Home: Bold and Bright

I found a house.  And it’s the definition of happy.  The owner of the house, Pilgrim, grew up surrounded by creative people. The creative influences led her to develop a definite sense of style from an early age.  Her home design heavily draws from the colour of the 80’s. It’s vibrant, bold and bright.  I’m thrilled to welcome Pilgrim to Be A Fun Mum as she talks about the value of colour.

Read more about Pilgrim here.

How would you describe your house?

bright, bold, and a true reflection of its inhabitants! 
 
Do you have a favourite room?

ooh hard to decide! i do love the lounge room, but i think our bedroom is my favourite. its light, and warm and a special sanctuary that is just for basking in. i make sure its not too messy, and i try and only ever be in there in a relaxed and quiet mood. 

You take a lot of risk with colour.  It looks fantastic!  How do you pull it off?

haha i think some people would argue that maybe i don’t pull it off! for me there isn’t really much problem in surrounding myself in colours other people might find too bold. i really love colours, and i find them to be quite powerful in what they can express or evoke. i decorate like i approach any of my design work, and i try hard to keep everything in balance. 

How does your son respond to colour stimulation?

he doesn’t seem to have been negatively effected. i think he perhaps knew how to identify ‘chartreuse’ and ‘turquoise’ earlier than most kids though haha but when he was a baby, his bedroom was very simple and softly coloured, with just a few graphic details so as not to overwhelm him. now that he’s older his room is a bolder palette of chocolate brown, rusty orange, olive green and a sort of dirty turquoise blue. i took my inspiration for the colors in his room from midcentury kid’s picture books. the faded or muddy tones of the inks on yellowing paper. he loves it and its boyish without overtly being so.

What role do you believe colour can play in your everyday life?

i think colour can do all sorts of things. waking up in my yellow hued bedroom makes me feel sunny and happy even when there’s no sun and i hate mornings! say i’ve made it out of bed on that early morning – i always get compliments wearing purple, so if i wear a purple cardigan i know i’ll look slightly less terrible. and working in my desk area is inherently inspiring because i’ve surrounded myself with lots of colours. i might even eat my jelly beans by their colours! and you know its healthier to eat a good mix of colourful fruit and veg!

Does colour affect your mood?

color is hugely powerful over your mood! for an obvious example, take the story of my dad’s store. he ran a pawn brokers for a while and when they renovated the shop someone decided to paint the wall behind the counter a nice primary red. sounds good in theory but they found a direct correlation between an increase in aggressive behaviour in the customers compared to when there was no red wall! in simpler terms, the wall was like a red rag to a bull! and as i mentioned previously, my yellow bedroom is a sunny happy place for me to start my days. 

 
What advice would you give someone wanting to bring more colour into their home?

start small and with something you adore – some fabric, and ornament, a picture. pick out a couple of colours from the object and work with those. it’s good to try and work with the 60-30-10 principal – 60% of your main colour, 30% a second colour and 10% of a third colour. a small example: 60% could be your green sofa, 30% is the blue throw rug and 10% is a couple of light green cushions. read up on some colour theory if you’re not sure what works together, knowing about analogous, complimentary etc will make it easier for you to understand which colours are friends. also, don’t be afraid. it’s just colour! there are worse crimes committed than those of poor taste.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s just colour! There are worse crimes committed than those of poor taste.”

Follow draw! pilgrim

Here’s where you can find draw! pilgrim.

website   **   twitter   **  facebook

Some Finds

If you love the draw! pilgrim look as much as I do, I found some adorable  rice products (Danish) from Lark (one of my favourite shops).

1. Yellow Miror $29.95  2. Microwave bowls (set of 5) $39.95 3. Giant Patchwork Pouffe $295

4. 8 Pretty Food Boxes $28  5. Birdie Clothes Peg $1 6. Pink Berry Canister Set $39.95

External Links

draw! pilgrim

Lark

Be A Fun Mum Links

Home: Vintage Meets Modern

Home: Fruit as Decor

Home: Country Retro