Thursday, July 29, 2010

Western Mail Article - Saturday 31st July 2010

Seek out the best in seaside living

With the holiday season upon us many of us will be heading for the coast, either on holiday or for a sunny day out.

The seaside conjures up bright and breezy colours, sky blue, candyfloss pink, rich golden yellow.

Nature’s canvas can readily translate to an interior scheme, be it a colour scheme of vibrant blues, a sophisticated neutral palette, warm sandy textures or sunset oranges and reds. For an inspiring palette of colours including pebble, blue clay and la Plage check out the matt colours from the Zoffany range ( www.zoffany.com).

They have introduced 38 new colours to their collection, bringing their colour range to an impressive 120 choices.

Layer your look with natural fabrics such as the exquisite collection of embroidered linens at Vaughan (www.vaughandesigns.com). Most of their designs incorporate silk or rayon threads in colours such as sky blue or coral, embroidered into strong textural ivory linen.

Shop around for your accessories, especially when on holiday - it’s an ideal excuse to get to know the area and indulge in some retail therapy. I was on holiday in Pembrokeshire a couple of weeks ago, and I did just that.

A favourite of mine is The Custom House in the market town of Cardigan. This jewel of a shop is nestled quaintly in a lane off the main street. It really is an emporium of carefully selected accessories that will enhance your home with their tasteful beauty.



Their range includes anything from paintings and prints by artists such as John Knapp Fisher through to unusual lamps and furniture and tiny napkin rings that will provide that sophisticated finishing touch to your dining table. Take a look at their website www.customhousecardigan.com or call 01239 615310 for a catalogue.

Caldey Island is another favourite of mine as the peace and tranquility there frees you of all the stress accumulated in daily life. The colours provide an interior inspiration too, from the dazzling white of the monastery, the verdant brightness of the village green, the sunlight dancing on the sea, to the peaceful shadows in the woodland. A beautiful new book called Caldey (from Welsh publishing house, Graffeg, www.graffeg.com ), will enable you to keep a piece of this tranquil haven with you at all times.

For those of you who like to shop online for your accessories, www.buythesea.co.uk is an amazing site dedicated to an enchanting plethora of home accessories inspired by the coast.



I particularly love their collection of hand carved birds and their rustic driftwood mirrors.

To view another innovative collection of seaside inspired products take a look at www.bleunature.com. In order to winkle out exciting pieces for our customers at Chameleon, I visit the world-renowned Maison Objet Exhibition in Paris twice a year. The Bleu Nature stand is one of the best as they always manage to produce something fresh and surprising.

Their cutting edge products will fit in with any design, from country cottage to contemporary. I love their lamp collection, made from carefully selected driftwood pieces set in a clear resin and their products certainly have the power to turn heads.





Natalie Chamberlain is a senior designer at Chameleon Interiors. Tel: 029 2037 1277. www.chameleoninteriors.co.uk