Catwalk x Interiors - Issue 1: Berry and Bright

I’ve invested a lot of my time reading magazines. It all started with music magazines; Top of the Pops, Smash Hits, Seventeen (I’m an 80s child!), which led onto Bliss, Shout, Sugar, Girl Talk (remember those?) and then into my teens and early twenties I discovered Cosmopolitan, Elle and of course Vogue, Living Etc amongst all the other interiors publications.

The choices I made after finishing school at the confused age of 18, not quite knowing what to do next, what to study or where to move to, were heavily influenced by my upbringing. My mum and dad were tailors and had their own fabulous shop where they crafted beautiful bespoke items of clothing, mainly, men’s suits. So unbeknown to me, my career in the fashion industry started when I was pretty young, working at ‘the shop’ every Saturday and over the holidays, learning and earning.

Too young to be earning here, but definitely learning!

After making what I thought was the informed decision to study Fashion Buying at Manchester Metropolitan university (many moons ago!) I realised 2 years in, that I didn’t in fact, want to become a fashion buyer! After a non-linear, full and interesting career path, I came to the realisation that my skills lay in the curating of beautiful items. Whether that be the visual merchandising of fashion lines in a store, or putting together interior schemes within a showroom. Although neither of those particular jobs were ‘quite right’, I carved out a career path armed with the elements of the jobs that had interested me. I didn't know at that point that there was actually a name for this - ‘Stylist’.

Moving from flat to flat and decorating homes of my own, I realised that interior design and styling was where my true passion lay, but with a huge dose of my first love, fashion. And I began to understood that they go hand in hand.

Not a day goes by that I don’t flick through pages of magazines; fashion, or otherwise (I’ve recently uncovered a love for gardening magazines since the first lockdown!) where I study the pages, and gain constant inspiration and knowledge on colour, pattern, crafted items and how they all work together.

For a while now, I’ve wanted to create my own magazine pages, curating what I believe to be an important mix of items, and showing how my love for the fashion, colours and shapes that I’m drawn to has a direct influence on my home interior choices. And I think what we see on the catwalk, guides a lot of us when it come to interior design.

My new feature, Catwalk x Interiors will hopefully do just that. It will become the place on my blog and the grid where fashion and interiors meet, showing my first love (fashion) to my forever love (interiors). They are the Power Couple, the match made in heaven and when both come together in harmony, magic happens. I’ve found that those individuals who are inspired by fashion, who explore their individuality at home create alluring environments, full of excitement and glamour.

Catwalk x Interiors - Issue 1; Berry & Bright

The first ‘issue’ is inspired by the brilliant, fun froufrou ensembles by fashion designer, Alberta Ferretti. The sheer lilac blouses are voluminous and light. The chiffon pleated ruffles show movement that is reminiscent of flamenco dresses. The pairing of lilac with the deep, berry like magenta exudes an air of sheer decadence, and I love to see this colour combination used within the home. I feel that Berry Shades are unintentionally lavish and I wanted to share some of the pieces that stand out to me.

Peruse the entire New Wave range by Alberta Ferretti.

Some of the items I’ve selected are produced by designers and small businesses, and where I’ve included the larger brands I’ve opted for the ones made in the UK or priced well. I began selecting the paints that pick out the berry shades so gorgeously, providing the palette. Next came one of my favourite claret velvet sofas, as well as opulent cushions, frilly accessories and ruffled ceramics to echo the grandiose of the ruffled lavender chiffon sleeves. We don’t need to buy lots of furniture to achieve such a glamorous feel.

The paint colours:

You’ll find links to all paints within the shopping list at the end of the post.

Arguably the most opulent of all cushions is Susi Bellamy’s Blush Bouquet marble cushion, in the rich jewel tones of ruby, gold, magenta and amethyst enveloped in plush velvet. It is a large cushion at 49 x 49cm, stuffed with 100% duck feathers. Susi Bellamy’s collection is made in England using the highest quality materials. ‘Each design punctuates any interior with flashes of visual impact in a range of colour combinations’ and each piece is a work of art. I can see Susi’s Florentine influence in this cushion, it reminds me of the beautiful marbled stationary I bought back from Italy as a child.

The bouquet range is my personal favourite and can be viewed here.

The other two cushions pick out the lavender, lilacs and burgundy’s within the marble pattern. The handmade lavender velvet cushion by Att Pynta has both Scandinavian and maximalist qualities depending on how you pair it. The piece is created exclusively for Att Pynta in a workshop in Dorset by Finnish designer Nora Nilsson, crafted by hand using high quality fabrics. The burgundy piece from Oka brings the cushion edit back down to the berry base that it originated from. The Ophelia Cushion in Cranberry makes a bold statement with its embroidered medieval gothic design, looking positively regal beside the other two.

The main event in any scheme is absolutely the sofa, however, lets not get too hung up on it, as I mentioned, we don’t need to go wild to create a fresh environment for our homes, accessories will do the trick. However, if you are in the market for a new sofa, the Crawford Chaise Sofa in cotton velvet by Arlo & Jacob is one of my favourites.

It ticks all of my ‘perfect sofa’ boxes. With the seat depth at 125cm, it’s optimum for my love of lounging without sliding off the edge. It’s general aesthetic is elegant and timeless, yet robust, chunky and completely functional. And its all about the colour, in this case; Carmine velvet.

Crawford Chaise Sofa by Arlo & Jacob in Carmine - my sofa of dreams

The only other furniture item I’ve included is a footstool, and although I wouldn’t put this colour footstool together with the carmine sofa, I’m showing you another divine berry velvet colour, after all, that is the theme. The Oops-a-Lazy footstool in Merlot velvet by Loaf is made in the UK. I have tested this footstool and I can confirm its as perfect as it looks. It’s large in size, (85 x 85 cm) looks very cute and cosy, and doubles up beautifully as a coffee table.

Oops-a-Lazy footstool by Loaf in Merlot velvet

An item that has graced my wish list for quite some time is the Silk Tiffany Lampshade by Beauvamp, although, I’d settle for any Alice’s designs. Beauvamp offer a completely new take on the old fashioned lampshade, designed from scratch in the Derbyshire studio, elevating grandma’s lampshade into contemporary and sustainable heirlooms for future generations of all ages.

Damson Silk Tiffany Lampshade by Beauvamp

The remaining items are gorgeous accessories that convey the exuberance that links to Alberta Ferretti’s superfluous designs. The ruffles and richness of colour led me down a path of frilly vases, carved wax and wavy shapes. The full shopping list for all items can be found at the end of this post.

Now in my opinion, no fashion related interior is complete until it’s physically and metophoroally grounded by one of Wendy’s Morrisons stunning rug creations. The one I’ve included is a personal favourite, and the sharp crimson base is the prefect choice to earth this resplendent palette. The hand-tufted Peace, Love & Joy has a wool base with a shimmering Pink Tencel border, the backdrop for orchids, lotus flowers and chrysanthemums. I will be in the Wendy Morrison rug club very soon!

Peace, Love & Joy rug - Wendy Morisson

I’d love you hear your thoughts on this post and if you decorate based on your fashion inspirations and muses. If you’d like any information on my interior design service to help you realise your catwalk dreams within the home, you can contact me here. In the meantime, please see below for the full shopping list for all items featured.

Shopping List

Peace Love & Joy rug - Wendy Morrison

Oops-a-Lazy footstool in Merlot - Loaf

Stoll Soft and Snuggly Blanket - Wayfair

25cm Violet Lilac Rococo Candle - Rex London - Trouva

Handcrafted Sculptural White Glazed Stonewear vase - Att Pynta

Handkerchief plum vase 30cm - Biba

Concrete Rainbows plant pot - Pow Pots

Purple monstera plant - Trouva

Lilac Photo Frame - Spicer and Wood

VANLIGEN vase - Ikea

Crawford Chaise Sofa - cotton velvet carmine - Arlo & Jacob

Blush Bouquet Marbled Velvet Square Cushion - Susi Bellamy

Handmade Rectangle Lavender Velvet Cushion - Att Pynta

Ophelia Cushion Cover, Large - Cranberry - Oka

Damson Silk Tiffany Lampshade - Beauvamp

The Poppykalas Fridge Print Blue

Dance The Flamenco - Valspar

FTT 007 - Mylands

Leather - Little Greene

Grace - Painthouse

Lilac Sprig - Valspar