LuxDeco

A compendium for luxury living
Designer Inspirations: Natalia Miyar’s Holiday House “Snug”
LIFESTYLE

Designer Inspirations: Natalia Miyar’s Holiday House “Snug”

The designer on her exclusive and exciting collaboration with LuxDeco

Jon Sharpe
By Jon Sharpe, Chief Creative Officer

Natalia Miyar isn’t reticent to splash a bit of colour, combine textures and, in general, throw the rules of design out the window in favour of her natural sense of style, but she’s even less likely to be so when there are no client constraints.

Enter Holiday House London – a charity designer showcase created to raise crucial funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for which Natalia (in collaboration with LuxDeco.com) has designed a cinema room.

Holiday House London Designer Inspirations for Natalia Miyar x LuxDeco Snug media room

So, what does the intrepid designer do when the creative gates are left open? She creates a multisensory, Ghanaian artist El Anatsui-in-real-life space (complete with wall to ceiling hand-painted velvet and pom pom wallpaper, Mongolian sheepskin upholstery and dark humour fine art vases) which is as inviting as it is interesting, that’s what. We spoke to the designer about what was on her mood board for the room and how she’s channelled those inspirations as well as some of the key pieces to look out for.

The vision

I wanted to create a one-of-a-kind enveloping and cosy space inspired by my favourite aspects of contemporary art and textile design. I fell in love with El Anatsui’s work years ago. All the elements I appreciate most in contemporary art have a place within his work. There is always a tactile quality to all of his pieces and he has a way to make everyday objects look crafted. The velvet wallpaper in the amazing, crazy colours I love. It feels explorative. I enjoy playing with colour to see what effect it has on this space – I think it works here!

Natalia Miyar x LuxDeco Snug media room – Natalia Miyar Inspirations

Tactile furniture

I picked items that had cool and interested shapes. The pouffes are hexagonal which is a great shape as it complements the bar cart which has round, curvy lines. I enjoyed mixing up styles as I think it creates an interesting clash effect within the room. The pouffes are very comfortable due to the width and are upholstered in a soft, enticing leather. One is in a turquoise and the other in a rich cream. I also love the contrast of the leather pouffes with the velvet wall.

LuxDeco Mongolian footstool

I selected this piece as the Mongolian lamb fur top was hard to resist! The candy floss-like fur texture and contemporary style contrasts with the other furniture and I feel it opens the room up to more interpretation. It is a really special feature as your eye is drawn to it and I loved the bronze legs against the fur. It adds a layer of opulence and brought something fun to the room.

Exclusive Natalia Miyar x LuxDeco Oscar sofa

I loved the opportunity to create this limited edition sofa with LuxDeco, as we all had the concept of pure comfort in mind for this relaxing space. Yet we retained a feeling of elegance with the two different coloured fabrics by Pierre Frey. The depth is just so inviting yet the feel is luxurious. I like how prominent it is within the space without drowning everything else out.

Rupert bar trolley

I feel a bar trolley is always a must in a media room. I selected this Art Deco style trolley, as I think it adds a classic old-world charm which evokes a feeling of days gone by. The alluring antique brass finish alongside the elegantly contemporary design really fits well within the space. I love how the geometric style brings a charm to the space!

Turquoise

Turquoise features on the Oscar sofa, on the Kingsley pouffe and in a small vase within the space. I thought it was the perfect foil to the warm and feminine palette that features on the walls. Turquoise has a vibrant feel and really tactile quality. The walls are very warm including pinks and golds and garnet – the turquoise really offsets the colour and vibrancy of the room. I love this effect!

Holiday House London Natalia Miyar Inspirations – Natalia Miyar x LuxDeco Snug media room

Velvet

Fromental have been extraordinary as my brief was to create a one of a kind wall covering based on El Anatsui as an inspiration. Different layers of metallic paint and an incredible combination of graphic shapes and design make this outcome really sumptuous. The wall covering creation has meant every visible part of the wall and ceiling is upholstered in the velvet. It has gone through hand-painting, dying and hand-embroidery. So much detail has gone into the design and the whole process (which took 300 hours to create) has been extremely thoughtful and considered. The final result is like a jewel box; a precious space which insulates the room whilst feeling acoustically warm – perfect for a snug media room.

Atmospheric lighting

It was great to work with TM Lighting and have their team involved in the space as their art lighting expertise really highlights and beautifully illuminates the hand-painted wallpaper to great effect. TM used crafty accent lights which bring out the rich and textured look which I wanted to focus on within the space. They knew just how to light the wallpaper in order to bring the jewel-box room to sparkling life.

Careful art selection

The [Dan Baldwin] vase which I chose [from Maddox Gallery] for the room is an outstanding piece. As the wallpaper encompasses the space, I felt that we couldn’t use any art pieces which would distract the eye from the walls and ceiling velvet. The vase just helps to pull the room together, I find. I love the look of it resting on the perspex stand as the elevation brings height to this very cosy room. I like this contrasting effect as I like to bring the unexpected to all that I do in my projects.

;