I usually highlight my top five picks from the design/art/antiques fairs I visit but this year at Decorex there really was for me, a clear favourite. Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam.
Both are demigods.
The room, or rather stage set created for five days at the interiors fair, sticks to a neutral-ish palette. Brave, given the current movement towards colour these days, that I am all for. But this, I realise is a cunning trick. By sticking to a calm palette, the ‘room’ is open for appreciation: you focus on the textures and form within the scheme.
Paolo Moschino plays artfully with mixing scale and proportion within the room. How he manages this successfully I have no idea but it works and I will copy it. Geometrics abound and textures are apparently thrown together. Look at all those weaves. And really shockingly, I find myself drawn to the fluffy fringe on the cushions! Agh, what’s happening to me?!
In all seriousness though, I am ‘into’ calm schemes at the moment. Must be the time of year or something. When your head is full, you need visual calm: it is impossible not to feel calm when your eyes rest on these subtle tones, natural textures and playful scale. This miniature stage set is a lesson in how to create a calm yet visually arresting scheme.
I, for one, will watch and learn.
