THE ART OF INTERIOR DESIGN Advice from Matthew Williamson

THE ART OF INTERIOR DESIGN

IN THE LATEST IN OUR SERIES, RENOWNED DESIGNER MATTHEW WILLIAMSON SHARES INSIGHTS ON DECORATING WITH PATTERN, LIGHTING AND VINTAGE PIECES

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BELMOND LA RESIDENCIA FEATURE KERRYN HARPER-CUSS

INTRODUCING IMPACT WITH PATTERN

I’VE always been a maximalist, a lover of ornamentation. I want to create things that make others feel happy. I’ve never been able to get my head around minimalism or flat colour. When I start a room design, I think about how I can make an empty space give joy.

■ Wallpaper brings personality, energy and whimsy to a space. It can function as a focal point or as a backdrop. I prefer wrapping rooms as opposed to using a feature wall or papering a chimney breast.

■ To achieve a more accomplished look include more than one pattern in a space. Florals work well with stripes; using a floral sofa with a striped armchair is a knowing clash and works especially well when you mix a figurative floral with a graphic contrast.

■ I like all the classic patterns – the florals, ikats, stripes and animal prints – but I bring in unexpected colour for a modern look. You might use Delft pottery or old chintz but combine it with colours and patterns that catch the eye, so the old rubs along with the new.

■ I would advise less confident decorators to keep the colour palette tight in a scheme for a calm overall result. Restrict yourself to half a dozen colours and try not to veer from them. →

This bedroom for Belmond La Residencia in Deià, Mallorca, has a Spanish aesthetic supercharged with colour and pattern

WHERE I SHOP FOR PATTERN

Some of my favourite sources for patterned fabrics and wallcoverings are Osborne & Little, Cole & Son, Lisa Fine Textiles, Carolina Irving Textiles and Pickett’s House in Deià, Mallorca. I also think rugs are a brilliant way to introduce pattern and I have just created a new range with Obeetee.

Black and white Palm lampshade from the Matthew Williamson range for Pooky

ADDING AMBIENCE WITH LIGHTING

TABLE lamps complete a room in the same way that jewellery completes an outfit. They are relatively affordable so even if you are working to a budget, a few new lamps are a wonderful way to give a whole room a lovely lift.

■ I like to create beautiful zones of light that add atmosphere as you move through a space. I have table lamps dotted all around a room to create pools of light.

■ However many lights you think you need, you probably need more. One ceiling light and a table lamp is really just the starting point.

■ When choosing a shade measure the diameter very carefully and if in doubt always go bigger. A grander, broader shade will have more presence, in the same way as a wide-brimmed hat does.

■ I often team contrasting colours for the base and shade. A colour wheel is useful when it comes to choosing colours that are direct opposites. I have a lamp with a dusky pink shade on a plain green base at home. Blue with orange or rust also looks fabulous.

■ I love to add a big dramatic ceiling light – I don’t think I’ve ever done a room without one. You should also always hang a pendant light lower than you think – that definitely adds an extra dimension to the room.

WHERE I SHOP FOR LIGHTING

Pooky has a fantastic range of styles and sizes and I enjoyed collaborating with them to develop my own new collection. I love the lampshades at Penny Morrison; Vinterior is a good place to look for chandeliers, Murano and decorative vintage lights; and I also recommend Renaissance for vintage lighting.

SOURCING VINTAGE FINDS

THERE’S real pleasure in foraging for a special piece, and potentially getting a bargain or something unique that can’t be bought on Amazon or at a department store. Look for pieces that speak to you, which add an element of curiosity so that they bring character to a room.

■ My only formula is not to have a formula. I’ve honed what I like in terms of style and period – I’m drawn to the 1970s, to gilding, to rustic Spanish pieces. The mix is what creates the magic.

■ It’s important that the vernacular of a home’s location plays a part. In my own home in Deià, I’ve embraced tiled floors and rustic artefacts but I can still throw in an English Chesterfield sofa. If a look is too prescribed from any genre, for me that just creates flatness and predictability.

■ I’m not wild about too much dark wood; it can be depressingly heavy and gloomy. I prefer painted or paler woods. I recently used an amazing Spanish wooden bed with turned posts that was a wonderful shape but too heavy, so I had it painted in a glossy electric blue, like a lacquered effect. &

WHERE I SHOP FOR VINTAGE PIECES

McCully & Crane in Rye offers a rustic but quite unexpected style. Jorge at Brownrigg in Tetbury has a great eye, especially for decorative Spanish pieces. Lia at Anemone Interiors has amazing Murano glass and Italian ceramics. Guinevere Antiques has fabulous over-the-top pieces. I also look at Dig Haüshizzle and 1stDibs.