We caught up with the talented Interior design duo Michelle Tweddell and Rachael Jefferies of Blank Studio to find out what started them in the industry, what they are lovin' at the moment, and of course some valuable design tips and flooring picks for those about to embark on their own design journey.
Pictured: Rachael Jefferies (Left) & Michelle Tweddell
Where did it all start? A love for creating beautiful spaces led us to the beginning of Blank Studios. From the realisation that our homes needed to be a place of sanctuary and that great design had the ability to positively impact the way we live and feel, we knew we had to bring this experience to life for others.
Description of your design style?
Our passion lies in creating timeless homes that tell a story of who you are and how you live. With so much more time spent at home these days, it is vital that the space surrounding us brings a sense of joy and rest. Being located on the coast, our style leans to a fresh, paired back scheme that evokes a feeling of relaxation. We love adding layers by working with different textures to create depth to a space using natural fibres and products where we can.
Latest trends or styles you are enjoying… Being big fans of natural fibres and texture, we are loving the huge shift to wool carpets and the different textures coming through! Wool carpet has this ability to add so much cosiness to a space and with the textured wool carpets, it can feel like having one giant rug as carpet. Win win! We're also loving the throw back to the warm earthy hues of the 90’s like Resene’s Sandal and Dulux’s Sandymount. We love using colour to add character and life to rooms in creative ways.
Top tips when creating a design scheme...
1. Start with creating an inspiration board. Collate lots of inspiration from anywhere and everywhere ~ a walk along the beach, a favourite piece of furniture, your favourite piece in your wardrobe, a pinterest image etc.
2. Differentiate between the ‘likes’ and ‘loves’ from your inspiration board. Sifting out the ‘likes’ will help you narrow down your concept. Slowly you’ll start to see a pattern forming. Build on that.
3. Make space for simplicity (empty spaces are good!) Sometimes our busy lives need areas of rest to bring balance.
Favourite recent project... A favourite recent project that we jointly worked on was the Jones Builders Showhome. We worked closely along side the team from concept stage, to the designing of the kitchen and soft furnishings, right through to making of the beds. The brief was to set the Showhome apart and give it a unique feel so we maximised on beautiful earthy hues and layering of textures to add depth and character throughout. It was a full-service project which we had the pleasure of being involved with from beginning to end. It all came together beautifully! The Showhome is now open to view, so go take a peek.
A design item we are lovin'...
Our favourite piece of furniture at the moment would have to be the Ossa Ribbed Oval Outdoor Table in white concrete from Soren Liv - perfect for our NZ summer bbq’s. It’s so nice to see beautiful statement pieces like this created in concrete to be adored and also endure our coastal weather.
Top flooring picks at the moment in soft and hard flooring We are big fans of the Signature Range loop pile wool carpets (pictured below)…they are so lush! The shaggy texture and depth it creates in a room is beautiful!
We also love the engineered wood by Creative flooring in the rich colour ‘Bunyoro’. This was the flooring we used in the Showhome (pictured here) and the dark finish is a beautiful contrast to the soft surrounding textures.
Get in contact with Michelle & Rachael here
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