10 minute read
Interiors
from SE22 March 2021
by SE Magazines
with Bradley Viljoen | www.bradleyviljoendesign.com
Small Room – Big Ideas
How can you achieve spectacular results at a relatively reduced cost? Why not look at the smallest room in your house; the separate toilet room, if you have one. Take the space for starters; small and compact so the amount of materials and decoration required is therefore proportionate. For example, a new toilet, wash hand basin and radiator upgrade remains significantly cheaper than revamping a small bathroom or shower-room. My advice is to be brave with your decoration.
To create a spectacular experience try treating it separately from your other decorations. The room is normally hidden behind a door, therefore the contents are only revealed upon opening. To achieve a room that works well and looks fantastic requires clever design. Colour provides the most immediate impact.
Whilst a tendency is to go for lighter colours and plain walls, this can actually emphasise the smallness of the space. By cleverly using mid to darker coloured paints and, in particular, large patterned wallpaper, one can blur the boundaries and create a room of seeming capaciousness.
Be bold, use one colour throughout or consider wallpapering both walls and ceiling. Simple architectural additions can create a sum that looks more than the parts. Try adding new skirting boards, which I prefer to be overscaled. Consider a mirrored wall. Panel the door and/or walls. Replace a nasty old handle and key lock to a privacy lock. If your preferred choice is minimalistic, then the same rules apply to you, only with a more restrained materials palette and colour. Lighting creates a mood. Installing discreet and sunken spot lighting, warm LED lighting in hidden areas or, a back lit mirror, adds drama at relatively little expense. Effective lighting is often under specified in a project. Row upon row of inset ceiling lights, which provide too much lighting, produces a harsh atmosphere. Our aim in a toilet space is for sufficient ambient lighting to create the right mood to enhance the space. Flooring must be practical and aesthetically pleasing. Linoleum and vinyl are relatively inexpensive, low maintenance, easy to clean, and comfortable underfoot. They can have the appearance of tiling and are a wise choice. Linoleum is made from renewable materials and provides you with bespoke options if preferred. Forbo’s linoleum, under the brand of Marmoleum, also provide you with an array of choices, including bespoke. Vinyl flooring is also extremely practical and robust so search out Harvey Maria who manufacture luxury vinyl flooring. Their rubber flooring of the studded kind is also worth looking at for something different. Other choices of flooring can include tiles, wood, marble and stone, however, watch for the change in level from the outside to the inside when applying such materials. Mood Boards. To kick start your scheme, start with a concept then create your mood board so you do not deviate too far from your initial concept. Today’s choice of sanitary ware, faucets, paints and wallpapers, which includes 100% waterproof wallpaper even removing the need for tiling, provides you with unlimited and sometimes confusing choices. To avoid ending up with a completed project that disappoints, remain true to your objectives. So, start collecting images, devise a concept for your big ideas and before you know it, right there in front of you, your small space will begin its transformation. All that will remain then is its execution and finally, your enjoyment.
Photo: Phil Hearing @Unsplash
Bradley Viljoen Design
Interior Design & Decoration
Curtain Making & Blinds | Upholstery | Accessorising Colour Consultancy | Fabrics | Lighting Design Art Installation & Framing 020 7252 6167 | 07980 570631 | info@bradleyviljoendesign.com
CwS Smart Business Networking
meets on the last Wednesday of every month.
During lockdown, we are holding our meetings virtually using Zoom.
Find out how to register for FREE at: www.cookingwithscissors.com e-mail: sbn@ cookingwithscissors.com Next Meeting: Wednesday 31 March 8.15pm prompt
Stephen J. Smith
F.C.C.A.
Local Chartered Certified Accountant with 30 years small business experience Small Business Accounting Financial Administration & Reporting Payroll VAT Personal Tax Advice Tax Compliance Inheritance Tax Advice
Take a look at our fab website which covers the areas in and Around Dulwich including Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park. Up to date events, more stories and news.
www.arounddulwich.co.uk | Follow us @AroundDulwich
Monday 8 March: Lisa Jewell – Invisible Girl (Live Stream)
7:30pm - 8:30pm. Join us for a thrilling evening-in with bestselling author Lisa Jewell. When Saffyre Maddox was ten, something terrible happened, and she’s carried the pain of it ever since. The man who she thought was going to heal her didn’t, and now she hides, learning his secrets, invisible in the shadows. Owen Pick is invisible too. He’s never had a girlfriend; he’s never even had a friend. Nobody sees him. Nobody cares. But when Saffyre goes missing from opposite his house on Valentine’s night, suddenly the whole world is looking at Owen. Accusing him. Holding him responsible for Saffyre’s disappearance…
Book tickets via www.trybooking.com
3:45pm - 5pm. &ART Clubs offer children
aged 5-12 years a creative space in which to explore their world. All sessions are taught by trained artists and experienced educators. The Scout Hut, 212 Bellenden Rd, London SE15 4BY. Exceptional children’s after school art tuition.
https://www.andart.london.
4pm-5.15pm. &ART Clubs offer children aged 5-12
years a creative space in which to explore their world. All sessions are taught by trained artists and experienced educators. The Scout Hut, 212 Bellenden Rd, London SE15 4BY. Exceptional children’s after school art tuition.
https://www.andart.london.
Wednesday 10 March: Online Charity Wine Tasting
7pm-8pm. Local charity, Link Age Southwark have partnered with GreatWineOnline to bring you an exclusive online wine tasting event in aid of the charity’s work to support older people experiencing isolation and loneliness during the pandemic. Join them for this fun and informative tasting experience where you’ll be guided by the GWO experts in the comfort of your home! Your order will include 3 different wines chosen by the GWO team from the fabulous winery, Simonsig in South Africa. To join the event, head to the GWO website to purchase the tasting case of wine for £50.99 ahead of time, which includes the case of wine, a donation to Link Age Southwark, plus delivery. You can also add an optional cheese selection to your order for an additional £30 including delivery. And, if that wasn’t enough, you will automatically be entered into a free raffle on the night, with the chance to win a £50 GWO gift voucher! Find more
via ‘Buy your wine’. https://greatwineonline. co.uk/link-age-wine-tasting-event/
Thursday 11 March: Making Change: the decimalisation of Britain’s Currency
7pm - 8pm. On a grey, drizzly Monday, 15 February 1971, Britain went decimal. Tom Hockenhull recounts the story of this extraordinary event to change a currency system that had been in place for over a thousand years. Suggested donation £5. Book via www.bellhouse.co.uk.
Thursday 11 March: Transient
Desires by Donna Leon
7:30pm - 8:30pm. Join us for an evening in with bestselling crime writer Donna Leon, where we’ll be chatting all things Brunetti and of course her latest novel Transient Desires. Tickets: **The first 30 people to buy a copy of Transient Desires will receive a signed copy of the book** Book tickets
www.trybooking.com
Thursday 11 March: Hitler Émigrés - their Impact on British Artistic & Cultural Life
8pm - 9pm. Hitler émigrés had considerable impact on British life and included artists, architects, film makers, musicians, publishers, historians, psychologists and scientists.
www.theartssocietydulwich.org.uk.
Saturdays 13, 20 & 27 March: &ART weekend, holiday and after school art classes for children
Various times and ages, see website for full details. The Old School House, Adys Rd, London SE15 4DY
https://www.andart.london
Monday 15 March: One Pot, Pan, Planet with Anna Jones
(Live Stream)
7:30pm - 8:30pm. Award-winning cook Anna Jones blazes the trail again for how we all want to cook now: quick, sustainably and stylishly. Anna will be in conversation with Guardian journalist Felicity Cloake.
Book tickets via www.trybooking.com
Wednesday 17 March: One Two Three four with
Craig Brown (Live Stream)
7pm - 8pm. John Updike compared them to ‘the sun coming out on an Easter morning’. Bob Dylan introduced them to drugs. The Duchess of Windsor adored them. Noel Coward despised them. JRR Tolkien snubbed them. The Rolling Stones copied them. Loenard Bernstein admired them. Muhammad Ali called them ‘little sissies’. Successive Prime Ministers sucked up to them. No one has remained unaffected by the music of The Beatles. As Queen Elizabeth II observed on her golden wedding anniversary, ‘Think what we would have missed if we had never heard The Beatles.’ Book tickets via www.trybooking.com
Thursday 18 March: Filmmaking 101: Script Writing with Darren Rapier
7pm - 9pm. Learn more about the essentials of making films with Bell House Films’ new Filmmaking 101 series. For full details go to Book via www.bellhouse.co.uk.
Thursday 18 March: Thinking Skills Strategies to Reignite an Appetite for Learning 7:30pm - 8:30pm
What would you prefer: to be told a definition of an idea or to be guided to construct your own definition, ideally through dialogue with your peers? Find out more at www.bellhouse.co.uk
Monday 22 March: The Book of Longings by
Sue Monk Kidd (Live Stream)
7.30pm-8.30pm. We’re delighted to welcome bestselling author Sue Monk Kidd to our virtual stage, where she’ll be talking about her beautiful new novel The Book of Longings. The Book of Longings is an exquisite tale of dreams and desire, and of the power of women to change the world. Book tickets via www.trybooking.com
Wednesday 24 March: Migrant Birds in the Local Area
7pm - 8pm. A talk about the birds of South East London and their migration.
Dave Clark is a local ornithologist who has a particular interest in the interactions between birds and humans and last year presented to Bell House the importance of our feeding wild birds. This year Dave will be introducing the topic of bird migration with a special focus on birds that can be seen, within this context, in the local area. For full details go to
Book via www.bellhouse.co.uk
To get your listing here contact: angela@semagazines.co.uk
Notice
Please note that all this information was correct at the time of going to press. However please do check details ahead, as the lockdown may be extended and this could affect some events.
Monday 29 March: How to Calm the Overthinking Mind
7pm - 8pm. Overthinking, ruminating and worrying can keep us stuck in an exhausting cycle of panic, fear or procrastination. But life does not have to be like this, there are ways to calm and restore the balance of the mind. We will explore a range of techniques from breathing to CBT that will enable you to regain control in your life. Book via www.bellhouse.co.uk
Wednesday 31 March: Cooking with Scissors
(via Zoom)
8.15pm. An opportunity for local business professionals to meet, make new contacts and gain new business. The last Wednesday of every month. Free Admission. To find out more or register your interest in attending, please email
sbn@cookingwithscissors.co.uk.
COMMUNITY NEWS: Dulwich Park Runners
Want to keep fit through running?
Contact your local club, Dulwich Park Runners. DPR organise virtual activities and provide advice to help with motivation and effective training.
enquiries@dulwichparkrunners.com www.dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
We hope to be back to our normal full programme of running events soon. DPR-buildng a local running community
