Best of the zest: Add zing to your home and wash away the gloom of the past 12 months with some freshly squeezed citrus shades
Summer’s citrus palette is the perfect antidote to the gloom of the past 12 months. Nothing says happiness more than the zesty hues of bitter orange, lemon-yellow and lime-green.
But how to bring them into your home?
‘My suggestion would be to start with a fabric or accessory you’d like to base your scheme on,’ says interior designer Benji Lewis, of Zoom That Room.
Sharpen up: Yellow Yoko sofa by DFS, £1,399. Vivid furniture adds interest to muted schemes
‘Choose which of the citric shades you’d like to be dominant, then build your other colours in to complement, or even clash, with that.’
START SMALL
If a citrus scheme sounds a little scary, a few accessories will get you going. Add a pop of colour to your sitting room with orange-print cushions (from £26, iamfy.co) or a yellow leaf vase (£14, dunelm.com).
Vintage lemon designs are having a moment on the High Street. John Lewis has duvet covers (£26), cushions (£25), and even doormats (£10) and deckchairs (£10).
Fruity: A John Lewis cushion, £12
‘We’ve seen demand for bright, bold colours and patterns as they provide a nod to summer days,’ says John Lewis partner and assistant designer Nina Willsher.
The retailer also has a big range of picnic pieces, including a lemon rug (£30), cool bags (£25) and napkins (£4 for 32).
For indoors, Oliver Bonas’s orange-shaped ceramic jug is fun for serving cocktails (£59.50).
And for nibbles or a main course, Coffee & Cloth’s Lemon Twig hand-painted plates are ideal (£59.99).
PAINT THE WALLS HAPPY
‘When Pantone proposed Illuminating Yellow as one of its colours for 2021, it stood to reason we’d soon be going crazy for citric shades,’ says Benji Lewis.
Exterior or interior, yellow makes a home look warm and friendly. Avoid using it on all four walls and instead create an accent wall. Tie this wall to the room with a matching chair or cushions.
If you don’t want to paint an entire wall yellow, go for a citrus-inspired poster instead. Postery’s vintage Sorrento lemon tree print will transport you to sunny days in Italy (from £14.95).
Or, if you’re working with a coloured wall, Juniqe’s framed lemon print looks perfect against dark blue or green (from £44.95).
FRUITY FURNITURE
Vividly coloured furniture adds interest to muted grey, white or beige schemes. Next’s bright, lemon-yellow armchair would look fine against a grey wall (£199).
If you’re working with a wooden floor, Swoon’s green footstool with a walnut-veneer base is just the ticket (£199).
Roll-top bathtubs have become statement pieces, no more so than The Albion Bath Co’s Tubby Torre Duo in Pantone Yellow (£2,894), which is perfect for large spaces.
THE REAL THING
You can never beat the real deal. So why not invest in an actual lemon tree? Patch Plants’ Vivi lemon tree, should be kept outdoors for summer and brought inside for winter (£55).
Or, for an instant citrus lift, place a bowl of succulent lemons, limes and oranges at the centre of the kitchen table. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
What your home really needs is a… vintage map
The vintage Lake District map from Not On The High Street, would please ramblers (£85, notonthehighstreet.co.uk).
The longing to go on holiday is one reason why maps have become one of the smartest things to hang on a wall.
If you pine for a place, a map provides consolation. Once you have visited, it reminds you of the trip.
The Babylonians produced the first charts on clay tablets around 700BC. For more history, take a journey through Map: Exploring the World (published by Phaidon, £39.95) the best kind of coffee table book.
Cartography chic is a great way to spruce up your wall art. The John Lewis John Rocque 1746 map of London is pleasingly austere (£150), while the colours of Wayfair’s World Map would add zing to a grey decor (£94.99).
The vintage Lake District map from Not On The High Street, would please ramblers (£85).
And the London Transport Museum has Victorian and contemporary poster maps (from £20).
