Images courtesy of Abigail Ahern, photos by Graham Atkins Hughes
In my last post I featured a series of mantles, one of which came from the home of Russell Lewis and Gemma Ahern.
Together the couple transformed their one-bedroom English apartment on a meager budget of £6,500 with design advice courtesy of Gemma’s sister, famed interior designer Abigail Ahern.
Abigail has become known for her love of Farrow and Ball’s ‘Downpipe’ grey and you’ve got to admit it’s so inviting!
As regular readers know I love dark colours and happily play over on the ‘dark side’ as Abigail calls it. From personal experience there are a few caveats though, you need LIGHT, if not natural light augmented with pendants, desk lamps, up and downlighters, all of which create a warming feeling when juxtaposed against bold dark colours. If you look closely at the pictures, while not all illuminated, there are several light sources in each room so you can tone it up or down to taste.
Note Abigal’s wonderful use of pops of playful colour. Neon pinks play alongside mustard yellows, most notable in the Lucien Day canvas that hangs above the sofa. Deborah Bowness ‘Genuine Fake Books’ wallpaper gives an illusion of added space.
I think the key when working with dark rooms is to blend light, texture, colour and scale to create warm and inviting spaces.
Take a peek into Abigal’s own apartment over at The Selby, her book, A Girl’s Guide to Decorating and her Atelier store.
