I am increasingly becomming a modern maximalist, packing my home spaces out with more and more weird and wonderful objectS. I know I need to pare things down for the sake of my family, but the compulsion remains and even grows with every moment! My latest need has been in changing things around in our main living room - just a little swapping of corners to give a fresh approach, but retaining the same essential pieces.

Another compulsion I have lately, is to juxtapose the new with the old; the conventional with the unconventional and the handmade with the mass-produced. I don't have any explanation for this. Let me know what you think.......

So I said I wanted to talk about creating that Roche Bobois, 'Mah Jong' look. What I'm talking about is that use of colour and pattern or print to give a hippy-ish, carefree flavour. It woukd be brilliant if we could all afford to fill our spaces with Missoni fabrics but that isn't going to happen, so I say, just make the most of what you have - within reason!

Even going into cupboards and having a look at what you've previously put away. There may well be some stuff that stood the test of time or that's just real, quality and timeless. I particularly like vintage pieces mixed with new pieces. All you need to remember is to make sure they tie together for one reason. That could be colour scheme; it could be pattern; it could material...... 

 The look above is linked by pinks, reds and oranges - all different fabrics and patterns. Those below are simply linked by purples and greens - lots of different texture. Bye bye!x

For me, it's always about visual impact and very rarely subtlety, although I do appreciate the simple look from time to time. Not surprising then, that the 'Ma Jong' range of modular sofas/seating by Roche Bobois, appeal to me so much and interestingly, seems to be reappearing in style blogs, magazines and tv clips, so many years after its launch.

It is unquestionably an aquired taste and would send some out there literally wretching at its very being. I think it works best where the space is similarly 'busy'. To restrict the look to the pieces alone, for example , in a white-walled , minimalist loft apartment, would be untrue to to the essence of the design and would merely pander to the 'less is more' brigade. 

The contrasting and exceptionally lively fabrics are similarly used in the above Roche Bobois piece. There is an element of bravery required, in furnishing a living space in this way and these pieces are of course, extremely costly. In my next blog, I want to talk about how the same essential'look' can be achieved, using soft furnishings. TTFN.XX