Create a colourful interior design scheme with tips from 2LG Studio’s Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead
Known for their signature colourful interior design style, playful use of texture and keen eye for pattern, creative duo Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead have a flair for bringing personalities to life through home décor.
“There is now so much visual noise about design and how we live in our homes, so make sure you take time for yourself to listen to your own voice.”
Since founding their design studio, 2LG, they’ve appeared on Channel 4’s Changing Rooms, released their debut book, Making Living Lovely, and helped countless clients experiment with creativity to design a home that represents the things they love.
Creating beautiful and exciting spaces is their area of expertise, so we caught up with Jordan and Russell to get their top tips for adding colour to your home, experimenting with different textures and planning a lighting scheme that works with your lifestyle.
What advice would you give anyone who might not be sure what their unique interior style is?
Free yourself from the pressure of what anyone else thinks and focus on what you want in your life, the feeling you want to create and the things you want to surround yourself with.
There is now so much visual noise about design and how we live in our homes, so make sure you take time for yourself to listen to your own voice – whether that means watching your favourite movies or a walk in the woods. Whatever helps you get back to yourself.
The word unique can add unnecessary pressure. Don’t worry about that. Just do you, and it WILL be unique.
What are your top tips for introducing colour into your home?
Start with something that brings you happiness – a favourite bag, ring, or flower. That is a great inspiration point, and if you love it, it doesn’t matter if it’s on-trend or not. Then think of what brings you peace, what calms your soul.
For some, that may be deep rich jewel tones or grungy dark shades. For others, it might be warm whites and layered neutrals. Find opportunities to play both ends of this scale in your space and build a colour scheme around that.
How can you use texture to enhance your interior design?
Texture often gets overlooked in interiors, and it’s a brilliant opportunity to build atmosphere and feeling into a space. Try to use contrasting textures to enhance your décor – matt and gloss, hard and soft, rough and smooth.
Do you want matt or brushed hardware, the glamour of polished brass or the modern edge of chrome? These choices in texture build interest in your scheme regardless of colour.
Texture also impacts function. Matt textures are more forgiving than gloss or polished finishes on surfaces you touch regularly. So think about where you place each texture to fit your lifestyle.
How do you approach planning a lighting scheme?
Consider what time of day you use the space most and the function of that space (intimate dining, kitchen prep, reading, ambient relaxation), then choose lighting options that fulfil the specific needs of each area.
Give yourself options for different moods and functions by adding dimmer switches and secondary lighting, like lamps. If you choose to install dimmer switches, plan ahead to ensure you get the right light fittings and bulbs to meet the needs of a dimmer.
Can you give us one pointer from your book, Making Living Lovely, that everyone should know about when designing their home?
Our book is about giving you the tools to unlock your own design creativity rather than setting rules or identifying trends. The interior roadmap we created for the book is a simple way to focus on the specifics of your design at the beginning of your process, not only to give you a strong start but also to remind you of your intentions when you are in the middle of installing a design and may lose your way.
Catch Jordan and Russell on Channel 4’s Changing Rooms and follow them on Instagram for all the latest interior tips, tricks and inspiration.
Find out more about 2LG Studios and discover how they can help you to design your dream home.
Looking for more inspiration? Discover exclusive hints and advice from established design professionals in our Interior Designer Secrets series.