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In the emerald city: how to decorate with vibrant green at home

Bring the Emerald City into your own home with this colourful apartment, which will show you how to decorate with emerald in four easy steps.
A built in bench with a white base, striped green cushion and woven hats displayed on the wall as decor.Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House

Want to learn how to decorate with emerald? Take your cues from this Gold Coast holiday home, which was renovated and styled by Highgate House’s principal designer, Leigh Boswell. “The brief was to create a bright, happy beach apartment that felt family-friendly,” shares Leigh. “The client wanted a vibrant, coastal-inspired palette that balanced relaxation with energy.”

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Read on for Leigh’s four step masterclass on how to decorate with emerald.

A living room with ocean views, a green sofa, blue and yellow cushions, wooden console table and coffee table.
The Molmic sofa, upholstered in Westbury Textiles ‘Nassau’ in Forest, is decorated with custom cushions in a bright mix of Clarke & Clarke, Molly Mahon and Schumacher fabrics. The intricately crafted Highgate House side table adds texture against the neutral area rug. (Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House)

How to decorate with emerald

Leigh transformed this two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment over the course of six months. “We made several structural changes, including adding a bench seat in the entryway,” says Leigh of the joyful welcome. The colourful coastal tone is immediately introduced with the ocean-swept hues of Jane Churchill fabrics that adorn the bench seat and cushions, both by Highgate House.

“The colours create a vibrant and harmonious atmosphere that enhances the coastal aesthetic”

Leigh Boswell, interior designer
A white kitchen bench with woven bar stools and a living area in the background, with white and yellow striped blinds and a large potted plant.
Blinds were custom-made for the living area in sunny Jane Churchill ‘Alda Stripe’ in Yellow, while natural materials ground the space with a white and teak inlay side table and ‘Lola’ barstools in Light, both from Highgate House. (Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House)
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1. Start with a neutral base

A calm, muted backdrop is key to avoiding overwhelm when you decorate with emerald. “Use light, airy neutrals as your foundation,” suggests Leigh, who did that here. “The white backdrop allows the colourful accents to stand out, creating a space that feels uplifting and grounded in nature.” Walls painted in Dulux White Polar Quarter let the ocean views take centrestage, while light Stone Ambassador benchtops in ‘Sugar Rush’ complement the open-plan scheme.

A dining table with woven dining chairs on top of a grey rug.
Blues and greens are introduced in the ginger jars and the abundant greenery in the dining space. (Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House)

2. Decorate with emerald in bright bursts

This home goes beyond the standard blue and white nautical palette, incorporating other bold hues inspired by its sea-swept vistas. This helps to balance out the emerald. “We chose three colours to evoke a fresh coastal vibe,” explains Leigh. “Green adds a sense of tranquillity, while blue brings a calming energy to the space. Yellow was included as a cheerful accent, infusing warmth.” The Molmic ‘Daydream’ sofa, decorated with an abundance of cushions, adds fresh vibrancy to the space.

A wooden console table with a painting of a sea cliff, potted plant and a white lamp with a green shade on top.
Yolan Eke’s ‘Afterwards We Ate Pizza’ print, available through Greenhouse Interiors, adorns the open-plan dining area. Below it is a tactile cabinet offering overflow storage (for similar, try ‘Dawn’ carved cabinet from Living Styles). (Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House)
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3. Add texture with natural elements

“Balance the bold colours with earthy textures like rattan and natural timbers,” says Leigh. “This adds warmth and an organic touch, bringing in a relaxed, beachy vibe.” In this home, engineered ‘Prestige Oak’ hardwood flooring from National Flooring Distributors adds tonal warmth. Woven materials appear throughout – from the seagrass tray on the rattan-wrapped ‘Legend’ coffee table to the ‘Classic Weave’ dining chairs – all from Highgate House.

In the details

Woven materials, especially tactile rattan, are key to grounding the colourful scheme. “The natural and durable qualities complement the palette, adding a relaxed, less formal feel to the space,” shares Leigh.
A white kitchen with a tiled splashback and woven bar stools against the kitchen bench.
The splashback benefits from vertically-laid Tile Mob tiles with rectified edges and pillow top profiles, which complement the ribbed kitchen joinery. (Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House)

4. Play with pattern for visual interest

Stripes are a playful motif in this interior. However, some examples are more subtle than others. The ribbed profiles of the kitchen joinery and island introduce a touch of texture, complemented by the vertically-laid Tile Mob splashback tiles. The armchair is upholstered in a custom Schumacher fabric reminiscent of waves. The striped blinds offer a bolder take on the theme. “These patterns bring in energy and visual interest,” says Leigh.

Two single beds with blue and green bedheads, woven crab wall decor and a white bedside table in between the beds.
The soft blue of Taubmans Shiralee cocoons the walls of the bedroom that the homeowners’ daughters share. The bedheads and cushions from Highgate House create a mirror image of blues and greens, contrasted by the crisp white bedside table from Xavier Furniture. (Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House)
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Woven materials and seaside motifs make a stunning combination in the guest bedroom. This bedroom belongs to the homeowners’ two teenage daughters. Leigh was playful here, opting for fun wall decor in the form of woven crabs from Highgate House. It’s a more literal yet youthful approach to the home’s coastal palette. The main bedroom has a more mature take on the palette.

A bedroom with white bedlinen, blue cushions and a throw and a wooden bedside table.
Dulux Antarctica Lake Quarter creates a soft, muted base, enhanced by brighter flourishes within the colour palette of the main bedroom. These come in the form of wall art from Highgate House, a quilt from Walter G and blinds made from ‘Luna’ fabric in Khaki by Molly Mahon in collaboration with Schumacher. (Photography: Elouise Van Riet-Gray / Styling: Highgate House)

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Interior design and styling: Highgate House, www.highgatehouse.com.au

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