mix master
Designer Heidi Carter invites us into her classic-yet-colourful home.
Designer Heidi Carter’s home is a perfect example of the magic that can happen when classic meets colourful.
It’s a mixed bag – a bit tropical, a bit tribal, a bit of Chinoiserie with classic undertones,” says designer and owner of Paddo To Palmy, Heidi Carter, of her colourfully clashing Sydney home. “I tried to tone it down, but when you love brightly coloured upholstery, textiles and art like I do, it’s almost impossible,” she laughs.
Carter has had plenty of time to hone her decorating expertise. When she was renovating her former home bases in Sydney’s Paddington and Palm Beach, she started a blog about the experience. The site became so popular, she’s since turned it into an online store selling homewares and fashion.
While Carter’s home is like her store come to life, she tries her best to keep the two worlds as separate as possible. “As a designer, I’m drawn to quality fabrics, unique prints and colour, so my home is definitely a reflection of that,” she says. “I always have colour and fabric swatches and samples lying around. Thankfully, I now have a studio that’s separate to the house to store it. Separating work from home is difficult when you have your own business.”
Carter’s family (husband Michael, daughters Ella and Gisele, plus Isabel, the sausage dog) moved into the home in late 2014 and quickly set about putting their own stamp on it. “Our previous place was more contemporary. This one is architecturally classic so that has dictated the style,” she says. “I was going for a French Biarritz beach-house look with this one, but I don’t think I nailed that brief.”
But the bones of your home can only define your space to a point, and the shots of colour that Carter has used on the traditional cottage’s walls and furniture have slowly taken over. “It makes us all so happy living in such a bright, colour-injected space and we would never part with any of it.”
Different aesthetic styles need not be kept separate. Buy a mix of pieces you love and let your space work out the rest. A recurring colour palette will help bring the whole look together.