ny – The Interiors Addict

New York (and Hamptons!) state of mind with Shaynna Blaze

By Shaynna Blaze

Travelling the world via the web – trawling blogs, pinning images on Pinterest and saving endless images to style folders – is one way that I like to draw inspiration, but it’s my actual visits to far flung destinations that really ignite my senses and get my creative juices flowing. Recently I was lucky enough to travel to some notoriously stylish American destinations: New York City and its nearby beach town, The Hamptons.

Taking in the visual style of New York City I saw that light greys, raw concrete, battered timbers, contrasting black and whites and industrial lighting are indicative of the city’s décor palette. The overall lack of vibrant colour was noticeable throughout the borough of Manhattan and it became apparent that NYC tends to stay true to its traditional blend of raw material and simple white-on-white colour scheme.

taubmans Image One — Picture by Shaynna at Restoration Hardware

The design lover’s guide to New York

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As a homewares shopping starting point, no trip to NYC is complete without visiting the legendary American stores Anthropologie and Jonathan Adler! I would usually add West Elm and Pottery Barn to this list but, luckily for us, they’re now open in Australia (just Sydney for now but West Elm opens in Melbourne too, later this month).

Design lovers cannot go past the Jonathan Adler stores to pick up a quirky piece or a signature colourful, patterned cushion or throw. Friends of Interiors Addict Kate and Lu, from The Ooh Blog, were lucky enough to go on a trip earlier this year. “I developed a devastating idol crush on this uber fun designer a few years ago and it felt a little bit stupid really that I had never physically stepped foot inside one of his stores,” says Lu, an interior designer in Sydney. “I had a moment on the front steps then delved into a happy-chic paradise full of colour and pattern and retro, regency gorgeousness. It was a little overwhelming to see the pieces I’ve been frothing over online for years in the flesh but I was so thrilled to find that Jonathan, who began his career as a potter, is one seriously talented individual and his product is of an incredible standard and well worth the slightly heftier price tag. His tongue-in-cheek approach to decorating is evident in many pieces like the hilarious Delirium Coasters while others like the Desmond Screen are effortlessly chic.”