ESCAPE (^) | HOME STYLE
ong dark nights trigger a hankering for
bright colours, rich pattern and friendly
warmth. A wistful glimpse at Mexico’s
adobe houses – with their brightly hued
walls and rooms filled with plants, patterned
tiles and folk artefacts – feels like a burst of
sunshine on a rainy day.
Take La Casa Azul in Mexico City, where artist
Frida Kahlo lived for most of her life, and which
is now a museum. Described by the curator as
embodying the essence of Mexico, it has colour
aplenty from the cobalt-blue exterior walls to the
tomato red window frames, decor
and ceramics. A peep into the cour
abundant foliage and yellow plaster. Mexican
folk artefacts and mementoes are displayed all
around: minimal it is not. To bring a little of
Frida’s style into your own home, paint one wall
a bold but earthy colour, such as burnt orange.
Heap up colourful blankets and rugs, add
a handcrafted pot, and invest in patterned tiles
to frame a fireplace. Hang a skull print as a nod
to this month’s Day of the Dead and you’ve got
a little Mexican sol y sombra right there.
(^1) Emerson armchair in Electric Blue, £940, sofa.com (^2) Terracotta planter with stand (medium), £28, anewtribe.co.uk
(^3) Chipboard Geo Line tile, £90 per sq m, bakedtiles.co.uk (^4) Luna Dusk Tile, 15x15cm, £2.64 per tile, bertandmay.com
(^5) Flowerpot hanger (natural), £8.50; brass flowerpot, £38 for two, both nisiliving.co.uk (^6) Colorful Skull II by
Vitor Costa, £13.99, myarthaus.com^7 Frida Kahlo embroidered cushion, £42, iansnow.com^8 Ornamental potted cactus,
£215, outthereinteriors.com^9 Barcelona Orange Chalk Paint, £19.95 per litre, anniesloan.com^10 Small fish trap pendant
light, £60, oggetto.com^11 April throw by Slowdown Studio, £245, wagreen.co.uk^12 Oak Wallace floor lamp, £195,
habitat.co.uk^13 Easter cylinder vase, £30, habitat.co.uk^14 Ceramic coral, £14, yonderliving.com
(^15) Kinsey side table in mango wood & copper, £199, swooneditions.com
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ILLUSTRATION: JOE MCINTYRE
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maria cristina aguiar
(Maria Cristina Aguiar)
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