EASY STYLE RULES
GO GREY
“I think we can all be absolutely safe in the knowledge that we’re right in the middle of the greynaissance,” says Laurence. “It seems to be that Australia is obsessed with painting rooms grey which is great.”
But rules need to be followed. “Grey will make a room feel bigger, more airy, it reflects more light than beige does but, my friends, don’t fall into the trap of turning any of your rooms into 1980s’ bank buildings which of course is exactly where the grey thing can go.”
Laurence suggests that with any grey there has to be some serious colour accenting. “Grey is an absolutely brilliant bone structure for any home but you must get a bit of rouge, you must get a bit of sparkle, you must get a bit of bling in there too.”
ADD SOME OPULENCE
Laurence believes we shouldn’t be afraid to add opulence, that is, luxurious tactile textures to the home. He welcomes the current trend of rich velvets in soft furnishings and curtains, and applauds the use of wallpaper and carpets. “Your home is incredibly important to your wellbeing – it’s the only space that can make you feel better about stuff and actually these incredibly rich tactile finishes are a great way of really reaffirming to yourself that yes, you are worth it,” he says.
ADD INDOOR PLANTS
“House plants have had a huge revival in the past couple of seasons. It’s something that I associated very much with the 1980s but actually it is a great way of softening the space particularly if you live in an area that’s a reasonably new build where you have a lot of hard, shiny surfaces,” says the British home-style consultant.
“My advice about house plants is, go big. I think having lots of little house plants can be fussy whereas big statement pieces in pots look great.”
THE LAST WORD ON DECLUTTERING
No strict Konmari method in decluttering for Laurence. “I think the real issue is if you’ve got things in your life that are very important to you then by all means share your life with these things but curate them, think about how you display them. Don’t just have them building up in piles,” he says. “Don’t feel bullied by people that tell you you’ve got to declutter – an entirely clutter-free environment is really very soulless.”