“Often you think you are being different and then you open a magazine and think, ‘that was my idea’,” says Inner Concepts’ designer Christine Bull. “People have the same idea, which is so frustrating sometimes.”
Christine confesses she aspired to be a minimalist person but, as an avid collector, her treasured assortment wasn’t going to work in stark surroundings. Part of her pleasure time is looking for old things to revitalise them and this enthusiasm sets an original theme for her home.
“A white home can be personalised and given character. Sometimes you walk into a house that looks like it’s been done up by an interior designer who doesn’t live there. I like to walk into a house and think, ‘this is someone’s home and this is their personality’.”
When homes become too full of loved objets d’art, items can be stored and swapped to create a fresh look and to avoid overwhelming clutter.
Christine loves it when people tell her they don’t care if their favourite colour isn’t what’s hot and they are determined to have it in their home. Colours are dictated by the automotive industry, that is, orange cars mean orange sofas.
“I stopped going to colour forecasting seminars through choice because the colours have already been supplied. Someone has already decided what they are and then we as individuals decided whether we liked them.”
Often a dominant group member can sway all of the consultants and the attendees all commend the same colour.
To create the original piece Christine collected images from Manukau library archives. She used an old pattern of her mother-in-law’s and the buttons belonged to Christine’s grandmother. Christine’s daughter wore the wonderful historic collection to the World of Wearable Art adding another chapter to the story.
Using anything meaningful in a creative fashion will give interiors an edge. Christine recently worked in a home where the dad’s old skateboards make a hit on his son’s bedroom wall. Colours and décor accessories were used innovatively and the end result is “very cool”.
Having the conviction to run with original ideas rather than seeking reassurance from a multitude of family and friends will make a difference.
Playing it safe may keep everyone happy but living in surroundings that reflect character make an abode a unique retreat people love to come home to.
