Style like a professional

We went behind the scenes at our most recent photo shoot to pick up some tips from our interior designer, Danielle Ellery on how to style like a professional.

The photo shoot took place at The MCM, a luxurious single-storey family home built in Claremont for clients who are deeply drawn to the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic. Reinvented through an Oswald Homes design brief, the style shaped every detail of the home: the sweeping skillion roof that draws the eye across the roofline, the stone feature panels that anchor the facade, the integrated furniture that feels built into the architecture rather than placed in front of it, and the generous indoor-outdoor living area that dissolves the boundary between inside and out. The MCM is one of several Oswald Homes custom designs that demonstrate how a mid-century reference can be given genuine architectural expression rather than being reduced to a styling gesture.

Inside, the soaring ceilings, vast walls of glass and light-filled spaces were the perfect backdrop for a palette of greys, browns and whites to set off vintage finds, vibrant greenery, hazelnut-coloured wood-grain cabinetry and the clients’ own ‘retro’ favourites.

Giving contemporary living a retrospective twist, this super-stylish home, which is open to view at weekends, illustrates several of Danielle’s favourite styling tips.

Break the rules when it comes to hanging art. Art does not have to be centred on a wall to work. Positioned above a piece of furniture such as a sofa or console table, it can look entirely confident. Placed off-centre, it draws the eye in a way that centred art rarely does and creates a more dynamic sense of composition in the room. Try to hang art at eye level: the most common mistake is to hang it too high, which separates the artwork from the furniture below it and makes both feel disconnected. Art does not always need to hang at all. Standing a piece on a sideboard or shelf as part of a considered group of objects, as Oswald Homes interior designer Danielle Ellery has done in The MCM, is one of the most effective ways to create a relaxed, gallery-like atmosphere in a living space.

Lots of greenery will offset hard surfaces such as cabinetry and floors. The fiddle-leaf ficus is a perfect companion for Mid-Century Modern interiors, maidenhair ferns add a whisper-soft touch to Hamptons-inspired rooms and indoor palms are a must for Coastal Plantation styles.

Never underestimate the power of a great cushion. Providing visual interest, cushions can add punches of colour without being overwhelming. In the master suite of The MCM, Danielle brought together greys and whites in the bed linen and then accented the scheme with a simple black and white spotted cushion and the orange covers of a few Penguin classics.

A stack of glossy coffee table books, a favourite novel or two, or this month’s must-read lifestyle magazine will help make your interior living spaces looked ‘lived in’. To keep the look both beautiful and purposeful, remember that what you have out on display must have a reason for being there.

Towels, whether neatly folded, rolled or hung on a rail, are a great way to add softness to bathrooms and powder rooms. Texture can have a similar effect, softening the hard lines of tiles and cabinetry. In the ensuite of The MCM, Danielle placed textured metal pots alongside cute kokedama – Japanese moss balls – adding a subtle shimmer as well as softness and interest.

In each room, try to create a visual focal point that connects to something else in the space rather than sitting in isolation. In The MCM’s living area, the greenery provides a critical colour contrast to the greys and warm browns of the main palette and brings organic texture into a room defined by hard, engineered surfaces. A focal point does not have to be grand. In a custom Oswald Homes interior, it might be a single piece of art, a cluster of objects on a shelf, a textural wall finish or an architectural detail that the eye is drawn back to repeatedly. The goal is a room that feels composed when you first walk in and rewards closer attention the longer you spend time in it.

Click here to view more MCM styles.