SPRING STYLING TIPS WITH BRIELLYN TURTON
THIS SEASON’S MUST-HAVE DESIGN FEATURES
With the Spring season well and truly underway, we sat down with the lovely Briellyn Turton, host of ‘Australia’s Best House‘ on Chanel Nine, to find out her best tips for styling your space for Spring. Briellyn Turton’s experience in Interior Design spans Commercial, Furniture and Residential design – But this isn’t where her story begins – Let’s go back to the early 00s.
Arranging, decorating and rearranging again, she frequently spent days perfecting her bedroom. Travelling often with her mother to visit trash-and-treasure markets all over Sydney, Briellyn quickly became fluent in combining decor and furniture pieces from across styles and eras.
With her breadth of experience and expertise in interior design, we couldn’t wait to discuss some of the amazing features Briellyn used on her latest project, the ‘Vaucluse Garden Apartment’.
WHY DID YOU GET INTO INTERIOR DESIGN, AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN DESIGN?
I first took an interest in Interiors from a young age by way of arranging and rearranging my bedroom. I used to frequent (and still do) trash and treasure markets with my Mum. I’ve thought a lot recently about where my love of eclectic styling comes from, and it’s thanks to those early days of finding items from different eras and styles and working them into my bedroom and wardrobe. The idea of being responsible for creating the spaces humans live, eat, celebrate, relax, and recharge is not lost on me. Interior Design can be so powerful, and it does improve our client’s quality of life.
WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN STYLE – SPECIFICALLY FOR THE 2022 SPRING SEASON?
Spring naturally has a positive psychological reaction from most people, so it is a great season to experiment with your style and feel confident in taking risks! Which is something I’ve recently been encouraging my clients to do more of.
Thanks to the past couple of years being at home so much, we’ve seen a shift in people’s mindsets about their homes. They no longer feel bound by trends and what their home ‘should’ look like and are interested in ensuring their spaces are filled with items they genuinely have a connection to and reflect their personal style without compromise.
For me, this Spring, I’ll be embracing the spring colour palette and taking some cues from the current fashion season and injecting some Fuschia into the styling of our apartment.
YOU’VE RECENTLY BEEN TRAVELLING; WHAT CURRENT INTERIOR TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING GLOBALLY, AND DO YOU BELIEVE THESE WILL FIND THEIR WAY TO AUSTRALIA’S DESIGN STYLE?
The great thing about Australian Interiors is that we get to pick and choose design details, techniques and physical furniture/decor pieces from across Europe and the globe and apply them to our interiors as we please. Whenever I travel, I always carve out a bit of time to walk the streets and take in the city’s architecture. I also search for particularly beautiful interiors in a city before I go, which I usually find in the form of Hotel Lobbies and restaurants. I think one thing we can learn from the European style, in particular, is the investment in pieces you intend on having for a lifetime and ensuring we preserve and look after them accordingly.
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, DO YOU BELIEVE WE SHOULD ADAPT OUR HOME STYLING TO THE SPRING SEASON?
Absolutely. Spring is synonymous with a ‘refresh’ or ‘fresh start’, so creating that emotional connection between potential buyers and your home is extremely important. The great thing about spring styling is that it brings life and light into the home. Optimising natural light and the feeling of space is so important, so make sure you do a thorough declutter and ensure no sources of natural light are obstructed. I’d also strongly recommend some florals or foliage scattered throughout the home.
WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND TIPS TO ENHANCE A NEW SPACE, SPECIFICALLY FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES OR ANYONE LOOKING TO ELEVATE THEIR INTERIOR STYLING?
I know it can be tempting to carve out a weekend in the calendar and try to get all of your decorating sorted at once – I couldn’t recommend strongly enough against this. I understand where the desire to get it done comes from; we want to move in and feel instantly settled with a fully furnished home. However, a truly personal and elevated Interior space comes from a connection to the items within it and how they represent the personality of the people living in the home. Patience is key when designing your home because we want to curate your space, not fill it with the ‘best option at the Supa Centre on a Sunday afternoon.
WHEN IT COMES TO NEW SEASONS, IS IT VALUABLE TO CHANGE THE INTERIOR OF YOUR HOME TO ADAPT TO THE SEASON?
Changing the Interiors every season would be very expensive, not to mention a full-time job! So we need to be smart about making minimal changes for maximum impact regarding seasonal styling. Here are My top three tips for a spring styling refresh.
WHAT ARE THE HOTTEST TRENDING COLOURS FOR SPRING?
In the name of catering to everyone, I’ve got five key colours for the season.
For our lovers of pink: As previously mentioned, Fushchia will be a hero pink for the season.
Green is a much-loved interior design colour in most seasons – people like bringing the feeling of nature into their homes. In the Spring 2022 season, Jade green will be particularly popular.
We’ve already seen butter yellow boom in popularity this year, but it will continue to trend through to 2023 as it’s undeniably a perfect colour for Australian Spring / Summer.
Just because it’s Spring doesn’t mean you need to stick to a light and bright palette if it’s not your thing. Deep, rich blues ooze luxury and are a gorgeous colour to bring into your interiors.
And if you want to forgo colour altogether, deep, warm browns are coming back soon.
Think dark oaky tones.
WHAT CAN RENTERS DO TO ENHANCE THEIR HOMES THIS SPRING SEASON?
It’s called Spring Cleaning for a reason! It sounds boring, but thoroughly cleaning your soft furnishings will make your home feel new. Put cushion covers from the sofa in the wash, and declutter all the non-important items that have made their way into main living spaces over winter. I’d also recommend a change in bedding. I’ve just ordered us a new set in a spring palette. And if you can, bring some blooms or branches into your space.
If you can, rearranging living, bedroom or WFH spaces to optimise natural light will make a huge difference. The sun travels a different path in Spring VS winter, so I know, for example, that my office gets way more afternoon light in Spring, so I’ve moved my desk to make the most of that.
YOUR INTERIOR DESIGN COMPANY, STUDIO BRIE, IS GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, WHAT’S BEEN A HIGHLIGHT PROJECT FOR YOU?
At Studio Brie, we specialise in mid-high-end residential Interiors within and surrounding Sydney. We frequently help buyers who have just purchased/moved into their new home renovate and furnish. Our recently completed ‘Vaucluse Garden Apartment’ project is a great case study for the area. We helped the new owners take a dated and dull three-bedroom apartment through a gut renovation to achieve a contemporary, functional and aesthetically beautiful home for them.
We also offer an E-Decorating service that is suitable for both renters and homeowners who want to take their homes to a new level through professionally curated and decorated spaces.
