PRETTY IN PINK

LIVING AREA Bright colours make the space feel happier. Here, vivid pattern and an ice-cream palette play off each other and give the room energy. The rug is a vintage find from Pakistan. The floral pattern suits the overall decor, while the luxurious fuchsia grounds the colour scheme and provides depth to the room. Layering different shades of green in the open-plan living space helps to bring the decor together.

Meet & greet Jo Lavender (media) and Rob Newland (media), Ivy, 11, and Margot, eight.

Jo Lavender and Rob Newland’s coastal cottage blends sorbet shades and vintage fabrics, for a home that’s cosy and chic

DINING ROOM Rob and Jo have invested in plenty of British mid-century furniture. Vintage G-Plan and Ercol carpentry was built to last and has a more relaxed style compared to the Danish equivalent.

Style tip Painting the units in a darker hue helps define the kitchen space.

After visiting a pretty coastal town a few years ago, Jo Lavender and Rob Newland fell in love with the idea of a home by the sea. They’d stayed at a local hotel recently renovated by interior designer Michelle Kelly, and liked what they saw. Michelle’s taste for ice-cream colours, Liberty fabric and William Morris wallpaper was both unexpected and cosy – the perfect mix for their new home.

With Michelle’s help, the couple got to work. They converted the basement into a bedroom and playroom for the children, and redecorated two more bedrooms upstairs. Then, they opened up the living space to fit a kitchen-diner and living area, and squeezed a wet room into the space next to the pantry.

Embracing colour was crucial. The couple didn’t want anything “white-washed and shabby chic” and decided against the usual blue and white seaside stripes in favour of a gelato-inspired palette –

KITCHEN The marble splashback injects a hit of welcome drama to the soft ice-cream scheme. SMALL BUT PERFECT A slim, floor-to-ceiling cabinet tucked into an alcove makes great use of space and is used to store crockery (below).

“We would probably have played it safer, but our interior designer Michelle Kelly really pushed us to go with brighter colours, and to be bold and take risks with the design.”

JO LAVENDER

Style tip The statement brass lamp draws the eye and injects a hit of modern style.

pistachio green and sorbet pink paired with chocolatey wooden flooring. The floor in question is certainly a unique find. “We had originally planned to put parquet down,” says Michelle, “but I found an old theatre floor while I was looking at architectural salvage and it felt so right. It feels like it might always have been there.”

Michelle took her design cues from the location. The main bedroom upstairs, facing the beach, is furnished sparsely to make the most of the view. “There was a question over whether the colour [pink] was going to be too much, but actually it’s really serene and draws your attention out to the horizon. A bright orange or yellow wouldn’t work here, it needed to be calmer.”

With children running around and guests welcome, the design had to be durable and reflect how they wanted to feel in the house, as well as linking to its historic past. “This isn’t a place to be on your phone, it’s somewhere to play a game, cook and chat. That’s why I used things like William Morris patterns and vintage glassware and china – embracing elements from the past, but in a modern way.”

WET ROOM The shower room is simple but stylish. Smart black fittings cut through the wall-to-wall pink tiles, so that the small space isn’t overwhelming. REAR BEDROOM The House of Hackney wallpaper is inspired by original William Morris designs and works so well in the second bedroom. It’s bright and really busy but chic, and it transforms a small space. The couple have tied the room together by picking out a key colour from the wallpaper and using it to paint the picture rail and skirting board.

“Fashion is a great inspiration for home styling – take something vintage, then mix it up and make it modern.”

MICHELLE KELLY, INTERIOR DESIGNER

SHOP THEIR STYLE

When sorbet shades, pretty fl orals, pattern and a dash of mid-century modern combine, the result is warm and welcoming

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1 Harlequin Floreale rug, $1790 (140cm x 200cm), from Allium. 2 Capiz pendant light, $599, from Freedom. 3 Ercol Chairmaker’s chair, $2245, from Good Form. 4 Peony spring garden table lamp, $359, from Early Settler. 5 Quinn three-piece suite (armchairs not shown) in maison leaf, $7099, from Hunter Home. 6 Zaha Hadid pulse tealight, $65, from Good Form. 7 Asta side table, $179, from Target Furniture. 8 Resene Aspiring paint, $4.90 (testpot), from ColorShops. 9 Resene Cosmos paint, $4.90, (testpot), from ColorShops. 10 R+D.Lab Luisa 1 litre carafe, $280, from Tessuti. 11 West Elm coffee table, $1050, from Ballantynes.

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First floor KEY 1 Bedroom 2 Playroom 3 Living 4 Dining 5 Kitchen 6 Pantry 7 Toilet 8 Entry 9 Main bedroom 10 Bathroom

How to pair pink and green

Pink and green is an enduring colour pairing – and one that is naturally occurring in spring when blossom appears among bright green leaves. And, while it works seamlessly in nature, utilising this colour combination inside is harder than you think. For instance, pair a warm pink with a lime or dark green and you’ve got watermelon instead of wonderful.

What interior designer Michelle Kelly has done in this home is an example of how pink and green can be executed tastefully. We’ve decoded her style secrets so you can nail this colour pairing in your home too. Opposites attract: Pink and green work well together because they are contrasting shades on the colour spectrum, which creates positive visual tension. It’s true opposites attract. But they only work well when they’re used in the same tonal base. Work in balance: Normally the general rule for pink and green is to use them sparingly – and as highlights only, which is a good tip for those wanting to dip their toes into colour matching in the home. However, Michelle has shown that this isn’t always the case. She’s been bold with this colour pairing and it works because of the use of pastel shades and allowing one hue to be dominant – soft pink. Highlights of various shades of green in olive (kitchen cabinets and balustrade), grass (couch) and pastel (skirtings) punctuate the sweetness of the pink walls and prevent the overall look from appearing too uniform or basic. Break it up: While the interior of this home is a celebration of green and pink, it’s not completely saturated in these two hues. Clever material choices such as grey marble, warm wooden floors and pops of blue and brass provide breaks in the blocks of colour and contribute to the overall harmonious and modern look. Introduce texture: Using different textures in your interior is a must anyway, but it is even more important when working with two statement colours as your main interior palette. Utilise textiles such as velvet and linen, and mix with smoother textures like marble and glass to add visual interest. Play with pattern: Working pink and green into your interior doesn’t just stop at block-coloured walls and cabinets. This colour pairing has gone from standard to statement by highlighting these hues through pattern. Hot pink with hints of green appear on the beautiful floral rug in the living area and variations of these shades also crop up on the cushions and foot stool. This final touch gives depth to a colour duo that has historically been used for teenagers.

Palette

TILES

Beton Still Rosy Blush hex mosaic tiles from The Tile Depot.

TILES

Marble look Grey Goose gloss tile from TileHaus.