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Kate Watson-Smyth is an interiors expert and author of three fabulous books. Her popular instagram page @mad_about_the_house and blog www.madaboutthehouse.com, her personal space where she talks about her own style and shares interior trends.
We asked Kate to style three mini room sets for us, using her edit from our interior collection.
We are delighted to show you her beautiful spaces here. Enjoy!
Autumn just has to be my favourite season - there really is nothing like a blend of warm yellows, burnt oranges, gentle pinks and a flash of vibrant green to lift the spirits and warm the soul. La Redoute always offer a beautiful collection of colours, and with this in mind I set about creating three distinct spaces – a mini sitting room, bedroom, and a restful reading corner, to show how to use colour and texture effectively.
A modern country sitting room
We worked at the beautiful Bourne & Hollingsworth buildings in London, and it made sense to base the sitting room set around the beautiful original fireplace.
This Scandi-inspired two-seater faux leather sofa is from the So’Home collection, and is ideal for small spaces. In a charming, distressed finish, the arms are wide enough to rest a cup of coffee/glass of wine (depending on the time of day) and you can dress it and change the look with throws.
I absolutely love checks at the moment, and this checked wool blanket (100 per cent wool and made in Spain) is the ideal complement to the distressed look of the sofa.
Rooms are naturally full of straight lines and introducing some curves and more organic shapes is a simple way to soften a space and, especially at this time of year, make it feel cosy. A round coffee table is one way to create curves and, of course, is a practical addition too.
Also, I really like the patina of dark wood and I feel that a modern dark piece looks richer and more characterful than pale wood. This Magosia coffee table is made from solid walnut which has a lovely warm pinky tone to it.
Joyful Bedding
La Redoute is known for its huge range of interesting and original textiles and the company’s bedding and rugs are rightly renowned for their quality and variety.
You can find plains in cotton and linen, stripes, checks and graphic designs as wells as blousy and ditsy florals. You need to make a cup of coffee and find a bit of time and wander round the collection to find those pieces that reflect your personal taste.
There is also an extensive rug collection. One popular style over the last couple of years is carved. Often plain (but multi-coloured ones do exist) this is a great way to bring in lots of texture without adding overt pattern. It is a more restrained look but one that brings interest to a minimal room.
This Malko rug is made of wool and is large – 200 by 290cm so it will fit beneath a dining room table. Do make sure your chairs can fit fully on it when someone is sitting at the table because it’s quite thick and the chair will tilt if it’s half on or off. Safety tip!
It’s also great in a bedroom or perhaps under a desk where it can be useful to zone a working space apart from the rest of the room.
For some, the very idea of a cream rug under a table is anathema – what about food spills? What I do know is that when my son had a black carpet the dust really showed up, his brother, now in that room, has a pale cream carpet and seems to throw dark drinks on a regular basis. You will not win at this. If spilled food and drink is your concern you need a patterned rug. Luckily for you, La Redoute has plenty of choice!
A Restful Corner
A simple and personal way to change rooms seasonally is with accessories. Cushion covers fold up small and don’t take up much storage space and you can swap them back when the seasons change – we do it with clothes after all.
Changing your lighting also works well. We need more electric light at this time of year so bring in a new table lamp or lighting a dark corner to make a room feel much cosier. In summer, when you might not need it, replace it with a beautiful vase of flowers. Refreshing a room doesn’t need to involve fresh paint and a set of new furniture.
The third area I styled was this peaceful corner. Any leisure time I have will usually find me curled up on a chair reading a good book – never more so than at this time of year.
The quilted chair above has room enough for you and the cat, but I also love La Redoute’s plush velvet armchair in pink. Pistachio green may seem to be an unusual choice but it works well with autumnal tones and this high pile patterned rug takes that pale shade and uses it in darker versions which creates a tonal and more layered look.
The curved bookcase with its rounded niches would work well in a bedroom or sitting room as a great drinks cabinet or just to show off your favourite decorative objects. There is also a double version as well as a lower sideboard as part of the new Archy collection.
See above for why curves are good.
So there you have a few of my (many) highlights. The pure joy of a seasonal refresh is that you can spend as much or as little as you like – a couple of candlesticks and a new picture all the way up to a change of furniture.
I’ve chosen these pieces not only for the season but also because they will last for a long time either restyled with new objects or throws or furloughed for a few months and brought out when you fancy a change.
If you are looking for gifts (for any reason!) I love these word prints – on the mantelpiece above is a David Bowie Life on Mars, which comes framed or unframed. There’s also a Fleetwood Mac one. But, as you can imagine, the choices are huge so you’ll have to see what has meaning for you. That’s the joy of decorating with small pieces – you can make it so personal and really enjoy creating your own space.
We always love Kate’s edits and this one has us ready to make our own selections! Head over to the La Redoute hub for more ideas from Mo Hussen.
