French designer Beatrice Carlson takes design cues from the world outside her window.

Words Bridget Ellis-Pegler     Photography Caroline Ducobu

When you enter Beatrice and Andrew Carlson’s home, it is the freshness that strikes you first.

Walls are white, except for one grass-green feature wall. There’s lots of natural and white painted wood, and the upholstery is pale, restful. There are windows everywhere and playful accents of green throughout. Fabulous contemporary art draws you in. Mirrors and reflective surfaces throw yet more light into the space. The view through the windows is grass, trees, bush. Silhouettes play on the walls.

It’s oasis-like, exceptionally peaceful.

Beatrice, meanwhile, is dynamic and passionate. This delightful French multi-media artist is bubbling with ideas. She works from home, and her unique style reflects both her deep love for New Zealand, and her European heritage.

She explains that she’s not big on wearing colour, but she loves it in her environment, and her design approach is the same. The look of her home is natural, but with dramatic colourful touches.

Beatrice explains she could visualise the colour scheme as soon as she saw this house for the first time, even though it was empty. The white/green walls and the views of the garden and park were already there. It was just a matter of connecting it all up. She did this with strategically placed splashes of green, and accent pieces in complementary colours, particularly reds and oranges. Then she positioned the furniture so that the whole area worked harmoniously.

A possum blanket lies over a chair, a gorgeous moss green effortlessly linking us to the greens outside, and simultaneously inviting us to snuggle into it. Who would have thought that a green possum fur could be a stylish addition to a room? It’s inspired.

This converted Ponsonby villa is a rental, so there are limitations on what the couple can do to it, but Beatrice has applied the same principles of design to decorating as she would if were their own house. As she points out, even when your home does belong to you, you often face limitations – budget, time, family.

She says: “Work with what you have, minimise what you don’t. Highlight what you love, shift belongings around and use them in new fresh ways. Don’t be scared to be creative.”

Beatrice believes making your home feel beautiful does not have to be costly.  She adores finding treasures in charity shops, and revamping old furniture. Beatrice designs the new look, and husband Andrew sands and paints. She gets some pieces reupholstered; others are simply repainted.

Even if you pay someone to do the work and make the cushions, this is an economical way of having original items, especially if you’re creative about sourcing fabric (she recommends Spotlight).

Beatrice also brings her art into some of her furniture design, combining old materials with new and marrying incongruous pairs, such as wrought iron with perspex, etchings with digital prints.

Beatrice insists you don’t need to be an artist to make a room look right – you just have to be prepared to give ideas a go.
She’s covered an unsightly box with a red blanket and now it brings out similar tones in some of her art and has become a signature item. An old stool with a volume of Voltaire placed on it adds charm to an otherwise bland space. A large mirror brightens the dim kitchen. She has applied privacy film so windows can be unadorned, and the entrance to a messy area is humorously blocked by a mannequin wearing a whopping pointy bra of foliage.

Beatrice says it’s just a matter of playing around. Literally.

Move things, try colours, shuffle art, remove items or put them somewhere unexpected – just play, she says with a laugh.

She often moves furniture many times before deciding on its perfect spot, so she can see how all the different elements work together.

“Look,” she says, pointing to her mustard seedlings, their tiny green shoots standing tall, perfectly in synch with the rest. “It’s all about the harmony!”

To see more from this home pick up a copy of the lastest issue of homestyle. On sale now at supermarkets and book stores nationwide.