Soul Styling
Nikki Hunt reveals her technique to achieving a perfectly styled space filled with character and charm by using a combination of patterns, colours and accessories
In my opinion, the best interiors (like good dinner conversations) are multidimensional, with facets and layers to stimulate and excite. There is a wonderful dinner party scene in the romantic comedy About A Boy where leading actress Rachel Weisz is seated next to an achingly handsome Hugh Grant and she realises that he has absolutely nothing interesting to say. I believe that no amount of good looks can make up for a lack of character in an individual. This is how I feel when I walk into a room without depth to its design in spite of whatever architectural finesse it may possess. Throughout the course of my career, I often see many instances of clients, who have just purchased a swanky home from a developer, filling their new home with a suite of designer furniture and being surprised that their rooms have no character. Successful design is so much more than assembling a collection of beautiful pieces. A skilful designer is like a conductor of an orchestra, guiding the instruments to work together; to complement, not compete. Each element enhances the next to create a beautiful concerto. Colour, light, shape, texture, scale and pattern are our instruments, but nothing adds depth like patterns and when we combine patterns successfully, it can raise the design to the level of a symphony.