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One of the things I love about colour is that it can be used to make a style statement out of an otherwise nondescript part of an interior. I was browsing Decorating Warehouse for some DIY supplies last weekend when the idea came to me that it would be fun to make a colour statement from our radiators. My partner looked at me like I was mad, after all, how often to do you leave a home thinking about how stylish the radiator was?! So I went off in search of some bright and cheerful examples and today I’ve pulled together seven examples of stylish colourful radiators that have used hue to make a style statement – aren’t they brilliant?!

Whenever I post these round ups I find it so difficult to choose a favourite and that couldn’t be truer with today’s post on these colourful radiators because they each bring something interesting to the individual spaces that they’re part of. I feel drawn to the calm and soothing appeal of the pastel shades seen in Pastel Pretty and Sweetie Shades, where gelato hues create a soft and feminine feature out of something that is normally a heavy and masculine presence in a room. (Pretty awesome that simply adding colour can have that result, isn’t it?! OK, I’m geeking out now…) At the other end of the scale we see how painting radiators in brighter shades can result in a vibrant statement feature, such as Fiery Delight and Sunshine Statement. However, if you introduce an ombre effect to such shades, such as Ombre Sunset, you are able to soften a bold colour by pairing it with cooler shades from the same colour family. How about when it comes to more traditional spaces? Well, Contrast Cool is a fine example of how you can use colour to make a style statement in a more formal setting. Introducing a cool, powder blue hue across the radiator was a clever design trick as it mirrors the colour of the cornicing, which emphasises the verticals making the room appear higher. Finally, let’s focus on Minty Fresh, a look which (at a push) might just take the rosette for being Mr. Bazaar’s favourite. Granted, this is probably down to the fact that I just can’t quit the refreshing green shade but there’s no denying that painting the radiator mint completes the office space seen above. Imagine it with an unpainted radiator: the scheme just wouldn’t work. I really like how the mint looks against the stronger red and black colours in the space; a great example of how mixing up a palette and not making everything match can having winning results. Tell me, which of the seven painted radiator examples do you like best?

* // Photography by 1 | 2 | 3, Marianne Cotterill | 4, Angus Fergusson | 5 | 6 | 7, Christopher Baker

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As I’m in Norway today shooting for the Bright.Bazaar book I thought it would be the perfect time to take a look at what’s hot in Norwegian design and colour right now. In fact, it’s perfect timing as Fargerike recently unveiled the new purple-centric decor of the Mikado suite at the Grand Hotel, Oslo, which is in honour of Norway’s colour of the year.

Let’s start our tour in the desk nook area where the Alto table by Andreas Engesvik and Fjordfiesta sits in a gorgeous indigo shade in front of a deep plum wall. Personally, I wouldn’t have thought to layer shades of purple in this manner but it totally works, especially with a splash accent of hot coral in the curtains to give the palette a vibrant lift. Speaking of bold colour accents, can you spot the Bunad throw by Andreas Engesvik? I waxed lyrical about it on the blog last year after it debuted at 100% Norway as part of London Design Festival, so I’m really excited to see it as part of the Mikado suite. I’m also delighted to see the Beacon Lamp by Magnus Pettersen because it’s such a simple yet beautiful piece that’s perfect for introducing a purple accent into a space. A new discovery for me was the Thibaut wallpaper, an exclusive design for Fargerike that I would bring into my home without second thought – I love it! I think the suite shows how versatile the colour purple can be when decorating: when using several shades in one scheme the key is to introduce a surprise accent hue from outside the purple colour family to bring visual interest to the room, or introduce pattern as a way to soften the stronger, more dramatic shades at the darker end of the spectrum. Have you ever decorated with purple? What inspires you about the decor of the Mikado suite?

// Photography by Sveinung Bråthen | Styling by Christine Hærra | via Fargerike

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I’ve always been fond of Habitat as I worked for the brand while I studied at university, so I was left with a heavy heart when the brand closed the majority of their stores back in 2011. However, the wise move of bringing creative talent Polly Dickens onboard as Creative Director has seen the brand’s collections do a U-turn, with many claiming their offering is speeding back towards it’s former glory. Not only are the collections improving but the result of being bought by The Home Retail group means that you can now also buy their colourful large rugs from Argos as well as their stylish curtains. I’m excited to see what Habitat have to offer for A/W13 at their press show in a few weeks but for now I thought I would share some of my favourite finds from their current collection.

There are some great styling ideas to take from these spaces: firstly, consider bringing a glass tabletop into your dining room if you’re keen to keep the room feeling spacious. As well as keeping the space light and airy, this also allows you to make a design statement with the trestle legs you choose to support the top. Above we can see how a solid oak base pulls the dining table and chairs together as they are made from the same wood. Hanging a statement pendant above the table helps to draw the eye down to the focal point of the space, as well as making the dining area feel more intimate. How about when it comes to introducing pattern to a scheme? Taking the cool white bedroom above as an example, we can see how multi-coloured stripes have been introduced to the space to bring visual interest to the scheme. By using a consistent pattern style across all the textiles in the space – the bold stripes of the rug reference those in the bedding, tying the two elements of the room together – the resulting look is consistent and stylish. Another way to pull the soft furnishings of your scheme together is to use colour as the reference point in the scheme. This method has been used in the yellow and grey bedroom seen above, where the colours of the Pixelate bedding are pulled out and used as the palette for the rug. This works well here as replicating the busy pattern from the bedding on the rug would clash, whereas referencing the colours still pulls the two elements together. In other words, you can use colour to take a softer approach to achieving a co-ordinated scheme.

Mr Bazaar’s notable favourites are the Hester dining chairs that bring refectory-style dining into the home with a contemporary twist thanks to their flashes of modern colour, and the sumptuous beetroot hue of their blur rug. I’d love to place a set of four Hester dining chairs in different around my dining table to bring some playful dashes of hue to the space. I’d love to know which pieces are catching your eye, friends?

// Photography by Habitat

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It’s a delight to be reviewing Mr. Jason Grant’s first book, A Place Called Home, here on Bright.Bazaar today because I first featured Jason and his eclectic home on the blog back in 2011! When Jason wrote to tell me he was writing a book last year I knew instantly it would become one of my favourites. Why? Because Jason is a true styling talent with an ability to create effortlessly stylish spaces through his work. And I wasn’t wrong with my prediction: A Placed Called Home is a visual treat for creative minds.

Another testament to Jason’s styling expertise is shown by the book’s lack of words; A Place Called Home consists mainly of pictures with small scrapbook style scribblings offering styling advice to bring each page alive. Whilst this approach might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it works for the feel and theme of the book and, after all, Jason is a stylist so is used to telling beautiful stories through the spaces he styles. James Geer captures the spirit of all eleven chapters, bringing you closer to the vibrant, eclectic and relaxed Australian style with each of his shots. I also liked how A Placed Called Home has been photographed and designed with an editorial feel, not to mention the exotic escapism brought about by the maritime, coastal feel that flows throughout the book. If you’re in need of a book to dive into for visual inspiration then A Place Called Home is for you. Thank you, Mr. Jason Grant, for pulling together such an inspiring book for us all to enjoy!

// Photography by Will Taylor

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At times of stress or when I feel the need to reconnect with offline activities I almost always head to the kitchen first. I’ve written before about the comfort I find from being in this space and regular readers of my series 10 Things I Learned & Loved This Weekend will be familiar with my baking adventures. Every time I share a snapshot of my baking I have a flurry of tweets, comments and emails requesting the recipe so I figured I would occasionally post them. I know this is primarily an interiors blog, so I hope you won’t mind? I figured that every now and then it might be nice for you guys to be able to see another part of life that I really enjoy.

So let’s kick off the weekend with a great bake I adapted from my new favourite baking book, John Whaite Bakes. I bought this book a few weeks ago and it’s proven to be full of great recipes, especially John’s overnight rustic French baguette, which is so moorish I’ve already planned to bake more this weekend! I’ve also tried his spiced apple and cranberry muffins but swapped out the mixed spice for cinnamon because it’s that’s what I had in the cupboard, but luckily it worked! Here’s the how-to to make 12 muffins:

1. Sieve the flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl and combine with your hands. Dice the dried apple and then add to the mix with the cranberries.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter over a gentle heat before whisking it into the eggs, milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl form the dry ingredients. Once combined, add to the dry mixture slowly and fold gently.
3. Pour the mixture into twelve muffin cases before cooking at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes when they should be golden brown. Leave to cool before enjoying (hard to do, trust me!).

// Photography by Will Taylor | Recipe adapated from John Whaite Bakes

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The past month or so I’ve been looking for inspiration to change my shower room. The current enclosure and tiling was chosen by the previous tenants and there’s nothing wrong with it per se, but given it consists heavily of beige it’s safe to say that it’s not quite Mr. Bazaar’s taste! So off I went in search of shower rooms that would spark my creativity and after seeing the colourful ideas on Mira Showers I knew I had to pull a post together on knockout showers. I’m referring to those spaces that stop you in your tracks and make you gasp. They push the boundaries and create memorable spaces that inject fun and personality into a part of our homes we use day in, day out. These seven examples of colourful shower rooms are fine examples of how you can go to town with this part of your home. I liken the shower room to an occasional table or armchair in that it’s safer to go a little wild with your decor choices; it’s the perfect physical part of your abode that you can step outside your normal decorating boundaries to create a unique space. Colour is a fantastic decor element for bringing about surprise, which in turn helps to propel an interior to a higher level of style, after all if all the rooms look the same there’s nothing to give each space it’s individual style. Take number two, Cheery Chevron, as an example where the rest of the home is in cool, milky whites yet the shower room and enclosure is tiled with a vibrant and playful chevron pattern (I LOVE this design idea!). Or, how about the graphic Missoni stripes of Stripe Delight in number six? Colour block designs work wonders, too. Opt for a rousing all over pink design to transport yourself to a Moroccan outdoor shower each morning or go retro with blocks of bold yellow on yellow shades. I also like the idea of having a glass divider panel like this design to create an open and airy feeling akin to an outdoor shower. All of these shower rooms are examples of how choosing a surprise design compared to the rest of the home results in a style statement you’ll only wish you decided to do earlier. Which shower room gets your vote, friends?

* | Photography 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5, Jerome Galland | 6 | 7

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What’s your home office like? Perhaps calling it a home office is laughable because you’re currently working from a tiny corner of your studio apartment. Or, perhaps you do have a dedicated room for working in. Either way, the place we create for ourselves to work in is really important – and, ultimately, it needs to inspire us to deliver our best work and creativity. Naturally, I lean towards bright and vibrant schemes when looking for home office inspiration and I’m currently pulling my workspace together; it’s based on the same colours as this home office scheme but uses them in a very different way (more on that soon!). This energising yellow and pink home office is a clever design move because it echoes the colour scheme of the room seen through the archway beside it. The living room has been decorating with a pastel palette of candy colours such as ice cream pink and primrose yellow. However, in the foreground we see the home office, which references the colours of the main space but flips the shades to their most saturated state. This shift in shade zones this part of the space as a new area that has a different function, but it doesn’t make the open plan space feel disjointed because the colours remain from the same palette. It’s an inspiring example of how colour can be used to visually create rooms within rooms and gets a big thumbs up from Mr. B! What do you think of this palette, folks?

// Photography by BHG

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Mr. Bazaar gets so excited when he hears of a new paint collection – well, he is hooked on hue, after all! This latest offering of six delectable colours comes from Fired Earth who have released the hues in celebration of their 30th birthday. Taking inspiration for the collection from its extensive library of paint pigments the colours have been designed to be help make a statement in any space. As usual the names are almost as evocative as the colours themselves, from Jazz Cafe for the vibrant blue to Mad King George for the brand’s take on the currently en vogue emerald green. In fact, I just love the combination of Jazz Cade and Mad King George together, but, tell me, which of the six colours do you like best? Where would you use it in your own home?

// Photography by Fired Earth

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1. I enjoyed painting one of my Home Barn finds yellow to go in my home office. This was taken half way through the project just as I was racing against the weather – it poured with rain not long after!
2. It was fun to make my first ever Apricot Frangipane on Sunday; here it is about to go in the oven. I’m really pleased with out it came out and will blog it in my Bright Bakes series soon.
3. The graphic stripe detailing of this beer label caught my eye.
4. I crafted a new project on Sunday afternoon with some cheerful polka dot fabric.
5. It was satisfying to see how the yellow wing tip of the plane I flew married the blue line on the horizon. OCD, me? Never.
6. Talented illustrator Lizzie Owen surprised me with this fab illustration of Mr. Bazaar. Thank you, Lizzie!
7. This Lissabon print makes me want to visit Lisbon.
8. These Kaleido Trays are perfect for adding a graphic punch of colour to a space.
9. I treated myself to a new bright yellow tee.
10. I found the perfect nautical notebook for the summer season.

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My favourite is number two as I love the mix of refined and playful style. Which of the three takes on a yellow kitchen do you like best?

// Photography 1. Ikea Family Live | 2. Homes & Gardens, Simon Brown | 3. Design*Sponge, Derek Swalwell