By
Ruth Welsby
Ruth Welsby is a Melbourne based interior stylist and writer who has a passion for colour and form. Her work has been featured in Home Beautiful, Belle, Real Living, House & Garden, Inside Out, Elle Decoration (UK), Home Journal (HK), Contemporary Home Design, Urbis (NZ), Ideal Home (UK), House & Garden (UK), Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms (UK) and The Sunday Age. Haymes is excited to be working on a number of projects with Ruth over the coming months, all of which will be showcased here on our website and social media platforms.
Words and styling by Ruth Welsby
Photography by Martina Gemmola
It’s that time of year again when we dust down the Christmas decorations, buy a new tree and start planning our festive dining celebrations but if you find yourself pulling out the same old tablecloth and matching dining chairs, why not shake it up and try something new? A great way to inject contemporary colours into your Christmas dining scene is by giving your table and chairs a new lease of life with a fresh coat of paint. Instead of opting for the traditional Christmas colours of red, green and gold why not give your festive scheme a contemporary twist with copper, grey and charcoal.
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Select the table and chairs you’d like to update, think about choosing a range of chairs and stools in different heights and shapes to add interest to the scene. |
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Prep the furniture with a good sanding and wipe it all down with sugar soap to remove old dirt and grease. |
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Choose your colours. To give the setting a festive yet contemporary feel, which will work throughout the year, I opted for a range of neutral tones from soft greys to dark charcoal with a festive copper highlight. Be mindful of your wall colour when deciding on tones for your table and chairs, ours was painted in Haymes Light Frost, which is a fresh white tone. I opted for Haymes Enigma, which is a dark grey tone for the dining table, as it makes a dramatic statement against the bright white wall. The chairs were painted in Haymes Balance, Intrigue and Real Copper. |
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After
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Get out your drop sheet and brushes and start painting. If any of your chairs have upholstered seats like mine, make sure you take the seats off before painting! Numerous light coats of paint are better than two thick coats. Make sure you give the paint plenty of time to dry in-between coats. The table and chairs each had three coats. |
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Reupholster any fabric seat pads. I chose some stylish yet budget friendly striped fabric from IKEA for my two upholstered seat pads and I reupholstered over the existing fabric with a heavy duty staple gun for a speedy result. |
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Once all the furniture is dry return it to the dining room and let the festivities begin! If you’d like to add a few contemporary Christmas decorations to the scheme but shudder at the sight of tinsel, paint a few paper stars in the same colour scheme as the dining setting and scatter them over the wall. Simple plywood triangles again, painted in the same colour palette are another great way to inject some contemporary Christmas spirit into your home. |
Image credits: Hero image (dining shot) Finish reindeer hide from Norsu Interiors. Sierra rug by Armadillo and Co. Check napkin from Southwood Home. Salt and pepper grinder set, bottle carafe with copper lid, timber platter, ceramic bowl and letter mug all from Neutral Instinct. Copper cutlery from Turner & Lane.
Upcycling Inspiration - The Ombré Effect
Words and styling by Ruth Welsby
Photography by Martina Gemmola
Most of us have a scruffy dresser hanging around ready for hard rubbish but instead of kicking it to the curb, try this simple ombré paint effect to give it a new lease of life. Meaning ‘shaded’ in French, the ombré trend is a gradual fading technique, which sees colours of the same tone subtly shifting from light to dark. It’s a great way to inject bright colours into your home without painting the walls!
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Make sure your dresser is in relatively good condition and has at least three drawers - any less and you won’t be able to create the fading effect. I opted for a three drawer unit but when it comes to creating an ombré effect, the more the merrier! |
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Prep the dresser by giving it a good sanding, especially if it has a varnished finish. Take off any handles and wipe down the dresser with sugar soap to remove old grease and dirt. |
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Choose a colour! Make sure you pick your colours from the same palette or paint swatch so the tones will fade into each other smoothly. The number of drawers you have will determine the number of different colours you’ll need and don't forget some extra paint for the main body of the dresser. The three colours I chose from darkest to lightest were, Haymes Evans Delight, Haymes Meandering Stream and Haymes Pitty Pat. I selected them all in a practical, low sheen acrylic finish, which is easy to apply, washable and hardwearing - perfect for furniture that’s used regularly. |
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Throw a drop sheet down, take out the drawers and unearth your brushes. Start by painting the lightest drawer first. To create a smooth finish the key is long, even strokes with several light coats of paint. I gave the drawers and handles three coats of paint, with plenty of drying time in between. |
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Put the drawers and handles to one side and paint the main body of the dresser in the lightest tone of palette - in my case it was Haymes Pitty Pat. It is best to paint the main dresser in one of the existing tones rather than introduce a new colour, as it could detract from the overall effect. |
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Once everything is dry, put the handles back on, pop the drawers back in and step back to enjoy your new stylish dresser! |
Image credits
Image 1: Teal glass from HK Living Australia. Cinematic light box from Form Function Style. Image 2: Dresser stylists own. On dress from left to right: Yellow ceramic dish from Turner and Lane. Red ‘Twiggerie’ sculpture from House of Orange. White bottle and green carafe from HK Living Australia. Dresser and lilac shoes, stylist's own. On floor: 'Diamond' rug in smoke from Aura. Image 3: Haymes paint & brushes. Image 4 left to right: Woven basket from Turner and Lane. White chair, stylists own. Grey ‘Gran’ cushion from Norsu. Petrol blue pendant light from HK Living Australia. Dresser and lilac shoes, stylists own. On dresser from left: Yellow ceramic dish from Turner and Lane. Red ‘Twiggerie’ sculpture from House of Orange. White bottle and green carafe from HK Living Australia. ‘Oh the places you’ll go’ print from Hunting For George. Grey ‘Ondria cushion’ cushion from Country Road (countryroad.com.au). Turquoise glass from HK Living Australia. On floor; ‘Diamond’ rug in smoke from Aura (aurahome.com.au). On wall; ‘Atlantis Sky’ in matt acrylic from Haymes. ‘Swiss Alps’ walldot from Form Function Style (formfunctionstyle.com.au)
