Decorating Trend: Frida Kahlo
Channel the spirit of Mexico’s iconic painter with dramatic strokes of vibrant colour and lush pattern...
With its artful arrangement of fancy fleurs, this high-energy wallpaper is an awesome backdrop for pieces with their own shot of va-va-voom.
WALL Papered in Canopy wallpaper in Turquoise, £87 a roll, Christian Lacroix at Designers Guild. Wall, behind the door, painted in Antibes Green chalk paint, £19.95 for 1L, Annie Sloan. Pipes painted in Peek-a-boo Blue matt emulsion, £14.50 for 1.25L, Crown. FLOOR painted in Film, Television and Theatre 018 marble matt emulsion, £44.10 for 2.5L, Myland. FURNITURE Hendrik armchair, £570, Sofa.com; upholstered in Whimsey Stripe in Brights 33044.723.0 viscose-mix, £105m, Kravet; and Cirque pom-pom fringe in Fiesta TF-58059-24, £56m, Samuel & Sons. DETAILS Pajaki chandelier, £88, Raj Tent Club. Combustible Cactus cushion, £125, Silken Flavours; and Zigzag stool in Light Blue, £204, Pols Potten, both Amara. Bather sculpture, £79, William Yeoward. Hand-painted tin can, from £14.50, REfound Objects. Jojoba seed oil, £22, Buly 1803. Flowers from New Covent Garden Market.
Where better for a radical visionary to admire their iconic reflection than in this outrageously opulent mirror?
WALLS Wallpaper, as opposite. DETAILS Tin Nido mirror, £130, Milagros. Fabric, in the reflection, Sweet Treat in Candy 32882.711.0 linen-mix, £165m, Kravet. Vintage Mexican dress, in the reflection, from a selection at 1st Dibs. Shelf painted in Tibetan Gold gloss, £16 for 750ml, Crown. Zagora candlestick, £15, Raj Tent Club. Pink Madeline taper candle, €12 for six, Cire Trudon. Toiletries and combs from a selection at Buly 1803. Frida watercolour by Alice Haskell. Flora Frida headdress, POA, Kitty Arden.
The rustic-luxe wall hanging sings against a captivating cobalt, a nod to the shade that dressed Frida’s beloved La Casa Azul home.
WALLS Painted Peek-a-boo Blue matt emulsion, as before. FURNITURE Rustic Tolix table, £560, Designers Guild. DETAILS Otomi runner, hanging on wall, £120, Milagros. Ceramic bouquet, £295, Noa Weintraub. Zigzag mirror, £35, Raj Tent Club. Hand and heart plaque milagros, £6.50 each; and milagro frame, £18.50, all REfound Objects. On the table, from left: White and Green linen napkins, £15 each, The Conran Shop; Travel altar, on napkin, £4.25, REfound Objects; Folk art 24, £24, Milagros; orange liqueur, £10 for 20cl, The Conran Shop; tea glasses, £50 for six, Pols Potten at Amara; and Inkhead cup and saucer, £75, The New English at Rume.
A flamboyant tribute to Mexican iconography and carnival colours, this showy sofa is a fitting spot for a meeting of minds.
WALLS Painted in Peek-a-boo Blue matt emulsion, as before. Girders painted in Film, Television and Theatre 018 marble matt emulsion, as before. Door painted in Antibes Green chalk paint, as before. FURNITURE Amor sofa, £5,800; and cushions, from £75 each, all Corita Rose. DETAILS Mexicana wall art, £38 each, Graham and Green. Solvinden pendant lamp, £45, Ikea. Vintage Mexican dress, from a selection at 1st Dibs. A0 Frida poster, £15.99, eBay. Euphorbia cactus, £110; and Golden Ball cactus, £60, both Abigail Ahern. Mexican basket, £28, REfound Objects. San Morita cactus, £175, Abigail Ahern. All other plants from a selection at New Covent Garden Market. A selection of decorations, on the wall, all Milagros. Zigzag mirror, as before. Cacti and succulents, on the girder in background, from £12 each, all Debenhams. A selection of milagros, on the roof beam; check plastic mats, £24 each, all REfound Objects. Berber baskets, £80 each, Raj Tent Club. Raffia, £1 each, all REfound Objects. Pom-pom garland in Green, £3, eBay. Golden ball cactus, £95, Abigail Ahern.
The prettiest of pinks and blues combine with painterly flourish for an ultra-feminine explosion of bucolic colour.
WALLS Painted in Film, Television and Theatre 018 and 006 marble matt emulsion, as before. Smink Things tile wallpaper, £160 a roll, Rockett St George. FLOOR Mod Encaustic tiles, £90sq m, Mandarin Stone. DETAILS Shelf, as before. Curtain made in Geronimo Kiowa Klein Z537/04 linen-polyester mix, £119m, Zinc Textiles at Romo. Clip lights, £34 each, REfound Objects. On the shelf: Mexico: A Culinary Quest by Hossein Amirsadeghi and Ana Paula Gerard, £45; Isa bowls, from £19, Isabelle de Borchgrave at The Conran Shop; vases, from £42 each, Sophie Alda at A New Tribe; bird sculpture, £75, Milagros; bottle, £34, REfound Objects; and Birkin bowl, £35, Habitat. Below the shelf: raffia, £1; tin clip, £7.35 for 12; candle discs, £8 each, all REfound Objects; striped tea towel, £22, Charvet at The Conran Shop; Pink niche, £78, Milagros. Wooden bowl, £79, REfound Objects. Kapada napkins, £56 for four, Cheskie at Handpicked by Kate. On the worktop: pitcher, £95, Designers Guild; Fibra baskets, from £239 each, Ames at The Conran Shop; salad bowl, £30; bowls, £7 each, Habitat; glasses, £11 each; bottle, £10; sauce pot, £69, all The Conran Shop; serving bowl, £10, Habitat; Madonna tea towel, £6.50, REfound Objects; and basket, £100, Raj Tent Club. Baskets, as before. Brush, £6, REfound Objects.
Hits of realism meet full-on fantasy in a totally out-there wallpaper that captures the artist’s revolutionary spirit.
WALL Covered in Frida’s Garden wallcovering, £60sq m, Sarah Arnett for Modern Love Studio at Tektura. FLOOR The Highline #292 rug, £2,550, The Knots. Brockley Teal Green rug, £60, Habitat. Chelak rug in Red/Natural, £985 at Oka. School light, £225, Davey Lighting at Original BTC. FURNITURE Tamara dining table, from £1,937, Raft. Jambi bench, £250; and Jambi garden chair, £120, Habitat. Originals stacking chairs, £400 each, Ercol. Aros Mexicana armchair, £315, Graham and Green. On the table, from left to right, salad bowl, £139, Tse & Tse; wire bottle, £99, The Conran Shop, Teal glaze crockery, from £15, Mervyn Gers at Heal’s; Hippy bowl, £33 for four, Pols Potten at Amara; ombré napkins, £30 for four, Cheskie at Handpicked by Kate; Totem candle, £13.85, Areaware at Rume; Hippy bowls, as before; French linen napkin, £25, The Conran Shop; Birkin bowl, as before. Tissage de Luz tablecloth, from £128, Blanc Cerise.
In a modern-day painter’s studio, inspiration springs from nature’s lush greens and calming ochres.
WALLS AND CEILING Painted in Arles chalk paint, £19.95 for 1L, Annie Sloan. FURNITURE Lois chair, £119 for two, Marks & Spencer. Hebden dining table, from £1,050, Neptune; legs painted in Tibetan Gold gloss, as before. Garden armchair, £199, Seletti at Amara. DETAILS Vintage pendant, 1st Dibs. Painting on Amate bark paper, by Pablo Perez, £120, Milagros. Vintage wall hanging, 1st Dibs. Floral monkey cushion, £195, Made in India at Liberty. Tikog mat, £88, REfound Objects. Papel picado, in front of the window, price on request, Galería Atotonilco. Paints, brushes and postcards, eBay. Blue Taaba basket, £35; Bibata basket, £35, both The Conran Shop. Recycled plastic kettle, £7.50, both REfound Objects. Magui basket, £25, The Conran Shop. Ceramic plant pot, £67, Designers Guild. Arles table lamp, £110, Domei Endo at The Conran Shop. Nisha blanket, £95, Cheskie at Handpicked by Kate. Zigzag basket, £350, ZenZulu at The Conran Shop.
An exuberant celebration of Mexican craft, this colour-saturated sofa would make the perfect spot to wait for the muse to strike.
WALLS Painted in Arles chalk paint, as before. FURNITURE Deepali Mexican sofa, £1,595, Out There Interiors. Rattan daybed, £450, Raj Tent Club. DETAILS Damasco wall mirror, £112, Cristian Dal Bianco at Callagaris. Flowers, as before. Vintage Mexican coat, from a selection at 1st Dibs. Ezekiel planter, £15 for two, Habitat. Akasia rug, £365, Graham and Green. Fringed Coco silk cushion in Long Cobalt, £109, Mariska Meijers. Bridal handkerchief bowl, £395, Noa Weintraub. Rococo chocolate, from a selection at Liberty. Grandma espresso set, £77 for four pieces, Pols Potten at Amara.
An all-out riot of colour and pattern pings on both walls and floors, creating a decadently daring visual feast.
WALLS Covered in Tatiana Jumbo wallcovering W0078, £321 a roll, Kim Parker for Art Book collection at Clarke & Clarke. Pipes painted in Peek-a-boo Blue matt emulsion, as before. Wall, through the doors, painted in Antibes Green chalk paint, as before. CEILING Painted in Film Television and Theatre 018 marble emulsion, as before. FLOOR Mod Encaustic tiles, as before. FURNITURE Moreau cabinet, £5,820, Julian Chichester. Sunny chair in Green, £780, Tord Boontje at Moroso. DETAILS On the cabinet, from left: Toulouse serving bowl, £250, Laboratorio Castello at The Conran Shop; Golden ball cactus; and San Morita cactus, both as before; Eve Papaya pot, £15, The Conran Shop; selection of cacti, from £8, Debenhams; Legume Relief vase, £250, Jonathan Adler; Ouarzazate basket, as before; and Bird lamp with raffia shade, £595, William Yeoward. Louis Vuitton Guide to Mexico City, £26; Sabor by Nieves Barragán Mohacho, £25, both The Conran Shop.
More really is more as a chic beaded cabinet forges a breathtaking bond with punchy prints.
WALLS Wallcovering and pipes, as opposite. FLOOR Carnaby decorative ceramic tiles in Sunset and Teal, both £46.80sq m, Mandarin Stone. FURNITURE Gjora double bed frame in Birch, from £199, Ikea. St Germain cabinet, £1,899, Jonathan Adler. Green and black Jambi garden bench, as before. DETAILS Flowers, as before. Ezekial planters, as before. Bataille de Fleurs – Bougainvillier FCL048/01 100% cotton, viscose embroidery, hanging over the bed frame, £189m, Christian Lacroix at Designers Guild. Rêve De Lin duvet cover set in Brick, from £210 for a double, Blanc Cerise. Olivia frill cushion in Acid Yellow, £60, Rockett St George. Fringed Coco silk cushion in Raspberry ikat, £109, Mariska Meijers. Vintage Mexican dress, from a selection at 1st Dibs. Palm Beach tropical green cushion, from £129, Mariska Meijers. Cushion upholstered in Jessica Sunbeam cotton-linen mix, £42m, Blendworth.
Photography / James Merrell
Styling / Marianne Cotterill
