Interior Styling with La Redoute

It has become one of the annual styling jobs that I most look forward to and this year was no exception. I first worked with La Redoute about five years ago styling one room. This year there were three; jam-packed with new collections and products and for today’s Wednesday Ad break I’m going to show you some of my favourite pieces and how I styled them.

The first was a sitting room where I was able to include one of their sofas for the first time. As you will know La Redoute is a French company with everything designed in-house in France, which has meant no upholstery on the UK pages as the rules between the two countries when it comes to fire retardant fabrics etc differ (and no this is not a Brexit thing it has always been this way – I once ordered a sofa from Italy which the manufacturers had to completely remake it when they belatedly realised its eventual destination).

But La Redoute has just launched So’Home, a curation of products chosen by the British team which includes sofas and armchairs as well as lamps, rugs and accessories that complement the collection. I chose to style this room around this fabulous burnt orange sofa which is both firm and comfortable and, I hope, shows you how you can be brave when it comes to colour. I’m going to tell you three ways you can style a bright orange (or any other strong colour) sofa which means you need never again feel you must choose a sensible neutral (unless you want to of course). This mid-century style version isn’t online yet I’m afraid but it will be coming in the Autumn priced at £1,194 and covered in “clever” velvet that resists stains, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime there are these. I have added specific links in the captions but you can also just search for anything I haven’t included -everything you see apart from the walls and floors is from La Redoute!

As we were in a location studio, time, budget and covid restrictions (the amount of people we could have in the room at any one time wearing masks with the doors open) meant that it made sense to keep the walls plain white. So I added a thick cream Berber style rug layered with a flatter orange and pink one and lots of neutral cushions in differing patterns and textures to really make the sofa stand out. That’s the first way; let the sofa be a statement in its own right.

But the pale pink linen curtains look gorgeous with the orange and if you use strong colours in a tonal palette you can create a softly luxurious look that is both bold and relaxing. Imagine changing the cushions for all shades of pink and orange, even a drop of red. And note the orange band on the 70s style lamp.

Finally, if you prefer a stronger, more high energy feel to your interiors, then try mixing the orange with its opposite on the colour wheel. Paint the walls in any shade of blue from teal to duck egg and stack a pile of jewel coloured cushions on the sofa. Rich Persian style rugs or heavily patterned ones will complete the look.

And, of course, if you don’t want an orange sofa you can use the same principles with burgundy, emerald or chocolate it’s entirely up to you. Turns out an orange sofa can be much more versatile than you might have thought. And, of course, you can always match a sofa to a wall to make the room feel bigger and more opulent although orange isn’t perhaps the shade for that – greens, blues and pinks will all work well though.

Of course, no room styling for 2021 would be complete without a WFH space and I made sure that was a feature in each room. Here, the narrow console table with a shelf means you can store a laptop and notebook underneath when not needed but access them quickly when you have work to do. There is space for a lamp (this So’Home 70s style one works beautifully in both RAH (relax at home) and WFH and the narrow bookshelves, seen here behind the sofa, would work to store work files on the lower half where they would be out of sight, while doubling up as a room divider if you wanted to physically separate your two spaces. The narrow frame and minimal style means the light will pass through so they can sit in the middle of a room without feeling clumsy.

In a large sitting room you could put the console behind the sofa with a pair of lamps on it and when you’re not working you won’t even see it.

The next room I turned to was the bedroom and, as regular readers will know, I have long been a fan of La Redoute textiles from rugs and towels to cushions, throws and bedding and this season’s collection is really strong. In fact I *may have brought some of these home with me for a job I am doing next week. *totally did.

For some years the preferred look for bedrooms has been hotel chic – crisp white sheets and a clean minimal look but, as it will always do the pendulum is swinging back the other way and now it’s about cosy warm layering with lots of mixed prints and a more retro, maximalist feel.

I used three sets of bedding to create this look, but you can see how the pillowcases, with their delicate floral pattern and pink and white stripe edging would work on their own. It’s very “Liberty” but without the price tag. Add in a patterned throw – this one is so light, and a plain blanket and you’re all set. And La Redoute allows you to buy separate pieces so you don’t have to buy full sets when you only want a sheet or a pillowcase.

Once again, I added a work space, this time in the form of a dressing table but one with a drawer so you can store the laptop out of sight and mind overnight and replace it with mirror and make up when needed. The painted red chair is part of a pair and also comes in dark green which leads us to the dining room.

Now some of you will remember I have been slightly obsessed with the idea of dark green bistro chairs ever since visiting the home of Skye McAlpine for a podcasting house tour last year. When I found these (which also come in a deep red) I knew they would have to form the centrepiece of my dining room.

Now that the world is opening up again and we can think about welcoming friends and family, it was a treat to create a room where six people can sit and eat together. Or – not forgetting the constant background to our lives at the moment – to work at a large table. And once again the sideboard – this is a great piece – can store both plates and printer and other work stuff that you don’t want on display all the time.

As I have said before; La Redoute is a huge site, even bigger now the new So’Home collection has been added, so there is lots to look at. This is a curation of my favourite pieces and I hope you like them as much as I do. Otherwise, pour yourself a drink – hot and reviving or cold and refreshing (bubbles optional) and settle down for a look round. At least you can keep your slippers on and, talking of which, these are rather splendid.

This is a paid collaboration with La Redoute, with whom I have worked for years. I chose and styled the products and was given free rein to create the looks I wanted and which I felt would resonate best with you. The photography is by Debs Stubbington and my jumpsuit is also La Redoute – size up it’s French!