How to get the interior design style you love
In Chatelaine's March issue, we featured Annie Sloan's Room Recipes For Style and Colour, a book by the paint guru and her son Felix. The book profiles nine interior design styles and tips on how to achieve them in your own home using colour, furniture and collectibles. Which one is your favourite?
Annie Sloan's Room Recipes for Style and Colour
French Elegance
French elegance doesn't have to mean jeweled tones and gold-gilded mirrors. This homeowner took a more rustic approach to the style, collecting finds from flea markets and antique stores. Annie suggests the key to this style is presentation: "These objects may not be elegant in themselves, but Alex has put them together and presented them in a very elegant way."
Try creating your own textured wall by mixing Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan in Burgundy Red, Greek Blue and Old White. Wash the wall so the paint drips down to give it texture. Annie suggests experimenting with your own colour combinations.
Photo, Christopher Drake.
Coastal
This kitchen uses white walls and tiles and rustic wood accents to give it a coastal feel. We love the mixture of styles present – the metal pendant lights add an industrial warehouse look to the room.
"This room also reinforces the important point that when it comes to choosing a style, you don't have to hammer it home in every single room," says Annie.
Photo, Christopher Drake.
Bohemian
The bohemian style is all about mixing cultures, clashing colours and patterns – without it looking chaotic. Annie says getting it right "is not easy" but the key is to experiment with different combinations of pattern and colour.
Annie suggests finding something that unifies the room together, such as a common colour.
Photo, Christopher Drake.
Warehouse
The warehouse style is functional, outfitted with simple furnishings and easily versatile. "Warehouse is made up of salvaged and upcycled functional furniture and ornaments," says Annie.
She suggests taking old objects and using them in a new way.
Photo, Christopher Drake.
Rustic Country
The country style, Annie says, "is all about celebrating the great outdoors away from the city." Think rustic, simple furniture that has been used and looks worn.
Try applying another coat of paint to old pieces to make them look textured and even more distressed.
Photo, Christopher Drake.
The book
More interior styles and tips from Annie and Felix can be found in Annie Sloan's Room Recipes from Style and Colour by Annie and Felix Sloan, CICO Books.
Click the pink "up" arrow to see descriptions and tips from the book.
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