This month is all about Razzle Dazzle, which is hot, vibrant and sexy – definitely one of my favourite colours.

But when it comes to decorating it can be a bit overwhelming, so a good way to incorporate this hot pink into your scheme is with accessories and furnishings. We had a look at some amazing pieces that can bring a bit of Razzle Dazzle to your home.

Welcome to the month of May. May is my favourite month of the year and I love spring, so I am dedicating one of my favourite colours to this beautiful fifth month of the year!

“Everyone looks good in a pink room,” says Kelly Wearstler, the LA-based interior designer and I could not agree more. So this month is all about Razzle Dazzle.

Razzle Dazzle by Benjamin Moore, is a deep and rich hot pink that is energetic and exciting, feminine and regal. It reminds me of an outdoor party on a hot summer evening.

One of my favourite dresses (Aida, a kimono dress by DVF) comes in this colour and I sometimes hang it on my bedroom wall to add a bit of vibrancy to my grey and yellow bedroom.

Again, Razzle Dazzle is not a colour for the fainthearted (as non of the colours on this blog). In interiors, as well as in fashion, it requires confidence and positive energy, as it is such a loud colour that can be seen from far away.

One important thing when using hot pink in interiors is to give it plenty of room, otherwise it will be overpowering and not enjoyable. It looks best combined with crisp white, charcoal grey, chocolate brown and wood.

I am envisaging the amazing Talisman Bespoke sofa (see mood board) in a traditional dark Victorian, yet minimalist décor and the cute Kate Spade vase with a bunch of white tulips.

And when it comes to fashion it is all about the combination. I only wear my Razzle Dazzle dress with simple gold jewellery or a navy or grey scarf, as it looks great with simple toned down pieces.

So enjoy this month and don’t forget to razzle-dazzle!

I love the Mediterranean blue and crisp white design of the J.K. Place in Capri (above). It is so elegant and stately and at the same time cool and contemporary. The black floorboards almost reflect the furnishings, whilst toning down the strength of the overall design. ( I have black floorboards in my house, a tip Kelly Hoppen once gave me).

How amazing is this peacock blue lacquered wall above? It almost acts as a mirror and livens up the space with its reflection. The yellow painting on the left, the focal point, distracts nicely from the overall colour scheme.

Navy and hot pink! What an amazing combination!

I love the adire (African indigo dyed fabric) sheets on the bed. The different shades of blue in this design give the space an almost mystical feel.

Have a dip in the sea and then a shower in this beautiful blue and white outdoor bathroom! Heaven!

Todd Alexander Romano, J.K. Place Capri Hotel, Decor Pad, Home Bunch, Mary McDonald, Ranroom, Elle Decor

Are you feeling blue this month? With spring in the air and blossoms everywhere, I am definitely not! But I am very much feeling our amazing April ‘Colour of the Month’: Delft Blue.

I love this deep Mediterranean blue by Fine Paints of Europe, which is inspired by Delft pottery, the tin-glazed, blue and white pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century.

Being one of the primary colors, the amazing thing about blue (both in interior and fashion) is that it is the easiest color to use in color schemes as it blends in easily with most other colours.

It is also the least “gender specific” color, having equal appeal to both men and women. Dark blue is calming and sedate, aids intuition and represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness.

It is the color of the ocean waves on a hot summer’s day, and been used for years in interior decorating, especially in warm climates or beach houses.

Navy blue, especially combined with bright white, gives a crisp, clean feeling to any room. And if you want to tone down the navy blue decor, add a little pale yellow; this will offset the navy without detracting from it.

When it comes to fashion, don’t we all love our dark blue denims? Skinny-fit, boyfriend-shape or wide-legged, blue denims are essentials of everyone’s wardrobe. And again, combined with either a white shirt and a navy blazer for the classical look or a coral silk blouse and gold loafers for the colour lover, blue denims work with everything.

One of my favourite cities is Marrakesh and I could not dedicate a month to the colour blue without mentioning the amazing Jardin Majorelle of the late Yves Saint Laurent. It is one of the most mesmerizing and beautiful gardens in the world and the overall usage of vibrant blue is truly stunning. I will write more about it this month, as well as about other ideas to use blue in your homes and wardrobes.

I love the use of vibrant yellow throughout the house, which ties the whole theme together. And despite using a lot of yellow in the design, it does not feel overpowering or sharp, as some yellows can feel, as it is toned down with a lot of grey, black and white. (My favourite colour combination in interiors is yellow and grey – so chic!)

The way Parker plays with mid century statement furniture and traditional African art is a perfect melange of modern traditionalism, which again brings down the strength and impact all the masks and statues have and creates a nice balance.

The yellow around the fireplace creates a focal point and at the same time frames the art collection next to it.

The powdery grey hallway creates a light and spacious feel and stands in contrast to the bright yellow that is repeated throughout the house. I love the yellow ball-shaped lamp at the top of the hallway.

All pictures are courtesy of Darius Kuzmickas from KuDa Photography, who with experience as an artist and architect, brings unique vision to making vibrant and descriptive images of architecture and interior design. Darius kindly allowed us to use his images on our blog and said he loves our fabrics. So a big double-thank-you to Darius.

We selected our favourite items of the collection. I especially love the bold jewellery and, of course the African-inspired pieces!

All images courtesy of H&M

I was really excited when preparing for our March colour of the month: Citrus Blast, as this beautiful and rich orangey-yellow by Benjamin Moore evoked a feeling of warmth and comfort it me. Benjamin Moore describe it as ‘an energetic orangey-yellow that’s as fresh as just-squeezed Florida orange juice. This lively, vibrant colour will brighten your morning and kick-start the day ahead.’ Wow, what a start for the new month!

But doing my research and being all happy-clappy, I learnt that yellow is one of the most controversial colours in interior design and colour psychology, as it gives some of the most mixed messages of all colours.

Yellow is an emotional colour and the strongest colour, psychologically.  As it is the colour of confidence and optimism, the right shade of yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem.

In interiors, variations of yellow, for example deep gold for a dining room aids digestion, soft butter yellow is warm and cheerful and great for a baby’s nursery, bright yellow is positive and innovative when used in a meeting room, a warm yellow sharpens the memory and is therefore perfect for the office environment and is often used for retail shops as it is eye catching and welcoming.

However, too much yellow, or the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to drop, giving rise to fear and anxiety and it can cause hostility, so ensure that you break it up with accent colours or, if too overwhelmed by an overall yellow scheme, use yellow furnishings or accessories to uplift your design.