A global field guide to design, (life)style and secret finds est. 2007
5 clever decorating ideas to borrow from this London apartment
Today I'm taking a look around the London apartment of interior designer Rhonda Drakeford. The Trouva ambassador and co-founder of cult homewares store, Darkroom, is obsessed with monochrome palettes, bold geo patterns and bright pops of colour, which are played out to brilliant effect throughout her Hackney home.
Here, I've picked out five clever ideas from Rhonda's home to inspire you when decorating your own space.
1. Create your own plant wall
Rhonda put up some white shelves against a large window in her living room, which provides both a sense of privacy and a home for her plants, while allowing plenty of light.
In your own home, consider mixing plants in black pots with a few of your favourite bright and colourful objects and vases.
2. Add pops of colour to a monochrome palette
A mostly monochrome palette is used as a visual anchor throughout Rhonda's apartment, but she's worked in bright pops of colour and pattern to clash against her bold use of black.
Rhonda's collection of African wax fabrics in "completely bonkers patterns and clashing colour palettes" inspires her own interior product designs.
3. Paint the floor black
Rhonda painted the floor in her apartment black because she's "always needed to have some black to anchor any décor". In your own home, create a sense of lightness and contrast by painting the walls white.
"I am quite obsessed with the use of black in interiors and that came from another favourite place of mine — Lanzarote."
"It’s a volcanic island and in the 1960s a local architect called Cesar Manrique built some amazing buildings right in the lava bubbles. I think black is such a powerful backdrop to art and furniture," she says.
4. Paint a bold block colour panel on your walls
Be brave and paint half of your wall in a bright and bold colour to personalise your space. In Rhonda's bedroom, a blue painted panel is inspired by the alleyways in Essaoueria, Morroco.
"Most of the exterior walls there have a strip of colour at the bottom and I really like how invigorating it feels to be immersed in colour at every turn," she says.
5. Create a bold pattern on your outdoor walls
Rhonda had extended the interior monochrome theme in her London apartment to the outdoor space by painting the walls in a large-scale geo pattern.
Use simple geo shapes to create your own outdoor mural. You could borrow Rhonda's black and white colour scheme, or use a primary colour with white to create a sense of drama. Have a look at post-modern art for inspiration.
Rhonda's outdoor mural was inspired by the village of the Ndebele people in South Africa, where "the women of the village paint bold, bright patterns on the outsides of their homes, a tradition that has gone on for many centuries and is steeped in symbolism – it’s completely mind-blowing."
Love Rhonda's look? She's wearing OTHER Shop and you can shop from the boutique on Trouvahere.
Rhonda is a Trouva ambassador. Shop Rhonda's edit of homewares, fashion and accessories on Trouva.
Darkroom's London store has now sadly closed, and the online store is currently on hiatus. I'm looking forward to seeing what Darkroom does next, and wish both Rhonda and Lulu all the very best.
Photography courtesy of Trouva. SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
Today I'm taking a look around the London apartment of interior designer Rhonda Drakeford. The Trouva ambassador and co-founder of cult homewares store, Darkroom, is obsessed with monochrome palettes, bold geo patterns and bright pops of colour, which are played out to brilliant effect throughout her Hackney home.
Here, I've picked out five clever ideas from Rhonda's home to inspire you when decorating your own space.
Love Rhonda's look? She's wearing OTHER Shop and you can shop from the boutique on Trouva here.
Rhonda is a Trouva ambassador. Shop Rhonda's edit of homewares, fashion and accessories on Trouva.
Darkroom's London store has now sadly closed, and the online store is currently on hiatus. I'm looking forward to seeing what Darkroom does next, and wish both Rhonda and Lulu all the very best.
Photography courtesy of Trouva.
