We chat with design & interiors journalist Amy Moorea Wong...
Kaleidoscope: Modern Homes in Every Colour by Amy Moorea Wong (Hardie Grant, £33) Photography ©Simon Bevan, apart from GCG Architectes, pages 88–98: © Benjamin Colombel, Candice Lake, pages 170–180: © Taran Wilkhu; styling by Candice Lake, State of Kin, pages 210–220: © Jack Lovel; styling by State of KinAmy is a celebrated journalist and editor who has worked across many incredible interiors magazines. We have been lucky enough to work with her on features from Livingetc to Homes & Gardens and were excited to discover she had written her first book. Destined to become a design bible for decorating with colour, within Kaleidoscope: Modern Homes in Every Colour, Amy visits extraordinary homes across the globe. Above all, each interior embraces an individual and creative approach to introducing colour. Although often approached with caution, colour can have a profound impact on the look and feel of your space. Therefore, in our latest interview, we chat with Amy about all things colour, from advice on palettes to sources of inspiration. Find out more about Amy's book, Kaleidoscope, below and order your copy now to discover a new world of colour confidence.
1. Let’s start at the very beginning, tell us all about yourself and your new book Kaleidoscope: Modern Homes in Every Colour?
Hi, I’m Amy Moorea Wong, I’m an interiors and design journalist and I’ve been writing about all things interior design for the past decade. I started at Livingetc magazine where I was News Editor, then I moved to ELLE Decoration as Features Editor, and now I’m freelance writing all sorts of things design and style. My look is modern and perhaps a little experimental, and at the moment I love bold colours which I balance with natural materials and the odd softer shade. My book is a beautiful gallery of homes by celebrated global designers and creatives. It spans properties doused in rich pigment, to those brought to life by gentler dashes of colour, and everything in between. It’s full of knowledge, advice and encouragement on how to confidently make a space brighter, fill it with your personality and add a little intrigue.2. Please tell us all about your home and personal interior style?
At the moment my home has a pale base and is filled with chunks of colour via furniture, a lot of art, textiles and objects. I’m finding myself pulled to powerful primary hues, which I’m calming with a lot of wicker, texture, plants and pops of dirty pink. I’m having a lot of fun playing with it and building it up, I get a lot of joy from it.
3. As an interiors journalist and editor, you have worked on some of our favourite design magazines of all time, where do you find inspiration for your own home?
I constantly find myself bumping into colours and colour combos in the street, it’s like my brain is always on alert to find them. From street signs to people’s clothes, food and objects, my camera roll is full of quick colour combo snaps I’ve taken out and about. Of course, Instagram has a big impact and I log my interiors colour finds on my grid – which goes on a decorative tonal journey from shade to shade, so I refer back to that too. The background for my book cover was inspired by an image of a painted wall I came across.4. Within Kaleidoscope, you mention that everyone’s idea of a colourful home is wildly different, what does a colourful home mean to you?
To me, a colourful home is a space which lets colour be the main event of a room, and inject personality into a space. Yes, colour scares a lot of us, but bringing it into the home is such a pleasure and really it makes an interior fizz. The walls don’t need to be painted. There doesn’t need to be huge swathes of vivid tones everywhere. It’s a delicate balance, and my book is a lesson in how to bring colour into the home in a considered, modern, playful way.5. What are your top tips for anyone starting out on their journey to create a more colourful interior?
Read my book which is stuffed with tips! The main thing I learned when writing it is that fear really holds us back from decorating with colour – don’t be afraid! Colour enriches our lives and the joyful outcome is always worth a bit of a risk. You can always repaint the wall or eBay that colourful thing if you really don’t like it. Be brave! It’s so, so worth it. If you’re looking for a place to start, it’s the ceiling. Why is there always a white rectangle hovering over us? Think of the ceiling as a fifth wall. Painting it to match (or harmonise with) the other walls creates a cosy, encompassing box which is incredibly welcoming as well as surprisingly relaxing.
6. Who do you recommend following for fabulous colour inspiration?
Aside from @amy_moorea, I also love the colour palettes Roisin Lafferty puts together @roisinlaffertykld, stylist Lucy Gough has the most brilliant eye @style_by_lucy, and a good trick is to follow decorating brands.7. After writing Kaleidoscope, are there any colours or unexpected colour combinations that you are keen to explore in the future?
That outrageously rich, Yves Klein blue is top of my list, which is elegantly dotted through a home by French designer Claude Cartier. I’ve finally been convinced of lilac thanks to Danish fashion designer Stine Goya, I’d happily coat any room in any kind of green – it’s everywhere and it feels so soothing – and there’s a tiny detail in the book that’s pushing me towards a pale blue + red test run. [caption id="attachment_49554" align="aligncenter" width="1080"]
8. When it comes to trends, we believe in a more relaxed approach to picking and choosing the trends that work for you. What is your take on colour trends?
I ignore colour trends and just go with what I’m drawn to. Sometimes they match up, sometimes they don’t. I’m more about is going with your instinct and trusting it – as long as you love it and it makes you feel happy, it doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks.9. Colour has such a big impact on our moods and sets the atmosphere of our interiors. What are your top colour choices for creating a happy and welcoming space at home?
Green, green, green. You cannot go wrong. Any shade, from rich emerald to subtle sage, speaks of the outdoors and makes us inherently feel incredibly grounded and calm. Greens also work well with most other colours (think of all of the beautiful flower + leaf combos) so it’s really easy to use.10. Finally, name three new Rockett St George products that you love!
