ASK MR MERRIDEW Home help from our resident under butler
OUR RESIDENT UNDER BUTLER PROVIDES HOME HELP
Q I’ve heard maximalism is ‘on trend’. Should I be worried? Fiona K, Bath
Throwing the entire pattern book at a room is very now, with everyone’s moodboards heaving with pretty florals, bold stripes, global ikats and block prints. Style mavens such as hotelier Kit Kemp are past masters in the fine art of maximalism. But you’d be wise to exercise caution, otherwise your experimentation could end up one hot mess. I’d wager you’re already a little max in your tastes, loathe as you are to admit it. Your lived-in, welcoming home is, by nature, a gallimaufry of beautiful things, curated by your loving eye. So prefix maximalism with an adjective such as ‘considered’, ‘elegant’ or ‘curated’ and you can make it work. Take all those global patterns that are around right now. Each one is quite lovely in its own right. But layer them together and you’ll find magic happens. They may have nothing in common other than the vague sense they were haggled for in some far-flung bazaar. But that’s enough to make them feel like a curated collection. The trick to pulling off ‘elegant maximalism’ is finding a common hook off which everything else hangs. Leave matchy matchy to the minimalists, you just go with whatever you love and it will work. Happy considered gathering!
Q Martha Stewart has some metal cabinets (with glass fronts) in her New York home, from a company called Duralab. Do you know of anywhere in the UK where I could source similar? I have seen a few items on ebay but they are often rusty and missing bits. Marina, Hertford
US company Duralab specialises in laboratory casework furniture, but shipping is not an option. I would have a trawl through Etsy, which has a much more trustworthy vibe. Look at the likes of Tomremaker who brings Fifties dental cabinets over from Poland, then refurbs them in his workshop in south London. If you’re more interested in the look than heritage, Out There Interiors has a decent match, while Ikea’s Fabrikor strikes a similar lightindustrial note. You could customise away the latter’s high-street origins with a can of spray paint if you were so inclined. The word for that sort of thing, I’m told, is ‘pimp’.
Q I am about to start a kitchen refurbishment and am keen to introduce a hot water filter tap. We live in a barn conversion and
I’ve got my heart set on Shaker-style cabinets and an oak worktop. Everything feels too shiny and slick. Helen, Wiltshire
FOR some time, product designers have imagined they were designing exclusively for people who lived in modernist ice cubes. The good news is that manufacturers are finally catching on to the needs of everyone else. Hurrah to that. Perrin & Rowe has a smart collection of kitchen mixer taps with curved necks and porcelain handles that I think would work beautifully in your scheme.
The technical bit is still inside, ensuring you can have filtered and hot water whenever you so choose. The range of finishes includes aged and satin brass, English bronze and pewter, so there’s every chance they’ll have just the thing to complement your new cooking space.
PS: You sound dead set on oak, Helen, but have you thought about ash for those worktops?
Q I’m seeing a lot of teal blue in magazines, but I’m struggling to find the right shade and wondered if you had any recommendations? Lindsay, Wilmslow
WHETHER you call it peacock, teal or kingfisher (other bird shades are available), rich, deep, moody blue is the wall shade de nos jours. But a quick flick through the colour charts confirms that finding a tone that’s neither too sludgy nor too poppy is not as easy as one might think. You need to look for shades with rich jewel-tones with oceanic depth and remember, moody should never mean grumpy. Take a look at old favourite Farrow & Ball whose Vardo has more joy than some of its more eccentrically named options, which are probably too sludgy for your needs anyway. I’m also a big fan of Little Greene’s Moon Shadow, which has brighter notes, while Dulux’s Azure Fusion 4 offers the depth and clarity you normally only see when peering off a boat into the sun-dappled Adriatic. Do send pictures, won’t you?