Welcome Kellie Collis

Kellie Collis from Ada and Darcy

This week at the Shiny Pebble we are welcoming the gorgeous Kellie Collis from Ada and Darcy to the Designer Challenge.  Kellie’s interpretation comes all the way from Australia.  I am so excited to share her bright, sunny twist to my dreary dining room.  I am sure you will enjoy it too.

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Hi I am Kellie from Ada & Darcy. By day, I am a corporate girl, by night I have my blog, an interior stylist and soon to be owner of an online store full of stylish and pretty home décor.

How do you define your style?
I am a girl who loves colour through and through. My personal preference is a white backdrop with splashes of beautiful bold colours with a special love for pink, blue and turquoise. I tend to not mind reds but I find that I never naturally lend myself to that tone.

I also adore pattern on pattern on pattern. And I’m really not a “matchy, matchy” kind of girl, which goes against everything my mother (and my mother in law know). My style it appears has been a learning curve for my family as well who really never understood why I would want florals with stripes with geometric!

In homes, for me, flowers are such an important element and can bring a room to life. I also like a softened, warm look and flowers achieve that look amazingly well. My weekly Saturday joy is the flower markets whereby I can potter around thinking about how I will play with them in my home that coming week.



What inspires you?
I tend to be inspired mainly by colour and pattern. When I see a new fabric a adore, I cant help but think how I could build it into an interior, how I could make the room a dream around it.

Being located in Australia whereby interior designers and stylists just don’t have the same edge that you often see in the USA (nor the same budgets) means that the Internet is a lifesaver for opening my eyes into the beautiful world of interiors. I adore to explore blog after blog, seeing how designers are challenging the norm and making use of all the beautiful resources out there.

I do love the flea markets as well, and sourcing something beautiful and old gives me so much excitement and invigorates me with new ideas if I'm ever feeling as though I'm stuck in a rut!

Which designer or life experience has influenced your design aesthetics?
I adore Windsor Smith and Kelly Wearsler are my favourite designers, I adore both their use of colour and taking design to the absolute edge. What I also adore about their work is their sense of femininity and glamour, something that are so important to me.

Over time my style has evolved and changed. I initially had a love for fashion, which has extended into interiors and I think my interior style is very much reflected in my fashion style as well. My Mum’s philosophy is it’s better to be under dressed than over dressed, for me it’s the opposite and I feel the same about a room I style. More is more and always incredibly important.

Interestingly whilst my Mum and I have pole opposite style, she does have a sense of order which is a must have for me as well. Whilst I adore patterns and colour, I cannot stand clutter so making a home stylish, fresh and clean is essential.

What is your go to source?
Magazines and blogs mainly. I adore Lonny magazine and think that this has possibly replaced what a gaping whole Domino left in the design market.

I also do love fashion and enjoy using those ideas and transforming them into something lovely in a room.

What were your thoughts on designing my room?
I thought, that perhaps you wouldn’t mind me being completely selfish and turning Catherine’s room into my room. A designers dream of course that they can impose totally their design aesthetic onto their client…
Firstly I would start with paining the floors, ceilings and walls white. White to me is the perfect canvas for creating a perfect room that can be changed, updated or modified with the drop of a hat. Then I would add some beautiful wallpaper to the back wall, in a stunning print that lights up the face of everyone that walks into the room. I’m thinking Imperial Trellis would be perfect!


Once we have the base right, I would then introduce a stunning light fitting such as a large French antique chandelier with lots of old school glamour. And, a lovely large rug, perhaps a darling black and white stripe to give it a bit of boldness.

I would then source a beautiful big French antique dining table and paint some gorgeous Chippendale chairs in a gorgeous high gloss aqua blue with my favourite pink floral with ginger jars fabric. Of course on that table would be a giant glass round vase full of stunning blooms.

I would source a beautiful antique console and on the top would style it with gorgeous ginger jars, silver antique trinkets and source two large lamps with custom made shades in a beautiful bright fabric.


Then in the corner I would paint a gorgeous old chair in white paint and cover it in a stunning fabric in the pink floral with the ginger jar print that is on the stunning Chippendale chairs. And perhaps some gorgeous books stacked with a gorgeous vase on top full of pretty roses.

Then I would source 3 antique mirrors and paint them, I’m thinking white, pink and blue would be delightful.

Wow that was fun, an endless budget and endless colour palette.

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I simply adore Kellie’s cheerful aesthetics.  The bright, crisp colors and patterns juxtaposed with a few antiques and touches of glamour lend a youthful tone to any stuffy old room.  It is hard to pick a favorite piece, rather the general gorgeousness of the youthful palette is my favorite part of this design.

Now is the time for you to skip over to Splenderosa to see what the talented Marsha has put together for me to wear.

If you all enjoyed this makeover as much as I did and would love to see more entries and related posts, please check out the links below:

The Shiny Pebble Designer Challenge, or: Please, Make This Pebble Shine Again!

Amanda Burdge's Creating a Hip Space from a Traditional Place

Raina Cox's (If The Lampshade Fits) Boho Contempo Style

Christina Fluegge’s (Greige) Transitional Eclectic Mix

Beth Connolly’s (Chinoiserie Chic) British Colonial Style

Amy Forshew’s (Pemberley Style) Soft Tones Traditional

Charlotta Ward’s (Space for Inspiration) Elegant  Nordic Conceptualizations

Leigha Oak’s (Elle Oh ) The Belgian Look with a Twist

Mark your calendars for next Wednesday, when the much anticipated Gwen Driscoll from Ragland Hill Social will be doing her interpretation of this room.  I see sophistication and glamour wrapped up in a gorgeous package here…

Once again, thank you  The Daily Basics for helping us spread the word of the challenge.

Hugs and Kisses!
Catherine

Linking to:  WooHoo Wednesday, Make it Yours Day, Tablescape Thursday, Transformation Thursday, Show and Share Day, Show and Tell Friday, Remodelaholic, Metamorphosis Monday