2020: Clearing the Decks!

The kitchen had begun to look messy with too many disparate elements. We decided to scale right back to the original idea, removing clutter and non-complementary colours. This yellow table was crying out to be used in the kitchen which combines sea blues, and sunny yellows with just a touch of bright red for jollity. We removed the pinks and dark greens which had crept in, and the space became far more harmonious. The overall effect will be evident in our forthcoming book 'Mid-Century Modern on a Shoestring'. Note how a simple platter of fruit can add to the feel of a space, adding colour and life - even if 'still life'!

​So here it is, not just a new year, but a whole new decade, which has crept up on us - with a hopeful ring about it: 2020.  In January, a 'spring clean' might seem a little pre-emptive, but here at Blackbirds, with the nest more than ordinarily empty, with Christmas decorations put away after Old Christmas on Twelfth Night and children 'back to school' and university, it always seems a good time to start getting things ship-shape once again. 
       And with the clean sweep, comes a chance to look at things with fresh eyes and envisage different colours for the new season, a sorting out of the superfluous, a fitting in with feel. In our kitchen, an accumulation of 'favourite things' had become something of a mish-mash (it happens to the best of us) rather than the desired mid-century modern streamlined idyll: stuff had crept in and the colour scheme seemed to have crept out. Too much stuff weighs down upon us heavily, the mind restless, needing visual guidance, a tranquil path: when this happens, it is time to have a clear-out. Which brings me to an important point: a home is always evolving and new seasons - not to mention new decades - can bring inspiration and the necessary motivation for making small changes, thereby breathing new life into interiors. 
       And it doesn't mean getting rid of everything: on the contrary, I always plead for the necessity of nostalgia, the importance of keeping solid things which hold meaning, whether one is on a 'shoestring budget' or not. No: more often than not, all that is needed is a little tweak here and there, a toning down of a colour scheme or the clearing of bits and pieces; or perhaps the introduction of an entirely new piece which brings all the disparate elements together.  So it's time to get the cupboards in order and scrub the decks here at Blackbirds.  2020 has a balanced air about it, let's live up to it,  clear the decks and set sail !