Curate, the highly anticipated book by creative duo, Lynda Gardener and journalist and stylist Ali Heath, reveals how to create a home that is truly individual. With their shared love of a monochrome aesthetic and natural imperfections, they explore the eight Elements that bring a space to life: palette, nature, textiles, lighting, a combination of old and new, storage, collections and art. With gloriously evocative photography and plenty of down-to-earth ideas, Curate will encourage the reader to embrace their individual style, dream big and create a timeless interior of their own.
Today, we’re lucky enough to be able to feature an extract from Curate on the blog. Read on to discover how to create cosy interiors using textiles …
Textiles
Textiles conjure emotions of necessity, comfort and luxury. They are an integral part of our daily lives at home and influence every space within it: from upholstering our furniture, dressing our windows and layering our tables, to drying us after a bath and enveloping us within our beds.
Textiles have to work hard in terms of practicality, longevity and unity. Whether tying an interior seamlessly together or creating discourse through contrast, textiles determine how we feel about our spaces. They take many forms – patterned, plain, sleek, colourful, natural, monochrome, textured, antique, new. When choosing fabrics for cushions, bolsters, floor seating and upholstery, consider a mix of textures, patterns and colours, but always within your chosen palette. This will enable you to move pieces between rooms and curate fresh looks throughout your home, while retaining a cohesive overall style.
The level of cosiness can be changed seasonally. In winter, wools, cashmere, felts, furs and knitted throws come to the fore; in summer, cool cottons and sheers are ideal. Whatever the season, linen is always a favourite. Good quality organic bed linen is an investment, and it will remain with you for years, getting softer and more beautiful to use the older it becomes.
Vintage timeworn textiles are often treated as part of a collection – bought first for their visual and textural appeal and considered later for their practical application. Within a modern rustic home, antique finds add a sense of individuality and personality. Think monogrammed linen sheets used for bolsters, tablecloths and bed throws; vintage hemp used for headboards; and old hessian (burlap) grain sacks repurposed as sofa and chair upholstery – timeless hard-wearing textiles that when repurposed in fresh, innovative ways, bring a creative edge to our homes.
Layering the Perfectly Imperfect Bed
Create a more edgy, less formal feel and help turn messy and dishevelled into just-thrown-together cool.
Work with the best feather quilts, duvets and pillows you can afford – plump and full means inviting and welcoming. We spend a lot of time in our bedrooms, so beds should feel luxurious and retreat-like. This is a place to invest in quality.
Pure linen works brilliantly – warm in winter, cool in summer. Natural linen fibres look better wrinkled, so no need to stress about ironing. Crinkly adds to the appeal.
Mix things up – earthy shades of clay, graphite grey, chocolate and dark green add warmth and combine well with lighter tones of white, cream and taupe, for a mix-and-matched look.
Collect tactile layers – think cashmere throws, woollen blankets, handwoven bedspreads, handstitched heavy quilts and vintage monogrammed sheets. They add comfort and style.
Begin with a fitted base sheet – plains or ticking stripes are perfect. Build this up by throwing over a flat sheet. Leave more length at the top so you have enough to fold back.
Add a duvet, in a linen cover of your choice – stylists often add two duvets for extra oomph on shoots. Then fold the flat sheet loosely back over the top of the duvet.
Dress pillows with linen pillowcases in various shades – pairs of super king, standard and a mix of squares work well. Add them randomly to the bed – on an angle, softly crumpled, positioned for comfort and lounging. Antique linen or hand-dyed velvet bolsters work well, too, as decorative front pillows.
Leave the flat sheet untucked and gently ripple the duvet to create a lived-in look. Don’t think too hard about this – shake it across the width of the bed, sit on it to mess it up and gently tweak it into relaxed folds.
Layer the top of the bed with loosely draped blankets and cosy textiles. The sum of all the layers is so much more than each individual piece. They can be swapped between bedrooms and will change things up in an instant.
Want to jump back in? Then your work is done! Remember, it’s all about the layers.
—Curate: Inspiration for an Individual Home by Lynda Gardener and Ali Heath, Photography by Marnie Hawson, RRP $55.00, On Sale June 8.
Curate
Inspiration for an Individual Home
Doyenne of the unique and decorative, Australian interior stylist and boutique hotelier, Lynda Gardener, is always on the hunt for finds to enhance her homes and decorating projects. Her ability to curate and display these personal treasures has created a trademark style that is loved internationally.
Curate, the highly anticipated book by creative duo, Lynda Gardener and journalist and stylist Ali Heath, reveals how to create a home that is truly individual...
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