As it is situated in a row of brick terraced homes that were originally built as workers’ housing, the façade of this house is almost identical to those on either side of it. Step inside the front door, however, and the uniquely colourful style that interior designer Kim Stephen has brought to her own abode rapidly becomes evident.
“I am naturally drawn to colour… And I’ve certainly got a very wide range of colours in this house,” says Kim. She’s not exaggerating – from the bright blue and green ikat wallpaper in the guest cloakroom to the bright pinks and yellows in the open-plan dining, kitchen and living space, a plethora of vibrant shades meets the eye all over the house.
Asked where her affinity for colour comes from, Kim simply says, “Colour makes me feel happy and brings interiors to life. My use of it feels intuitive – I’m just drawn to it when given a choice.” As her mother owns an interiors textiles showroom, she grew up being exposed to a huge array of interiors fabrics, “and I think I just found the colourful ones more exciting and interesting,” says Kim.
As anyone who has tried to put together a decor scheme using a range of bright shades knows, it’s not easy to get this sort of look right. Kim says that to make colour work in interiors, “it’s always important to temper with neutrals and texture”, and adds that here she made sure both of these elements were effectively used.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Winter 2023 من Modern Living.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Winter 2023 من Modern Living.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Colour Compact
Interior designer Kim Stephen’s terraced home in Barnes, London, combines her signature flair for colour with a clever use of its relatively compact spaces
Paris Panache
Designer Robert Normand’s unerring eye for colour and aesthete’s appreciation of decor, objects and art are on full display in his Paris home, where a series of interleading, beautifully dressed spaces each contributes something unique to a house that is an artwork in perpetual progress
The Art Of Chic
The ideal recipe for eclectic chic 21st-century style? Combine the classic details of a Haussmannian apartment with owner Emmanuel de Bayser’s eye for the finest mid-century furniture and design objects – plus a growing collection of contemporary art. Parfait!
In The Zone
A tightly knit curation of design-savvy details, furniture and finishes makes for an innovative spin on apartment living in Cape Town
The Fabric Of All Things
With a nod to traditional English decorating and with references to its Asian locale, this Singaporean family home is a visual tapestry of pastels and patterns
Brute Force
Referencing the industrial architecture of Chicago and New York, the stylish design of a Sydney home offsets raw, Brutalist surfaces and hardware with softer, seductive furnishings
Black Magic
Dark colours and graphic forms combine to create an urban ‘bush lodge’ look in this luxe family home on KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast. The result is serendipitously sexy
I'll Take Manhattan
...and Italian summers too. A New York City loft remains true to its industrial roots while undergoing an upgrade inspired by the warm light and soft textures of the Med
Quiet Riot
By offsetting elegant restraint with strong notes of natural, artistic and design exuberance, architect Frederic Berthier’s Paris apartment combines architectural stillness with human energy to beautiful and refreshing effect
Fresh Start
Interior designer Lynne Harris-Whitfield has melded old and new in her relaxed family home in Cape Town, which combines considered space planning with a trove of creative touches
