Colouring in interiors

Bridget Ogle's bright red wall echoes flowers and artworks. Photo / Supplied

It took a couple of attempts, but Bridget Ogle finally nailed the right colour for a feature wall in her Herne Bay apartment. Ogle, who has been a hairdresser since the age of 16, knows the importance of colour and wanted something that would give a lift to the room and the people in it.

"Playing around with colour is great," she says. "It's fun and if you don't like it you can easily change it, whether it's your hair or your house."

Her first choice was mustard — until she stood back and decided it wasn't working. A darker red colour was rolled on and sat there for a while before she finally opted for a bright red that is echoed in flowers, artworks and accessories throughout her home.

After three years, though, Bridget is considering a change to her feature wall. "Now I'm thinking about chartreuse," she says, pointing out a similar tone in an artwork in her lounge. "I've also seen some flocked wallpaper and I'm thinking that would be good, too."

Whatever she goes with, it will provide a nice counterpoint to the neutral walls and the mostly black furniture and cabinetry that features in the open-plan living area. This sophisticated colour scheme is a far cry from the way the apartment looked when she bought it three-and-a-half years ago. Back then, it had a masculine 1970s decor, with oranges, greens and browns and an old white shagpile carpet.

The layout of the apartment has also been changed, with the old bathroom area now housing the kitchen and the hallway opened up. There was a setback during construction however, when the false ceilings collapsed. "We had to pull it all down and start again, which is not what I had expected," says Ogle.

Steel beams and supports had to be used to address structural engineering issues but the result is that the apartment is back to its original 4m stud.

The building work also revealed some character elements, including the original ceiling beams in the kitchen and an exposed brick wall.

"The charm is still there and I like that," says Ogle. "When I saw that brick wall, I just knew it was heaven-sent. It added such character to the room and I remember thinking at the time that after all the things that had gone wrong, this had set me up beautifully."

STYLE TIPS

Room to move: Using adjoining wardrobe space to create a larger bathroom is a good idea if you can incorporate more room for storage somewhere else. Ogle had to sacrifice some of her closet space to accommodate a bathroom with enough room for the toilet to be tucked out of sight behind a curved shower.

Beam me up: Ceiling beams left exposed and unpainted convey a sense of history but they can be freshened with paint to match the rest of the ceilings and provide a modern look with a nod to the past.

Close ties: Echo colours or materials from one room to another to give your home a sense of cohesion. Here, the silver-coloured, industrial-look vinyl flooring used in the kitchen also features in the bathroom.

Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden magazine. See the latest issue for the full story on this home and other ideas for your place.