Photography: Hannah Puechmarin, Styling: Hayley Jenkin
Nothing heralds the spirit of spring in decor and design quite like lush, botanical prints reaching skywards up the walls, and tablescapes adorned with armfuls of fresh blooms. This is the scene you encounter upon stepping inside this Toowoomba home in Queensland, where spring has sprung all year round.
Built in the postwar period, the abode boasted stately 3.2- metre ceilings and classic wall mouldings in the original front rooms, with a newer extension at the back. What it lacked, however, when homeowner Deb relocated here from Brisbane after her husband passed away, was character and comfort.
“Deb wanted a new start,” recalls Lloyd Hodgkinson, founder of Oliver Mark Interiors, who instantly “hit it off” with her over their shared love of colour and pattern. What followed was a 10-month decorating project, finishing in mid-2024, which saw Lloyd introduce enduring elegance to every room and infuse Deb’s new home with jewels of joy.
Tips for bringing colour and pattern into your home
1. Combine colours
“There aren’t many colours I haven’t used, but Deb is a lover of pink and green, so we lifted those tones from the dining room wallpaper and our scheme grew from there,” shares Lloyd. To ensure the many colours worked in companionship, not combat, Lloyd followed his rule of not mixing different undertones.
“When you’re selecting colours, make sure they all share the same tone,” he explains. “If you select a very pure, clean colour for your home, they all need to be clean; or if you select a hue with a dusky undertone, the rest of the colours should be dusky, too.”
2. Balance patterns
“Playing with scale is important, and the living area is a lesson in pattern combination,” says Lloyd. He dressed the solid green sofa fabric with fringed scatter cushions in a loose, flourishing floral and a smaller, intricate print to balance the full spectrum of scale. “It’s about building these combinations of patterns and sizes,” he says.
“If you have a large-scale print, what’s going to work well with it is the opposite, so a tight little pattern.” Plain textiles can also bring visual breathing space to busier motifs when placed side-by-side. “It’s all about the combination, but scale is hugely important to make it work,” says Lloyd.
3. Have fun with florals
Deb’s home is alive with freshly plucked flowers, potted plants and botanical motifs, giving each room a spring-like feel. “She is a great lover of gardens and I’m sure on some subconscious level, that was in the
back of my mind when I was decorating her house,” shares Lloyd. “The dining room is like a garden and we wanted that feel throughout.”
However, restraint was important to avoid overload. For contrast, Lloyd grounded the living and dining rooms with abstract custom rugs from The Rug Establishment, and wove in various geometric prints in the soft furnishings.
4. Mix furniture styles
Furniture can quickly date-stamp a home, trapping rooms in the past rather than tapping into timeless style. “You don’t want to create a pastiche of another time,” warns Lloyd. “The way of not falling into that
trap is to include a mix of styles from different times.” Here, old antiques mingle with newer rugs, and the centuries between are bridged by a family of fabric. “The abstract rugs almost challenge you,” says Lloyd.
“They are very different in style – it’s all in the mix. Using unexpected combinations of pieces is not the obvious choice, but it works to create timeless results.”
5. Forget about minimalism
Classical design has long been celebrated in American and British homes, though Lloyd is now seeing Australians turn their backs on minimalism to embrace more decorative interior styles – much to his delight (“some people could not live like that, but I couldn’t live any other way,” he says).
To achieve this look, consider a layered approach to decorating – think rich textures, pattern on pattern, ornately detailed furniture, and rooms bedecked with art and wall mouldings. “I think people are starting to rebel against the beigification of decoration,” says Lloyd. “People are desperate for more than ivory bouclé.”
6. Buy what you love
Lloyd cautions against copying trending interior styles and instead, urges people to boldly express their taste and passions at home. “Don’t follow your Instagram algorithm!” he says with a laugh.
Here, he gave different rooms the freedom to have their own palettes and personalities, and was guided by what Deb loved. For truly unique results, Lloyd suggests taking your time to collect and curate pieces. “Avoid purchasing too much matching furniture,” he says. “Buy your sofa, then find a different chair, then find another one. Have the confidence to do your own thing. And if all else fails, hire a decorator!”
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