Welcome to the home of movie set decorators Etienne and Clorinda Méry, who live in the Bastille district of Paris. Isn't their home a wonderful riot of colour? It was just the hit of hue I needed to colour me inspired on this dreary November day. The home sits within a converted fire extinguisher factory and the colour schemes that run throughout were inspired by the bright colours of baroque colonial cities like Cuba and South America. Personally, I love how the home uses colour to highlight the building's best features - as well as it's shortcomings. For example, the beautiful architrave is painted in shades from golden yellow to dusty pink to make it a feature of the space, whilst in the dining room, peeling plaster is painted in a refreshing mint shade to compliment to pastel pink of the exposed brick wall behind. Using colour in this manner to create interesting and quirky features out of the home's existing 'shell' is truly inspiring, don't you think?
// Marie Claire Maison | Photography by Vincent Leroux | Time Machine

As I work from home, my office space is one of the most important rooms in the whole apartment. I need it to be colourful (OK, that was a given!), practical and energising for all those long hours in front of the laptop. So, when I happened upon this colourful and rustic home office, I knew I had to share it here on Bright.Bazaar. The scheme is an effortless mix of weathered, rustic materials like metal and bare wood. paired with brightly painted gloss pieces and rag-like textiles. It's these colourful additions that give this room it's heart and personality: the visual surprise of the two colourful chairs brings a new angle to what would otherwise be a generic, paint-by-numbers industrial meets rustic scheme. The two chairs also serve to soften the harder, rougher vibe that flows through the rest of the room. Laying the rag rug in the centre of the room makes good use of the free space to bright another hit of hue into the scheme. By opting for a rag-style rug, as opposed to a high pile wool rug, it means this key textile piece sits comfortably alongside the heavier industrial furniture. This is because it brings just enough comfort and tactile texture without being too much of a juxtaposition with the more rustic pieces; pushing this contrast further would compete with the statement already created between the gloss bright chairs and the metal and wooden desk.
// Hus&Hem | Photography by Carina Olander

When decorating with colour it's important to consider texture and pattern alongside your choices of hue. Think about the elements of the space and what you wish to draw attention to (or try to disguise!) as the answers will help you formulate the vision for your space. In this kitchen we can see how a boldly patterned wallpaper has been used to visually 'open' the space by appearing to raise the height of the room. By papering the three adjacent walls to the galley-style kitchen, it effectively draws the rest of the space together, zoning it as the 'kitchen' and making it feel like a much larger space than it really is. The character and charm of the wooden floor boards are echoed in the rustic, weathered kitchen cabinets, which have been painted in a series of turquoise blue shades, then distressed. For me, this addition of colour and texture is what makes this kitchen is a real winner. What do you like about it, folks?
// Hus & Hem | Photography by Kent Bill Qvist

Bags packed, friends? Great, because today we're heading on a little Bright.Bazaar adventure to Kolmården, Sweden where we are touring the Otterstrom family's weekend home. I loved posting about their colourful dining room last year, but I'm even more excited to be blogging other spaces from the same home, today. I like how the spaces have been decorated with colour in a bold yet refreshing way; the rooms feel vibrant and energising, yet serene and fresh at the same time. This is achieved by layering coloured accents against the scheme's milky white and cool grey base palettes. From multi-coloured dining chairs and mismatched textiles to coloured glassware and bold, graphic art, the spaces show how you can build colour into an otherwise simple scheme. Take the hallway as an example of this: the addition of three throw pillows, two cardboard storage boxes and one shoulder bag results in a memorable and colourful space that only adds to the impact of the open stairway, and, crucially, doesn't detract from the light and airy feeling encouraged by the grey and white backdrop. I think this approach has been repeated throughout the home to winning effect - a big thumbs up from Mr. Bazaar!
// Hus & Hem | Photography by Anna Leena Karlsson

// Casa Brazil | Photography by André Nazareth


As much as I enjoyed the heat of last weekend in London, I'm also looking forward to the cosy days of Autumn that stretch out ahead. This country home in Sweden feels so perfect for this new season as layers of comfortable textiles are generously applied throughout the space. Plus, the red and white colour palette in the kitchen area (which actually flows more subtly through the rest of the home - see the bedspread and rug in the living room) feels festive and gently evocative of the holiday season. I always admire homeowners who embrace colour and pattern with stylish abandon, and this is one such example where both elements are used in abundance without going overboard. My favourite room is the living room, where the generous helping of natural light has been tempered with layers of linens, interesting artworks and up-cycled palette furniture, in turn keeping the space cosy and inviting. What do you like about this home?
// Photography by Lina Ostling for Hus & Hem

Well, it's official, I've properly fallen slap bang in love with Katti Grönstedt's home in Österlen, Sweden. Her delicate and tasteful use of colour against the soothing palette of whitewashed wood is a real winner in my book. Katti's home is an intriguing mix of eras and designs as she effortlessly pairs personal heirlooms and flea market finds with newer pieces from the likes of IKEA. Despite there being several different themes to the home (look closely and you'll spot folk elements, New England style and Moroccan pieces) there's still a synergy to the space. For me, the three standout areas are the kitchen, dining area and terrace. The kitchen's country colourful look makes me beam from ear-to-ear and I love how it's both stylish and practical with all her kitchenwares on display and easy to access. As for the dining room? Well, I dream of one day having a home with enough space to create such a lovely area for entertaining, working and chatting with friends. The soft sky blue hue of the dining table is the perfect accent to the rough, weathered chairs around it. Notice how Katti has continued accents of blue throughout most areas of the home - it's little decor additions like this that help with the synergy of the overall home. Finally, the terrace looks like my ideal summer hideout. With the billowing white linens, Moroccan lanterns, yellow chairs and zesty fabric print textiles, Mr. Bazaar would feel right at home! Tell me, what do you like about Katti's country colourful home in Sweden?
// Hus & Hem | Photography by Gabriella Dahlman

One of the reasons I started writing Bright.Bazaar was because I felt passionate about people using colour to express their personalities through home decorating. So you can imagine my instant delight the moment I saw this tour of Daimon Downey's Sydney home. And, really, Downey's home couldn't be more fitting: he has literally decorated his home with his own colourful artworks and quirky finds; the items upon his classic Parker sideboard are testament to this. The reflection of Downey's relaxed vibe continues as sporadic brushes of paint adorn chairs throughout the property. Yet, his use of colour isn't entirely unhinged - notice how the dining area is painted in a bold orange hue across the two corner walls. This helps to zone the eating area as a separate space from the rest of the open plan room. Fresh, vibrant and invigorating - I love this home! What do you like about it?
// Styling by Mr Jason Grant | Photography by Felix Forest

This kitchen and dining area is part of a home in Hackney, East London, an area which has steadily been increasing in both popularity and gentrification across the last ten years. The owners, artist Francis Upritchard and her husband furniture designer Martino Gamper have gradually added to the space during the six years that they've been living there. The flat is actually part of a ex-Council (public housing) block but you'd never know given the warehouse feel and beautiful windows within the space. The kitchen details a palette of rustic browns, fresh greens, Prussian blue and bright yellow and orange. Upon the floor rugs from Morocco continue the colourful theme, adding warmth and texture as they do. My personal standout piece? Without a doubt it has to be the colourful cabinetry. But in all honesty, this whole space is packed with personality, colour, texture and warmth, all of which are key features to making a winning space. What do you like about this kitchen space?
// NY Times magazine | Photography: Tom Mannion