1 cull what’s not working
When deciding on what to keep and what to move
on, Phoebe says you can’t be too sentimental. “Look
at the quality of a piece. Only keep designs that can
stand on their own – the rest can go,” she says.
2 set the tone with colour
Paint is the easiest thing to change – and one of the
most cost effective, Phoebe says. Robbie chose a
deep green called Cliffhanger by Resene. “I thought
about carrying the colour all over the ceiling, having
it like a dark cave, but I wasn’t game enough. In
hindsight, I should have,” Robbie says. Everything
else on the ground floor of the cottage, from walls
to the kitchen joinery, is painted in this moody hue.
A tip both mother and daughter insist on: make
sure you know exactly what paint base you’re using
- some painters and stores will colour-match your
choice with a lesser-quality paint base.
3 ground the room with furniture
“I love dark walls, especially with antiques. They
thrive on that background,” Phoebe says. And
Robbie has some incredible antiques; some pieces
inherited from family, others more recent purchases.
“Antiques go in every interior, but you have to offset
them with modern elements,” Phoebe says. To that
end, she brought in pieces such as the custom-
designed pendant above the kitchen bench and the
super-chic pelmet over the dark grey curtains, and
had the 10-year-old sofa slipcovered in fresh white.
4 arrange art and accessories
This part you can take your time with. “I was moving
things around for three months to make them settle
and look amazing in their locations,” Phoebe says.
It’s important to keep tweaking until you find that
just-right spot for each of your treasured belongings.
Be playful with your arranging – for example, over-fill
one wall with artworks and under-fill another. R
style tip Clad an entire wall in mirror to visually double
the size of your room and bounce light around