My Colours for 2016

Happy New Year everyone, I hope 2016 is off to a cracker start for you. I spent a week or so over at our family lake house and I really enjoyed the lack of wifi, and just good ole fashion 'chilling out'. But I'm back home now and really excited about what this year will bring. I have exciting plans for my home and for the growth of my business, Bibby + Brady (with Dael Brady), and look forward to sharing it all with you.

In 2016 I continue to (and will always) love white interiors layered with colour, pattern and texture. Shibori, denim and a contemporary take on tartan are favourites of mine. Zhush up your occasional chair by reupholstering the back cushion only in a gorgeous fabric.

This year I will also be embracing lots of dark walls - think glamorous not gloomy. Layer on warm wood tones, peachy pinks, and shots of brass and copper. Blue is definitely the new black. We use it a lot with our clients and I hope to bring you some of our examples in the near future.

Texture will never go out of fashion and I love the use of panelling on walls to add subtle texture and interest. There are so many fabulous examples that I think I'll have to do a whole seperate blog post to showcase my faves.

Mexico, India and Morocco have the most influence on my style and they do colour so well.

In 1956 fashion editor Diana Vreeland declared that "pink is the navy of India". I absolutely adore hot pink teamed with their slightly muddier tones of cobalt and aqua. The patina of those walls is divine!

If you're not ready to embrace that kind of colour into your home, don't feel you have to go black, white or beige. Try soft grey, dusky pinks and lilacs, chalky whites and mustard.

What ever you do in 2016, make sure it's "you"! Forget fads and trends, it's all about creating the best possible home for you. Somewhere you will be happy, somewhere you look forward to returning to, a place you love.

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The Block Villa Wars | Living Room Reveal

You would think, after bathroom week, that creating a living room would be a piece of cake, but nothing is easy on The Block Villa Wars. The contestants had a busy week with the return of "dinner wars" as well as renovating their room. At stake was the sought-after prize of a team of professional painters to paint the exterior of the winner's house. The couples scored each other's dinner experiences very fairly (with, surprisingly, no nasty scores) and that led to Cat and Jeremy taking it out. But the week was to belong to Brooke and Mitch who won two weeks in a row with their light and airy living room.

Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 16 points

Although Brooke and Mitch have played it very safe, what they have done is created a beautiful base that could easily be added to and enhanced further. Dulux Manorburn, a cool grey-white teamed with soft grey curtains from James Dunlop are warmed up by the lovely floorboards. I would've loved to have seen the curtains taken right up to the ceiling for a more sophisticated look though.

A David Trubridge Floral light is a great feature, but I have to say that I'm a little bit underwhelmed by the rest of the decorating. It's nice, but a little 'ho hum'. As I've said in previous posts, it feels like it needs another layer of personality.

The stone fireplace is stunning and another beautiful feature. This will be a real draw card for buyers.

Cat and Jeremy: 2nd place | 14 1/2 points

With their lowest score so far, I have to agree that it's not their best room. The wall colour, Dulux Pukehina, was criticised by the judges as well as the other contestants. I do applaud Cat for stepping outside the box, but it was risky doing the main living area in a peachy tone. We have used Resene Sakura before, which is a gorgeous peach blossom pink, and has a bit more depth than Cat's choice.

The room doesn't seem to have a 'hero' piece, there is a lot going on but no strong focus, although I like the choice of cushions and the window seat, and the nesting tables.

Unfortunately the fireplace isn't as slick as Brooke and Mitch's. Let's hope these guys can get their mojo back for master bedroom and ensuite week.

Jaime and Hayden: 3rd place | 13 1/2 points

Once again Jaime and Hayden didn't quite finish their area, and failure to complete one of the basic tasks (to insulate their ceiling) lost them a point. They continued with their strong black and white theme creating a dark media room next to a light, bright living room.

A beautiful parquetry feature wall by Martin the builder is impressive. The led backlit TV is also a feature, although, to me, the TV looks a bit lost in the big space. I know if it was larger you wouldn't see as much of the parquetry, which is far nicer to look at, but it is a media room, so the television is key.

The white room is OK, but I want more! Where are the beautiful big rugs and artworks? I'm not usually a huge fan of leather sofas, but the Freedom Atlas sofa is quite cool. The dark blinds don't work for me though, there is enough contrast with the walls and the carpet, I would've kept the window treatments light, or added some colour and pattern in with roman blinds.

Sarah and Minanne: 4th place | 11 points

The judges were scathing with their comments about the girls' living areas saying they felt cold and incomplete. I think their lack of wins and money means the girls have had to spread themselves a bit thinly. I actually really like Minanne's choice of the Dahlia sofa and Wing chair from Freedom, and their artwork above the fireplace. The colour palette is quite lovely too. But their finishings let them down with shoddy paintwork, and the placement of the pendants was an odd choice. Lighting should be either task eg: next to seating for reading, or mood lighting - those lights are neither.

The second room with the leather sofas was described as a waiting room, and that is what it looks like - there is no soul or personality in there. Perhaps it would've helped if they'd styled some pieces in the recessed boxes, and the room definitely needed a large rug (much bigger than the next door room's rug) and a large piece of art on the wall.

All that said, these rooms are easily fixed, they just need finishing off. I think Sarah and Minanne were harshly scored in comparison to the other contestants for this week.

All the teams are learning and improving (on the most part), so let's hope someone does something to knock our designer socks off with their master bedroom and ensuite.

Made It My Own with Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan developed her unique Chalk Paint™ over 20 years ago, and she is now perhaps the world's most respected expert in decorative paint, colours and techniques. With Chalk Paint™ you get a velvety matt finish without the need for tiresome printing and sanding. The paint sticks to just about any surface... wood, concrete, metal, matt plastic, earthenware and more. Add Annie Sloan Soft Wax to achieve a subtle sheen as well as protection and durability.

The colours available and finishes you can achieve are just amazing, and you'll find a fabulous range of tips and techniques on the website. Try two-colour distressing, a smooth, modern finish, or how about the rustic, chippy look.

Everything you'll need for your painting projects can be found on the Annie Sloan website - paint, wax, brushes, stencils, even books and fragrances, and I'm pretty taken with their range of fabrics.

Get inspired by creations and transformations others have achieved with the help of the Annie Sloan range...

And when you're ready to start on your own project, you can share and show off your creative flair and up-cycling skills, as well the chance to win $100's of Annie Sloan prizes. Made It My Own with Annie Sloan is running until the end of September, so there's still time to be a part of it. To find out what's involved and how to enter click here.

Fabric + Furniture Sourcing | Bibby + Brady

A huge part of my and Dael's job as interior stylists is helping clients to choose paint colours, fabric and furniture for their homes and work places. Sometimes a client simply wants us to help them select the right paint colour for their living room walls, or choose a fabric for their bedroom curtains.

We are more than happy to help you put together a colour palette that will work in your home, and we also offer a curtain, blind and cushion making service. With an extensive range of fabrics available to us, there will definitely be something that is just perfect for you. Don't feel you have to live in Hawke's Bay either to use our curtain and blind making service... If you do, we can measure up and install for you, but we've also had curtains and blinds made and shipped to clients outside of Hawke's Bay with great success.

Of course, furniture and accessories are so important in creating an amazing space, so it's lucky that we have an amazing range of suppliers that can help. Just let us know what you're looking for and you can relax while we do all the sourcing for you.

Whether it's a full interior design service you need, or just a roman blind made, we can help, and we promise to only offer you beautiful and stylish options!