Brilliant lessons from pattern and colour maestro andrea graff
Seven lessons in daring decorating and clever curating from interiors doyenne Andrea Graff
BUY ART THAT YOU LOVE
‘Last year – a busy one – I purchased this andrzej urbanski artwork from everard read at the Investec art Fair for a client. I was clearly channelling my inner Peggy guggenheim. Long story short, it made it as far as my own living room – and what a magnificent piece. The nachas that it gives me is absolutely priceless. I’d painted the walls a pale pink about six years ago (way ahead of the millennials) and love it to this day. Before the urbanski there had been a collection of various works, but those have since been repositioned.’
GO FOR BOLD
‘once again, I purchased this pair of vintage headboards from Wauhaus for a client and ended up loving them so much more pour moi. Paired with the floral lampshade, zebra and leopard scatters and the Martine Jackson anemone vessel it all came together as something special. My point: a guest bedroom and bathroom are the best rooms in a house to completely realise your eccentric side – so go for it.’
‘A GUEST BEDROOM AND BATHROOM ARE THE BEST ROOMS IN THE HOUSE TO REALISE YOUR ECCENTRIC SIDE’
HAVE PATTERN, WILL CLASH
‘I was in Milan last year where I made a beeline for the dedar showroom, where I’d arranged to view a sample of the wallpaper that made it into this apartment that I designed in Fresnaye, cape Town. The dedar showroom is tiny but incredible. (as a side note: Tanya sturgeon from T&co used to bring dedar into the country – Tanya, please, bring it back!) This living room epitomizes my entire philosophy of clashing patterns (just look at that petrol blue sofa with cerise scatter) and natural textures, such as jute and zebra skin. strangely, so many south africans are completely against this approach. Then there’s the tiny, concrete elephant stool (I nearly dislocated my hip moving it into situ). It’s a sure conversation piece – and it only cost r500.
YOUR INTERIOR TELLS A STORY – MAKE SURE IT’S A GOOD ONE
The mural wallpaper from anthropologie served as the inspiration for this room where I followed the cerise/dusty pink theme. The next best thing in wallpaper? colony and Martyn Lawrence Bullard for cole & son. colony has taken one of its most famous Jacobean fabrics and produced this fabulous wallpaper in different colour ways. By the way, colony now represents ardmore – I couldn’t be more proud.’
COLOUR is YOUR FRIEND
‘I always strive to balance a room with colour, even white. This kitchen is part of a larger space and needed anchoring. It was a last-minute idea to paint the walls above the Table Mountain-inspired splashback in a desaturated cerise pink. add the cookbookcrammed shelves and the succulents for complete layering and practicality.’
EVERYONE WILL GET it
‘Five years ago I visited the best store in the world: nilufar gallery. owned by prolific art dealer and collector nina Yashar on the Via della spiga in Milan. In 2015, nina opened the huge nilufar depot and, when I stepped into it, I could not breathe – this is where I want to be buried. In this study, the ebonized oak shelves are my interpretation of the midcentury bookcases I viewed at nilufar. I had to wait almost five years for the right client who understood the design. side note: cane and rattan are making a massive comeback; anatomy design’s new rattan armchairs are beyond. I upholstered these chairs in a contemporary fabric.’
NEED TO KNOW
‘My biggest obsession right now has to be London’s house of hackney. I recently visited their shoreditch showroom. This showroom is an explosion of plants, floral wallpaper, gorgeous lampshades, fabrics and homeware – a kaleidoscope of pure fantasy.’