swiftly on to looking at 'thinking like a stylist.' I'm always keen to get designers to tap into styling as a skill very different to interior design: we focussed on examples of what works, and what doesn't, before moving on to perfect accessorising and room-by-room tips:

Image from Casual Living (Ryland Peters & Small) Photography Polly Wreford

Then it was time for another coffee/tea break!  And only BIID would display it in such a tempting manner:

For the final part of the workshop, we discussed how to approach a magazine with a potential project, and what publications are looking for.  This week's sessions were great fun, and hopefully everyone learned some useful tips.  I particularly love to hear back from designers after they've attended.  Kate Morris, of 102 Interiors, wrote:  'Thank you for yesterday's course.  It was thought provoking and I thoroughly enjoyed the event itself.  I've been messing about with my house since I got home yesterday, moving things and squinting at vistas!'  

And after all, having a sense of fun and experimentation, is what photographic styling is all about!

Image from Think Home (Ryland Peters & Small) Photography Polly Wreford

Shop Local

I'm a great believer in supporting local shops and industries.  Now spring is here, it's a delight to have The Blue Lavender so close by in Barnes Village: there's always a fabulous selection of seasonal flowers inside (see below) and out.  Over the years, especially whilst choosing flowers for shoots, I've become particularly keen on florists who a) show an innovative range and b) know their stuff about flowers.  Sometimes, I'll go for just a couple of stems: blossom and leafy twigs can be as effective as a giant bunch.

Tones of pink at The Blue Lavender in Barnes Village

The power of one or two branches

Styling Talk

Last week, I was invited by a central London design team to give a talk on Styling.  There's nothing quite like amassing a selection of visuals, and analysing the styling of those photos - rather than the decoration  - to focus the mind.  Why does a particular image work?  How do the props make it welcoming yet serene?  What's the secret to a perfectly balanced photo?

I like to think of styling as a 'visual tidying up', the crucial setting of ambience, and the creation of an image that you'll look at once, twice - and perhaps a third time, peeling back the photo in layers.  

This is one of my favourite images from my book, Think Home (brilliant photography by Polly Wreford, published by Ryland Peters & Small).  The mood here is tranquil, there's a clever (and inexpensive) decorating idea and the eye can breathe.  

All In The Detail

It must be the onset of September (and with it the dreamy promise of autumn tones), but this month I'm focussing on intense slate blue and acid yellow.  In anticipation of my newly revamped sofa (almost complete, not quite) I've treated myself to one of Kirsten Hecktermann's glorious double-sided velvet cushions.  The subtlety of colour in her dyed velvets is fabulous.  Next up, I might just have to invest in the Smokey Blue ...

Double-sided velvet Kirsten Hecktermann cushion in Lemon Yellow

The ultimate labelling for no-logo fans: neatly tucked within the zip enclosure

Kissing Fish

In my hunt for new home-grown textile companies, Kissing Fish is my latest find.  (Their fabrics are realized in colourways with names like Bitter Lime - how could I resist?)  Not only are the linen unions fabulously mid-20th century, but there's a wonderful story behind them. The designs were originally created by Michael Nicholson, uncle of Ben Nicholson (one half of the Kissing Fish duo) - and were discovered in a forgotten portfolio ... read more about it here.

Shown here are 'Boston Place' and 'Dorset Square' designs in Bitter Lime, Blue and Red

Vacation Buys

When on holiday, I'm always on the look-out for quirky or one-off interiors buys.  I'll pick through markets or tiny shops, trying to avoid classic 'tourist' purchases, and focussing instead on whether a particular item will look really good in my home.  I was fortunate enough to pick up these two hand-stitched cotton quilts in a market in Cruzy, South West France.  And the bottom one?  An alpaca blanket, a gift from my equally eagle-eyed daughter, just back from Bolivia.

In-house Seminar

This week I gave an in-house seminar on Styling to the talented team at Hayes Davidson.  They had invited me to talk as part of their programme of ongoing education for staff, and I was honoured to be asked! Hayes Davidson are specialists in 'the visualisation of architecture and the built environment' and collaborate with many of  'the world's top architects, designers and developers.'

My powerpoint talk all ready to go, featuring the cover of my book Think Home (Ryland Peters & Small, photography Polly Wreford).