The first post of the year always feels a little daunting. I’m itching for Copperline to include some new features – as in, features that aren’t about interiors – but I wanted to start the year with a gorgeous space, and when I spotted the photo above, well, you can understand why this interior felt like a great place to start.
Back in September I featured the new wallpaper collection from UK textile company Flock, who work with an eclectic mix of artists, designers and recent graduates to create a bold and beautiful collection of textiles for interiors. Flock has since launched a new collection called Blocks – a Yorkshire wool textile that’s available as a throw and cushion, and also to purchase by the metre.
When I was choosing some new kitchen worktops a few years ago I went to visit a stone supplier outside Edinburgh to have a look at different granite finishes, and I remember being amazed when seeing all the giant slabs of stone on display. It’s one thing looking at small samples of stone in a showroom but quite another seeing unfinished stone slabs in a yard. So I can only imagine how impressive it would be to see these incredible stone finishes if visiting stone specialist Gerald Culliford‘s yard at Kingston Upon Thames.
I can sometimes feel uneasy when writing about colour – other than grey! – possibly because the list of colours that I wouldn’t personally use at home is considerably longer than the list of hues I would. Anything pink, blue (except navy), red… indeed anything bright, if I’m being honest. Other than a really rich orange, which is my exception to the rule. I gravitate towards texture rather than colour.
But it’s good to be challenged on this when you come across an interior where colour has been used really well. Take this midcentury home that showcases Benjamin Moore’s 2018 Colour of the Year, Caliente, a vibrant red that’s been described by Benjamin Moore’s Director of Strategic Design Intelligence Ellen O’Neill as “strong, radiant and full of energy.”
Back in September I posted about Williamstone Farm Steadings – a steading conversion on the edge of North Berwick, where the interiors of the three steadings were designed by DecorAir – and this flat in Edinburgh is another project from the same design duo of Rachel Richmond and Xanthe Weir. Rachel and Xanthe launched DecorAir earlier this year with the aim of offering tailored design packages to the buy-to-let market, calling on their years of experience working on interior projects – Rachel is the Design Director of the Edinburgh-based interior design company Hen&Crask while Xanthe is the founder of the online store Lair specialising in midcentury furniture, lighting and curios.
Okay, quiz time. What date was the film Notting Hill released: was it 2005, 2002, or 1999? Why am I asking this? Well, because I can’t believe that the correct answer is… a whole 18 years ago and in a different century! If you’ve watched the film, you’ll remember the Travel Bookshop that was owned by Hugh Grant’s character – the scene of the famous “I’m also just a girl, asking a boy…” line. All of which brings me to this apartment – the flat above the shop – that has been redesigned by the Notting Hill-based Cubic Studios.
Hello and welcome to Copperline. My name is Fiona Reid and this is my blog about coastal living in Scotland.