the modern heritage look
DESIGNER BROOKE COPP-BARTON BROUGHT THE PERFECT BALANCE OF OLD AND NEW TO ANDY FRENCH’S CHIC, DECORATIVE TERRACE – SHE REVEALS HOW
Curated, vintage-filled homes are fast becoming the interior look of the moment. I think it’s always a good idea to mix and match different styles and eras as it makes an interior feel collected and lived in. At the start of a project, the clients and I go through a process of looking at different pictures they have torn from magazines or pinned to boards and usually these images paint a pretty clear picture of the colours they gravitate towards.
There are colours that I’m naturally drawn to (I’m a sucker for reds, blues, greens and mustards) but really, colour schemes are generally determined by the client; it’s their home so I like to work with colours that make their hearts sing. That said, I have noticed a movement towards embracing bold hues and pieces in interiors – clients are becoming much braver with their choices.
START WITH THE SMALLER, EASIER ENTRY POINTS, such as lampshades, cushions and throws – they won’t cost a fortune but they will help you get a feel for what you like and how the modern heritage look could work in your home. I love beautiful lampshades made from vintage saris – not only unique but often pieces of art in their own right – and you can easily match with ceramic bases for a contemporary feel. Samarkand Design is a great place to look. Artwork in general plays a really important part in setting the tone – and keeping an interior edgy.
COMBINE OLD AND NEW; classic prints look stunning with a modern complement – take a traditional floral cushion with a geometric rug or contemporary stripe pouffe and vice versa. We needn’t limit ourselves to curtains and cushions – a bold heritage print on a headboard can make a statement and feel very current. Mixing it up is usually the way it naturally falls together – florals with geometrics, stripes with curvaceous prints and so on.
AS A GENERAL RULE, I TEND TO MIX SCALE – if you have a bold pattern, I tend to complement it with something calmer, such as a plain or small-scale print to blur the edges a bit. See how that looks and then start to layer it up further, adding different textures as well as patterns, as texture is pattern in itself. YOUR PROPERTY DOESN’T NEED TO BE PERIOD to work a heritage print. You just have to look at some of the recently launched William Morris prints in wonderfully fresh colours to see how these could lighten up a contemporary home. Traditional homes still need new technology and improvements to live in so it is rare to find a space that is not able to accommodate the modern alongside the heritage – it’s not a question of either or.
THERE ARE SOME WONDERFUL DESIGNERS that work with shape and form – the Anders pendant from Pinch is a favourite as I love its curves and organic feel, and likewise I love the artisan nature of Naomi Paul’s almost architectural pendants. Browse The New Craftsmen website to find a whole host of talented designers creating wonderfully high-quality and timeless pieces that will cross the heritage divide.
INSPIRATION COMES FROM EVERYWHERE. Soak up visual cues all around you, whether going to restaurants and hotels with friends and family, spending time outside, be it town or country – or simply just leafing through magazines.
“The recently launched William Morris prints can lighten up a contemporary home”