How to use patterns in a room?

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A room can benefit instantly from some patterned furnishing, as patterns add oodles of beauty and interest when used in the right way. I find patterns irresistible, they come in such an array of gorgeousness - stripes, floral, geometric, ikat, animal prints and so on and so forth. Yet, despite being individually striking, they are notoriously difficult to combine. How many of you have found yourself impulsively buying a bolt of beautiful pattern in a shop but flummoxed once you reach home and realize you have no clue how to use it in your living room. 

Although it seems very complicated, it really isn't. I have put together a few basic rules of colour and pattern mixing. So next time you come home with that bolt of pretty fabric, you can use my five easy rules to help you achieve this look effortlessly.

1. Same Colour: The easiest way to work patterns is to have both patterned pieces and solid pieces in the same colour or compatible colours. This can keep the patterns from clashing with each other. This rule can work specially well in small rooms as a diverse mix of patterns and prints can make it look larger. You can put stripes with spots—and add much-needed dimension—as long as you stick to one colour.

2. Contrasting Colours: Another simple way to work with patterns is to use contrasting colours. This works because contrasting colours are visually appealing and give a coordinated look even if you have used a variety of patterns. Just remember to stick to a simple palette with two or maximum three colours.

3. Similar style of patterns: Try to pick all your small patterns from the same print family. It can be any style of your choice - floral, geometric, Islamic or tribal, but sticking to one group is an easy way to give a neat coordinated look to the room. 

4. Only one big pattern: This is an important rule. After the simplicity of the first three rules, you may want to get adventurous with patterns. And rightly so, using bold prints confidently adds a whole layer of complexity to a room. But don't use more than one big pattern as it may bring down your carefully crafted scheme. The danger with using too many different patterns is the room might come across as cluttered. Avoid this by combining several small prints with one big pattern, this will act as the focus and give definition to the room. 

5. When in doubt, pick Black and White: So you have filled your room with pretty patterns and they look really nice together. But you are having trouble picking the one big pattern to bring it all together. Trust me you are not alone,  choosing the big pattern is often the toughest decision for me as well. The smaller ones usually merge together, it is the big one which stands out and is noticed. So if you are having trouble with this, think no further and just go with black and white. It matches with everything and will instantly anchor the room by providing a perfect backdrop. 

Images courtesy absolutely beautiful things, coastal living, furbish, gypsy purple home, little green notebook, susan connor, red online, Jones Owen, The grammar of ornament (1910) and material girl.

Daily Art : Not. ID 003 by Takahiro Kimura

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Takahiro Kimura was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1965. His education at Salesian Polytechnic involves technology of painting, graphic design, skill of drawing, landscape painting and fashion drawing.

Starting his artistic career in 1991, Kimura combined all these skills to develop a very unique personal style.  He makes collages by cutting up photos and rearranging them onto a canvas to which colour is then applied, creating a highly original effect.

Since 2003, Kimura has become interested in faces, producing a series of collages on this theme. There is a sense of dynamism in each portrait, it seems like the subject was captured in mid-sentence. Their faces still appear lit up with emotion. Although the images are composites of several photographs, Kimura deftly breathes life into the anonymous faces. In his own words "He wants to capture dreamy, hallucinatory and constantly mutating movements of people in his drawings".

View more of Takahiro Kimura's work here.

Daily Art: The New Yorker by Danny Olda

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The New Yorker is by Danny Olda, a Florida based artist who likes to use geometric patterns and bright solid colours in his artwork. It is such a fun piece, it immediately makes me think of a white room with accents of pink and orange and the painting propped up on the mantle. To complete the look, I would hang another work by the same artist beside it, the Family Circle. Infact Danny's work like most pop art, would look best hung together in twos or threes. Check out more of his work here, to see what I mean. 

Both images courtesy Danny Olda.

Scandinavian design with an Indian touch

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I cannot wait to share my latest find with you. A Finnish brand called Tikau, which combines Scandinavian design with Indian handicraft traditions. My excitement stems from the name Tikau, for it is actually a Hindi word meaning sustainable and durable. The word is part of a popular phrase used to describe handy items of everyday use – ‘Sasta Sundar Aur Tikau’, which means inexpensive, beautiful and durable. 

Tikau’s collection consists of handmade home décor and clothing accessories for everyday use. They use hand-processed materials that are environmentally sustainable. Ecological considerations are at the root of all their designs: and they use materials such as bamboo, organic cotton, non-dyed wool, banana fibre, cashmere and recycled sari fabrics. 

Taking a uniquely long-term, personal and human approach, Tikau collaborates directly with its 120 artisans in their home villages in India. Every Tikau item is hand-made and bears the signature of the artisan who makes it. I specially love their Klaus Happaniemi rug and ZickZack carpet. The Organic Cotton collection with its graphic designs by Aino-Maija Metsola and Ea Soderberg is another favourite.

All images courtesy Tikau.

Daily Art : Luciano Di Liberato

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Tondo di Paradiso (1994)

The artist Luciano de Liberato lives and works in Chieti (Italy). He began his artistic career in 1975 as a shy young artist and immediately aroused much interest among prominent Italian art critics.

After a decade of frenetic activity at both national and international scale, and prestigious appearances, such as Art Basel (1983), he decided to withdraw from public life in the early eighties and continue his work in total isolation. Moving away from the dictates of fashion and mannerist trends has helped him gain a highly personal language.

under construction 51 (2009/2011)

Images courtesy Luciano Di Liberato.

Edinburgh Charity Shops

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Whenever I travel to a new city, I go for a browse though its charity shops. It is my way of seeking out the real side of a city. On a similar jaunt in Edinburgh recently, I was in for a very pleasant surprise; little did I realize that charity shopping is serious business in this city. The humble charity shop has been turned into something of a retail revolution here.

Whether it’s the intense competition that keeps them on their toes or simply because they get better quality stock, they offer as good a shopping experience as the high end boutiques. Encouraged in part by the recession; the city seems to have taken to the idea of thrifty shopping. Rows upon rows of abandoned shops have been taken over by charities and given a whole new lease of life. 

Uniquely in Edinburgh, charity shops seem to cluster in particular areas, especially areas like Stockbridge, Nicolson Street, and Morningside have a high concentration of fabulous shops. What’s more, there is even a charity map of Edinburgh showing the exact location of every shop, you can download it here.

As my hotel was located just off Nicholson Street, I decided to go for a stroll in the Newington area. This is the student area right next to the Edinburgh university and has the biggest concentration of charity shops. Here is a selection of my favourites for you to explore. 

Top of the list has to be Bernardo’s. This Newington gem is a charity shop with a difference. It specializes in vintage stuff and is full of clothes, shoes and accessories arranged into colour-coordinated sections. There was even a stack of vintage suitcases and a Jenners hatbox by the entrance. My lucky find was a pair of black and gold enamelled vintage earrings, which I snapped up in seconds. So go visit Bernardo’s, fill your ears with the sound of 50’s music, buy lovely vintage clothing and feel smug that you're doing something for charity. 

Next on my list is Oxfam, specially its books section. They have cleverly separated their bookshop from the general clothes and bric-a-brac, to give pride of place to the great collection of books. The selection includes a lot of newly published books as well as lot of classics and the extremely cheaply priced hardback section is well worth a look. I found an almost new Lonely Planet guide to Britain! I was on a roll that day for sure. 

Among other shops that I liked was the British Heart Foundation, a lovely big shop with a good collection of kitchen things. 

Another little gem is Shelter, a tiny shop with an amazing selection of women’s clothing, easily the best on the street. Also, as you can see from the photograph below they put real effort in their window display. I especially liked their colourful scarf collection; there were a couple from Topshop, and one from Accessorize, which even had its tag intact. So what did I do? I grabbed it ofcourse! 

PDSA, for pets in need of vets is another nice shop. Very attractively laid out with cheery posters on the walls, metal sculptures by a local artist and quirky display cabinets full of beautiful dresses, specially evening-wear and summer dresses in almost new condition.

Daily Art: Sans Titre by Sadek Rahim

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This painting reminded me so much of ‘Brun eksplosion’ by Jens Paldam. It is strange that two different artists based in different countries would think of such a similar concept. The two paintings can easily be part of the same collection, showing men with their heads bursting into a cornucopia of colours. Both paintings can lend themselves to myriad meanings – suggesting the flowering of an individual’s intellect or maybe depicting his innermost thoughts. I am still trying to figure out, why don’t you have a go and let me know what you think. 

What surprises me is that despite these similarities, the artists cannot be more culturally apart, while Paldam is a Dane who likes to work in pen and ink, Sadek Rahim is an Algerian and his work combines photography and installation, technology and design, skills that he honed during his MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design, London. 

Following his thesis project’s success at Central Saint Martin's in London, he has exhibited in many contemporary art spaces, including the Museum of Contemporary Art MAMA Algiers, Paris at the Montparnasse Museum, Oran at the National Museum Zabana, The Brick Lane Gallery and the Oxford House in London and at the Alserkal Foundation Dubai. More of his work can be viewed here.

Inspired by India at Sotheby's

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Today was the last day of the Inspired by India exhibition hosted by auction house Sotheby’s in London. The show featured textiles, ceramics, jewellery, furniture and photography by established designers, such as Alice Cicolini, Rahul Kumar and Sabyashachi Mukherjee and up-and-coming artists such as Els Woldhek and Pia Wustenberg, all of whom have been inspired by the culture, colours and crafts of India. Their work demonstrates how traditional Indian skills can be incorporated into contemporary work.

The show’s curator Janice Blackburn who has travelled extensively to India said about her choice of designers - “I mixed designers based in India with others who are truly ‘inspired’, the designers I selected use the best of fine, original design without compromising the rich tradition of India’s hand-making processes.”

So just in case you missed the exhibition, I have put together a selection of products for you right here. Enjoy! 

Gita Pandit Photography

Pieces from Alice Cicolini's collection Silk Route

Pia Wüstenberg's jewel-toned stacking vessels

Rahul Gupta's earthen pots

Woldhek’s striking table,which combines desi basket-weaving
 and European thatching techniques

Gunjan Gupta of Wrap presented her throne chairs

Images courtesy Sotheby's and Alice Cicolini.