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Styling the candy look interiors trend for DFS

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While everyone else was putting up their decorations and baking mince pies, I was researching S/S16 interiors trends. While humming along to Christmas carols and lighting my advent candle, I was flicking through pastel colour swatches and picking out brightly patterned cushions. And only days before finally putting my feet up for the festive holidays, I was heading to London to style a bright and airy photo-shoot in an uber-glamorous yet real home location for DFS. Yes, I am one lucky blogger, that’s for sure. The wonderful people at DFS challenged me to create a trend makeover for Spring/Summer 2016 on a budget and, as my raison d’être is being thrifty and saving money, I jumped at the chance. And now that we’re going full-steam ahead into the new year, I can finally share my photos and interior inspiration with you all. Plus, you can WIN all the fabulous candy home accessories from George at Asda that I’ve featured in this photoshoot (worth £100!) to get the look for yourself, so read on to enter my giveaway. Enjoy!DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 dfs DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 embroideryThe trend that I wanted to focus this interior project around was ‘candy colours’. Whether this will become a full-blown trend is yet to be seen, but I’m willing to predict that these fresh bursts of delicious colour will quickly fill all our homes with a little Spring-time zest. After the inevitable sadness of having to take the Christmas tree down for another year this trend will perk you up no end, and will hopefully bring a little extra cheerful colour into grey days until the spring sunshine finally bursts through the clouds. As I’m writing this post today the sun is streaming over the garden and, with new colourful accessories adorning my home, I’m already feeling rather optimistic about the year ahead.DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 footstool 2 DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 dwell 1In fact, packing the festive decorations away at this time of year almost gives you a blank canvas to work with for your Spring decorating. I often look around a room after the Christmas tree has gone and think to myself; ‘this space is so big now’. So with all that perceived ‘extra space’, why not make some changes to your room and inject a little colours and happiness into your home? Here’s why I think candy colours will be de rigueur this Spring/Summer:DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 chair 2DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 teapot 3While doing my research for this photoshoot, I studied the Pantone colour intelligence predictions for Spring/Summer 2016. Although these bright juicy colours were intended for fashion forecasting, I was sure that they would translate well into a fresh spring-time interior scheme too. These are the top ten colours of the year and, according to Leatrice Eiseman, the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, they will “transport us to a happier, sunnier place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves.” Sounds fun, doesn’t it? So not only will we see fruity hues and aquatic tones in our clothes, we’ll also be bringing a brighter and bolder palette into our homes too.

My favoured colours in this palette are the fruity, candy tones; bubblegum pink, juicy coral, buttercup lemon, parma violet, minty aqua and cherry red. These colours all look great with a lush grass-green backdrop so are ideal for a living room, conservatory or kitchen that opens onto a blossoming garden. Of course, dark cosy bedrooms that have been great for hibernating in all winter would also benefit from a splash of colour against a fresh white canvas so don’t overlook bedrooms and guest rooms in your Spring-time makeover too – just a couple of pretty patterned cushions can make all the difference!DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 sofa 2DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 flowers DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 cushions 3You can probably guess how thrilled I was to be invited to style this look for DFS, if only by the volume of research I’ve done into the trend! I was excited to be able to pick out any sofa from the collection to include in my photo-shoot and thankfully, the brand has a huge selection of very classy sofas, armchairs and footstools to choose from.  Even though I was sticking to my thrifty budget for the trend challenge it wasn’t difficult to find a bargain sofa on the website that was absolutely perfect for the room AND purse-friendly. It was especially important for me to use a reasonably priced sofa because I know that purse-strings can be a little tight after Christmas, yet getting the look right was equally important. I wanted to find a fresh minty colour in a modern style and this Zapp three-seater sofa (currently in the Winter sale until 18th January at just £279, reduced from £598) fitted my search criteria exactly. The coordinating zig-zag patterned cushions pulled all the candy colours together, while the footstool became an exciting focal point for the room (as well as being a very hand coffee-table at times!). I love the modern design of this range and I hope you’ll believe me when I tell you just how comfortable the sofa is.DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 throw 4 DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 accessoriesDFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 textures 4I’m planning a house-move this year and will need a new sofa so now that I’ve experienced the comfort for myself (and the ten year guarantee on frames and springs doesn’t hurt!) I’ll definitely be checking out DFS as my first port of call. Did you know that DFS is the largest sofa manufacturer and retailer in the UK? With three factories in Yorkshire, Nottingham and Derbyshire, and an upholstery specialist in every store, DFS has hand-crafted every order for the past 46 years, making tens of thousands of sofas here in the UK every year. As a first time buyer I can benefit from the DFS Homestarter pack and choose a sofa, bed and dining room furniture from just £25 per month to get my first home kitted out. I’ve actually got my eye on one of their retro-inspired sofas in sunny yellow so watch this space to see what I invest in later this year!DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 side table DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 teapotI also just found out about the DFS partnership with the British Heart Foundation where customers’ unwanted old sofas are collected by the BHF and sold through their furniture stores. Every penny of the profit raised funds the British Heart Foundation’s pioneering research into heart disease, so that’s another great reason for choosing DFS in the future.DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 hobby 2 bright DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 arm chair 1I dressed the cosy sofa and Zapp armchair with a selection of candy coloured cushions to create the ultimate relaxation zone. Rather than going for block colours for this look, I decided to choose textured fabrics to add interest and comfort. Playful pom-poms, fluffy mohair and touchable corduroy soften the bright colours, while triangles and geometric patterns enable lots of candy colours to be combined in just one piece, picking out tones from other items of furniture. What do you think of the items I styled up the room with? Here’s a list of the pieces I used from Dwell.co.uk:

  • S Side table in gloss – available in other colour combinations on the website from £64
  • Atoma glass coffee table in gold £149
  • Infinity cushion in mustard yellow £34.99
  • Venetian throw in red (with pretty colour accents in the weave) £49DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 coffee table 1DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 throw 1

Of course, no room is complete without a beautiful bouquet of flowers so I chose a gorgeous bunch of springtime blooms from Debenhams flowers. The Celebration bouquet combines pretty bubblegum gerberas, delicate lisianthus, sugary pink roses and lime green carnations for a really fresh bouquet. These flowers epitomise this candy-coloured springtime look and pull all of the elements of the room together, while infusing the space with a sense of calm and relaxation.DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 mugs 2 DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 cushions 4I also added a selection of products from George at Asda to dress the room and you’ll be pleased to know that you can win all of the Asda pieces to recreate the same candy coloured look in your own home this Spring/Summer! I picked out some accessories that I thought worked well with the candy theme including this oversize aqua blue clock, lollipop pink geometric lamp, fluffy pastel mohair cushion and yellow-blue and grey triangular cushion. These bold pieces pull together the bright colours for a coordinating not clashing look, and geometric patterns offer a modern touch to traditional accessories. The cherry red teapot and sky blue mugs provide a focal point to the coffee table and are a fun way to serve up drinks to your guests.DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 sofa 2 DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 hobby 2 brighterDFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 textures 2I’ve photographed the look in two different ways, taking the look from fresh Spring into hot hazy Summer. The Spring look combines lighter pastel candy colours with the reflective glass coffee table to bring in plenty of daylight into the room, and I’ve added lots of soft textures, including the mohair cushion, aqua faux fur rug and the glittering (almost sugar-coated!) pink sequinned cushion to create a cosy feel. This trend feels really fresh alongside the mint sofa and armchair and draws on the colours you’d find in nature at this time of year; the blossom on the trees and watery blue skies. DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 flowers 1DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 rugDuring the Summer the room can be warmed up with bursts of ruby red, thanks to the gorgeous woven throw I found at Dwell.co.uk, and lots of sunny yellow accessories, such as the glossy S side table and zesty lemon infinity cushion. You can certainly take bolder colour choices in the summer, as colours in nature are much more vivid, such as roses blooming, strawberries ripening and yellow meadows full of buttercups. If you don’t have patio doors to fling open during the summer, you can always bring the outside in with a few pot plants and big bunch of flowers to infuse the room with the scents of summer.DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 dfs DFS candy colours interior design inspiration for spring summer 2016 clock 1Let me know what you think of this interiors look by leaving me a comment below or tweeting me @Cassiefairy. Do you think candy colours will be a big trend for Spring/Summer? How will you be dressing up your sofa this season? Do you already have some pretty pastel pieces or fruity accessories that you could use in your own living room design for Summer? And would you like to win these George at Asda goodies (worth £100!) for yourself?? If so enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and you could win all of these items:

  • Inlight geometric ceramic pink table lamp
  • George Home trace geometric cushion
  • George Home Riviera mugs set of 4
  • George Home red teapot
  • Homemaker faux fur sheep shape rug
  • George Home pink sequin cushion
  • George Home vintage oval mantel clock
  • George Home faux Mongolian fur cushion

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway open to UK readers only, good luck everyone!

This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂

27 responses

  1. Awesome post, really like the way you explain things.
    Deffinately will give this a share to one of my facebook groups.

  2. I love the footstool, the fabric is amazing! Really brightens up the room. Would love to decorate my living room like that. So fresh and fun!

  3. Fab collection of items – I just Love the pastel theme. Also, your stunning photos capture the colours/items beautifully.
    Thanks for the fantastic giveaway!

  4. Oh that’s great news, let me know if you add any candy colours to your home this spring Wendy 🙂

  5. ❤️ It! I have cream sofas and will definetely try for some candy color pop! Reminds me of my childhood.

  6. I have no idea if it’ll be a big trend or not, but I LOVE it! It looks absolutely stunning 🙂

  7. I think that these will certainly be a trend, i know i love it so bright & vibrant

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Cassie is a freelance writer with a Masters degree in Lifestyle Promotion Studies and is trained in Personal Money Management. She loves to ‘get the look for less’ so regularly shares thrifty-living advice, DIY interior design ideas and low-cost recipes on her blog.

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