Folk Studio // Styling Ebook

STYLING EBOOK

"EVERY GREAT DESIGN BEGINS WITH AN EVEN BETTER STORY"

STYLING

STYLING

Less is more. We collect furniture pieces, we inherit pieces, and we buy pieces we don't love simply for their function over aesthetic We all do it You need to purge and think about every item as serving a purpose Some have only function, some only have aesthetic, and some have a dual purpose. Whatever its use or look, you need to love it This is when your space becomes an extension of yourself, not a mixmatch of pieces that aren't truly adored We would also like to mention that yes, some pieces are only aesthetic and that is ok. It's been drilled into us that this is not ok, but yes, this is what makes a house a home, it's having a mix of pieces that serve different uses and purposes The sole purpose of a vase or chair can be its viewing pleasure

Look back at your concept board as referencewhat is the mood and style that has been created? Use this as the basis of choosing all your decor and furniture. Does your mood board evoke a sense of calm and the feeling of cosiness? Then ask yourself, is this lamp, coffee table, vase, etc all going to assist in the creation of this feeling?

When we reference 'artwork' people often think of a large-scale painting or print. We can actually mean having something in your space that's impactful, sculptural, unique, and thoughtprovoking This can be through the use of a sculptural plant, ceramic, lighting, or mirror If your budget doesn't allow for a painting or print, think about introducing an incredible wall mirror or a show-stopping/sculptural floor lamp

Your base colour is usually depicted by the floor and walls If you have white walls and timber floors, you have a fairly natural pallet and your base colour is white and brown/beige If you like to play things a little bit safe/want to ensure you love the base tone of your room for years to come, people often decide to match their sofa (usually the largest piece in a living room) to the base colour This means they work along the lines of white, browns, beige, and grey Your accent chair and coffee table should also work in with the base colours, meaning it should be in similar tones to the greys, browns, whites, and beiges.

Have fun with this! Our clients with children, tend to lean towards making their statement pieces an artwork, a beautiful wall-hung mirror, or an incredible armchair - pieces that aren't touched/used as often as other living room pieces If you don't have kids, then we suggest introducing your statement piece through the means of an incredible sofa or unique rug

STYLING

As mentioned above, you have a base tone for the living room, which basically sets the colour of your canvas The best way to add accent colours is through interchangeable items i e decor We suggest using cushions, rugs, ceramics, coffee table books, and plants to introduce pops of colour Choose 3 colours you want to introduce as your accent colours and you can have various tones of the same colour throughout the room ie if a burnt terracotta colour is one of the accent colours, then you can also introduce a lighter or darker tone of this through different decorative pieces. Some people decide they want a piece of furniture to highlight one of their accent colours and they do this with armchairs, lighting or their sofa

There are so many ways to introduce texture to your living room! Try introducing a stone or textured fabric into the space The easiest way to do this is by choosing a coffee table or side table with a stone top (maybe it's concrete or marble) or having beautiful linen curtains as your window coverings Another way to easily introduce texture is through a rug or cushions Your rug could tick both of these boxes, it could have a beautiful texture and also have a subtle pattern.

Many people forget how important scent is when it comes to styling You want to appeal to all of the senses, so make sure you choose a scent that fits the style/feel you are trying to create.

ACCESSORIES

ACCESSORIES

There are many criterias to consider when selecting accessories and the following list is a great starting point:

As with sourcing furniture, designers utilise the project brief to establish accessory selection parameters. The type of accessory refers to whether the piece will be purely aesthetic (like an artwork or a sculpted object) or dual-purpose (like a beautiful vase that also holds flowers)

The application can refer to how it will be used; will it have a varying purpose during different times of the year (for example, a knitted throw rug that may be purely decorative during warmer months but used to keep warm in winter and autumn,) will the selected piece need to be moved from space to space in which case you will need to consider how the design qualities of the accessory work with other spaces in the interior environment

Accessory selection and spatial arrangements: Refers to the actual items you select as a part of your accessorising process and how they are arranged Again, this approach will be determined by your overall design rationale for your home

This process will dictate how many accessories will be required, whether they are purely aesthetic or dual-purpose and what their lifespan will be (seasonally changed, permanently curated or on-trend and possessing a shorter lifespan) You should examine key principles –space, repetition, and grouping.

ACCESSORIES

When styling your coffee table or shelving, try the trusty triangle method This showcases different treasured items in the perfect formula:

1x-2x books stacked

1x taller styling accessory to sit on the books

1x shorter accessories like a candle or low bowl

You can repeat this on shelving creating various heights and shapes

“IF YOU WANT A GOLDEN RULE THAT WILL FIT EVERYTHING, THIS IS IT: HAVE NOTHING IN YOUR HOUSES THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW TO BE USEFUL OR BELIEVE TO BE BEAUTIFUL.”

PLANTS

PLANTS

Here in Australia, we love bringing the outdoors inside The best way to do this is to bring green life into your interior spaces We have listed some great indoor plants we often use in our interior projects, however, lighting/placement of the plant is crucial. There are some hearty indoor plants that we often include in interiors

WEEPING FICUS RUBBER LEAF FIDDLE FIG DEVILS IVY *hanging plant*

PLANTS

FIDDLE FIG DEVILS IVY

RUBBER LEAF

WEEPING FICUS

SOFAS, RUGS DECORATIVE LIGHTING

SOFAS & RUGS

If you have a small living area aim to purchase sofas that are off the ground/have legs This will create the illusion that the space is larger than it is because you can see more floor space.

If you have a larger living area, modular sofas that don't have legs are better suited

SOFAS & RUGS

Every designers pet hate... When the rug is too small for the furniture You have to consider what items you need to frame. Most likely you need to frame a sofa and a coffee table and sometimes you may also have to consider framing an armchair. Our rule of thumb is for a rug to sit halfway under a sofa and come out approx 400mm on each side

Remember to first measure your sofa and have a coffee table chosen before ordering a rug. You want the rug to come out enough so that it frames the coffee table.

Purchase Rug underlay from Bunnings or Ikea, this will ensure your rug doesn't slide around

DECORATIVE LIGHTING

Consider having additional mood lighting in your living space and master bedroom. You don't want downlights shining down on you when you ' re watching a movie at night, nor do you want it to be pitch black, therefore decorative lighting gives you more options to create various moods in these rooms. Decorative lighting can also be seen as an opportunity to introduce another colour, form, or texture. We view decorative lighting as a crucial element in styling any room - have some fun with it!

T A B L E L A M P

We often like to add a side table next to a sofa (if you have the room) and style it with a table lamp. This is great if your sofa is quite long and you need additional table space, therefore a side table and lamp is a great option in addition to a coffee table A side table lamp is a great decorative option and enables you to add some added texture or potentially a colour to the space

We often suggest introducing a floor lamp to sit next to your sofa (if you have the room) This will add a sculptural element to the space too

W A L L L I G H T

We love using wall lights in our projects, they can be artworks in themselves If you are fully renovating your home, then plan the position of the wall light early on so the electrician can rough-in. This means you should have a good idea of what furniture you ' re using. For example, if you are planning on having a wall light next to your sofa above a little side table, you will need to know the length of your sofa or if you plan on having a wall light above your bedside table in your bedroom, then you will need to know what size bed you have, as well as the bedside tables height/width

For those that don't want something so permanent, the best option is to introduce a wall light that doesn't have to be hardwired into the wall and can simply be plugged in See examples on the next page

DIFFERENT TYPES OF DECORATIVE LIGHTING

PENDANT L IGHTS

N D A N T L I G H T

When purchasing pendant lights, make sure the pendant comes with the cord and ceiling rose If you have high ceilings (higher than 2 7m) you may have to order another 'cord set' that is 3-4m and your electrician can then cut the cord to the length required.

If you don't want to pay for the labour of changing the pendant light location, you can think about putting a hook in the ceiling and looping the pendant over the hook and hanging it this way. Sometimes we do this simply for the look - if you ' re going for an understated/raw aesthetic this may work well for your home

PAINT

Choosing the perfect white is a difficult task for many (after a while all the swatches start to look the same no fun) We have listed our ' go to' interior wall colours below

PAINT

WARM WHITES

Warm whites assist in softening spaces that don’t get much sun. We use warm whites in many of our interiors because warmer whites pair nicely with raw materials, such as timber and concrete. Warm whites often have a pink or yellow undertone

COOL WHITES

Cool whites are perfect for modern, crisp spaces Most Cool White paint colours have a blue undertone and are best used to soften bright light We love using cool whites in interiors that have a fresh, coastal vibe.

When specifying paint, the colour name and code are important, however, the sheen level can determine the durability of the paint as well as the way the colour is reflected back into the space. The same colour specified in different sheens can have varying differences. Generally, when a high gloss is specified the surface can reflect elements and even expose flaws in the surface of the wall The flatter the sheen, the less reflection occurs Applying a flat or low sheen finish to older, heritage walls or ceilings can be beneficial as they can hide any defects in the existing wall surface

https://www.dulux.com.au/services/paint-calculator

https://www dulux com au/inspiration/the-design-files/choosing-whites

Here are our ' go to' paint colours and finishes for walls, ceilings and trims.

Colour/Name: Choose a colour from our above list

Finish: Low Sheen

Colour/Name: Dulux Ceiling White

Finish: Flat

Colour: White Dulux Aquanamel®

(water based - interior only)

Finish: Low gloss

If you ' re on a tight budget, think about only having the walls painted and not the ceilings or window trims. Any timber work, such as window trims, door trims, doors, etc. will increase the cost dramatically as woodwork/trims are more labour intensive for painters. You can always start with your walls and/or ceiling and leave the window trims and skirtings for stage 2.

TEXTURED WALL PAINT

Incorporating a textured paint is a great way of adding depth and interest to your home. Textured paint can be used as a feature on one wall, with standard flat paint finish on the surrounding walls, OR you could paint all the walls in one room with a textured finish

I A N P L A S T E R of paint is applied differently from a lime/french owever they can look very similar. Venetian plaster is cker as a surface material and is more of an ent finish rather than matte.

$ $ $

pplied by a

t. Simply paint your french wash over the

This type of application is less impactful than the french wash, as it is applied with a different type of brush which creates soft variations with a nice amount of texture

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER YOUR ENVIRONMENT HAS ON YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING. DESIGN WITH PURPOSE AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR HOME IS AN EXTENSION OF YOU.

RESOURCES

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Image 1: https://www.westwing.it/inspiration/lifestyle/sostenibilita/design-sostenibile/?

Image 2: https://www apartmenttherapy com/love-fiddle-leaf-figs-check-out-rubber-tree-plants237504?utm source=pinterest&utm medium=tracking&utm campaign=inline-img-share

Image 3: https://nestingwithgrace.com/my-complete-houseplant-guide/

Image 4: https://www purewow com/home/designer-styling-tricks-beautiful-home?

amphtml=true&epik=dj0yJnU9OEh5VFUySTE4WERNX1JUQko3RmxaZEZFZzdvOGVlNTgmcD0wJm49VUxMTm hHYm40THpQVHhWbFVDc05pQSZ0PUFBQUFBR0o5MXlr

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Image 1: https://www fewandfar com au/collections/wall-lamps/products/lagoon-rattan-wall-lamp

Image 2: https://www anchorceramics com/forms/earth-light

Image 3: https://clostudios com au/collections/lighting

Image 4: https://clostudios com au/collections/lighting

Image 5: https://clostudios com au/collections/lighting