{Home Tour: Colour Confident}

At first peek this delightful little home tour from Apartment Therapy might not seem all that colourful. Then, on the second look, you start to see pops of colours - blues, yellows, oranges, greens...they just keep on appearing. And as they do, the space gets all the more appealing. Don't you just love the confidence the owners have taken by painting their bedroom in that chic grey hue (1)? They've lightened the space with an original artwork, the first hit of primary colours in this space. Spotted next are the poppy yellow pillowcases (my fave!) and the feminine red flower prints, which help to soften the masculine colours that dominate the room. The kitchen (2) is just as darling as the bedroom, with warm wooden surfaces, bright serveware and open shelving (another fave). Finally, the living room rounds things off with it's soft sage green walls, nude-coloured throws and accents in lime green and burnt orange. Top marks!

Apartment Therapy

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{Book Review: Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces}

Book covers don't come much better than this, do they? It perfectly sets the tone for Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan's and Clarkson Potter's latest offering - Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces - which doesn't just claim to provide decor tips and advice for actual small spaces, it delivers on its promise. And what's more, it does so to great effect. Yep, Maxwell's taken his Apartment Therapy magic and transferred it into print, giving the reader decor and storage advice for cozy kitchens and compact living rooms to small dining rooms and miniature bedrooms (trust me, some of them are tiny!). Each section starts with general thoughts and advice for making the most of the space in question and then takes you on a tour of some super tasty apartments, highlighting the details of what makes them work so well. If you need any confirmation that this book isn't just another paint-by-numbers, small-rooms-should-always-be-white-and-clutter-free kinda book, well then just check out some of the pages below. One of the smallest kitchens I have ever seen has been painted black (3) yet still appears airy and shrouded in natural, fresh light. Then there's the two living rooms that prove you can still be bold with both pattern and colour (4) in small spaces, whilst also going for an eclectic, boho look, too (5). Maxwell explains at the start that he wants "you to get so excited that you'll eventually put it [the book] down", well, Maxwell, you've certainly inspired me. Personal, practical and enlightening - this is a book for keeps.

Book published by Clarkson Potter and authored by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, who also edits Apartment Therapy. Images of book for review purposes by Bright.Bazaar.

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{A Fun First Home}

Can you believe that this bright, airy, friendly and colourful home is one of those identi-kit houses that are popping up left, right and centre? The UK is full of bland, expansive housing estates with seemingly never ending rabbit warren-like roads of identical homes, and the reality is for many first time buyers that these are affordable option. So, to see this space from a brand new 'cookie cutter' house in California has really inspired me. Why? Well, at risk of breaching the copyright of a phrase that could well be under copyright by Simon Cowell, Ellie and Ed have really made this place their own (!). Ellie is a talented wedding photographer and bought this place a year ago with her man, Ed. It's inspired me to think about the possibilities that a new build can offer for decorating. I love that two thirds wooden panelled wall (1) as well as the yellow chairs (obvs), plus they've devoted a whole four walls to my favourite stripes (2) and all the while their colour choices are bold, brave and dramatic (3,4). A welcoming mix of industrial touches, rustic textures, flea market finds and confident punches of colour. Yum. You can see the whole tour of their home, here.

Apartment Therapy

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