Contemporary Interior Design

• Posted on 24th April 2012 by Nicola Holden

I had a wonderful Easter break in Istanbul this year. It is a city I have long wanted to visit, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. There was fabulous inspiration around every corner, beautiful buildings, wonderful food, and with spring around the corner it was a city in full bloom.

Istanbul is a vast, sprawling metropolis that 15 million people call home, and is a magnet to tourists from every corner or the world. I have never heard so many different languages spoken in one place! Unlike Abu Dhabi (which I visited last year), it is also a city full of history, from the Byzantines to the Ottomans, and under Roman control in between, and much of ancient Constantinople’s building stock remains, including palaces, churches and cisterns.

I was awed by every church and mosque that I visited, but the building that held my attentions for the most amount of time was the Topkapi Palace. Described in the Lonely Planet as an ‘… opulent palace complex [that] is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world’s royal residences put together … [and] was home to Selim the Sot, who drowned after drinking too much champagne …’, I knew that a visit was required.

The palace was built in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror, and was occupied by subsequent sultans until the 19th century. It is built around a basic four-courtyard plan, designed to seclude the monarch from the people. The first court was open to everyone, the second court only to people on imperial business, and the third and fourth courts only to the imperial family, VIPs and palace staff.

Here are some of the design features that caught my eye:

I was just wowed by the beauty and intricacy of these ceilings, and my head is brimming with ideas to transform these designs onto other furnishings.

I loved these small chambers and the mix of design elements that they bring together – elaborate rugs, Iznik tiles, stained glass windows, embellished ceilings and inlaid doors.

Everywhere you turned there were Iznik tiles – all different designs worked together into a mind blowing whole. Simply stunning! In fact, I fell in love with these tiles so much that my darling BF bought me eight for my birthday, which I plan to inlay into a piece of furniture some day.

Nothing had slipped the attention of these early designers. Every element in this palace was ‘designed’ – from the cobbled, colonnaded verandas to the arched windows and decorated eaves, right down to the carved and mother-of-pearl inlaid doors. I just loved it all, and after an exhausting but exhilarating five hours I dragged myself away from this wonderful palace. Truly inspiring!

Have you been to Istanbul? What was your favourite bit?

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”
St. Francis of Assisi

All images © Nicola Holden.

• Posted in Architecture, Interior Design, Museums, Travel, Tupkapi Palace | 12 Comments

• Posted on 12th April 2012 by Nicola Holden

Sadly I didn’t make it to the David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, which closed over the weekend, but I have been mesmerised by one of his works – the colours in particular.

This piece, titled ‘Winter Timber’, was created on fifteen canvases, and measures 2.74m x 6.10m. It is currently held in a private collection, but I have been imaging what sort of interior would house a piece like this, with those wonderfully vibrant purples, blues and greens.

I’m imagining a living room. I’d start with a fresh white palette, which loves the injection of bold spots of colour. Then I’d add some neutral, sandy tones to blend with the cut timber in the picture. The earthiness of this colour adds to the theme of the painting, and is a warm, comforting colour that makes people feel at ease. I’d add interest to this neutral scheme by introducing texture and by drawing upon the earthy browns in the fallen leaves. And finally, I’d pick up on those purples, blues and greens to inject a few pops of colour and an element of frivolity into the scheme.

1. Fine Oak floorboards from Element7
2. Madura Oatmeal fabric from Linwood for the sofa
3. Galileo table lamp by Chad Lighting
4. Lemon Grass coffee table by DN Designs
5. Batsman paint from The Little Greene
6. Plain Silk Duppion in prune,and
7. Virginia Creeper silk dupion in turmeric / grapefabric, both from Clarissa Hulse for cushions
8. Mixed Metals rug by David Rockwell from The Rug Company

This scheme would allow the painting to be the focal point of the room, ensuring the ‘wow’ factor of such a wonderful piece of art!

“Art has to move you and design does not, unless it’s a good design for a bus.”
David Hockney

Image ©David Hockney. Photo credit: Jonathan Wilkinson. Colour swatches: Nicola Holden. Product images from respective companies.

• Posted in Art, Colour, Interior Design, Sand | 5 Comments