We are really excited to share our new ‘Lost in Space’ rug collection with you in a few weeks, so we thought we would give you a sneak peek at how it is coming along below...  

Rough sketches of all new designs  

'Aurora' rug in progress - inspired by the northern lights  

'Star Cluster' rug in progress  

'Saturn's Rings' rug in progress (left) and all colourways in progress (right) 

Building on the success of our geometric 'Aerial' rug and wallpaper collection, 'Lost in Space' is inspired by the simple geometric forms of stars, planets and other celestial bodies. These stylized, flat designs have a definite retro feel to them as they are reminiscent of the space-inspired designs that were prevalent throughout the 1960s and 70s. The versatile nature of these geometric designs also means that they can be easily adapted to suit any colour scheme using our bespoke rug design service.

The full rug collection will be available on our website in the next few weeks, and additional wall art canvas pieces (a first for Interiors by Element) will also be debuting in the new year - watch this space!

In the meantime you can view all Interiors by Element rugs on our website or follow Interiors by Element on Twitter for further updates on this collection and other exciting news. You can also see the inspiration behind the collection on our Pinterest.

With designs for every room, any trend and all tastes, you can style our pieces with ease. Today, we’re tapping into 4 trends with Parcel and Flyover, two statement wallpapers in our Aerial wallpaper collection.

retro

Create a throwback 70s feel with our Parcel wallpaper in Forest. Ground the look with rich mahogany tones and use lime and mustard as highlight colours. Wood works beautifully in this scheme, harkening back to panelled walls and pine furnishings, and quirky plastic features, like the lattice sapling chair, echo a decade’s obsession with Bakelite and resin. Adding the odd accessory in silver or white – like this stylish desk lamp – helps set the scene of a time where a futuristic ‘space’ look was always on the horizon.

Parcel wallpaper in Forest styled with: desk from Overstock.com, clock from Howkapow Living, chair from Fancierstudio on Amazon and lamp from Prime Furnishing

modern

Our Flyover wallpaper in Ocean is the perfect design – and colourway – for a modern bathroom. Simple, structured furnishings, like this ladder shelving and rectangular-framed rail, echo the block pattern, while intense metallic and teal tones add a glamorous note without feeling dated. For maximum impact, add to the uniform feel with square floor tiling.

Flyover wallpaper in Ocean styled with: bath from Baths of Distinction, towel rack from Tesco, towels from Dormsmart and storage ladder from American Furniture Warehouse

rustic

A rustic, rough-hewn farmhouse kitchen begins with chunky wood pieces in an open-plan space. Our Parcel wallpaper in Earth sets the backdrop with tonal browns, while nature is brought to the forefront in the form of ceramic herb pots and vegetable-filled pallet crates. For a quirky finish, add a menu-style blackboard to the decor.

Parcel wallpaper in Earth styled with: kitchen island from Williams-Sonoma, herb garden from John Lewis, kitchen chalkboard from Ebay and vintage crate.

minimalist

For a contemporary, minimalist theme, create a striking feature wall out of our Flyover wallpaper in Silver, but keep the rest of the interior clean and uncluttered. White is the ideal feature colour, as it keeps the look crisp and fresh, while accessories in grey and lilac add visual interest (though use them sparsely). Make slimline, Scandinavian-style furniture your go-to pieces and maximise space wherever possible.

Flyover wallpaper in Silver styled with: dining table from Habitat, dining chair from Freedom Furniture, wall art from Aliexpress and vase from Barker and Stonehouse

Do visit our interiors gallery for other styling ideas, and be sure to review the full Interiors by Element wallpaper collection to find the right style for your space.

I was very excited to hear that there would be a large Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition at the Tate Modern last month. Her colourful, abstract paintings that draw inspiration from flowers, woodland and desert landscapes, and cityscapes have long been an inspiration for me, so I was really pleased to finally visit the show this past weekend.

The first room of the exhibition contained some of O’Keeffe’s early works, including some abstract black and white charcoal drawings. O’Keeffe stated that ‘I decided not to use any other colour until it was impossible to do what I wanted in black and white.’ As someone who also designs everything in black and white before adding colour at the very end of the process when all designs are finalized (read more about my design process here), I found this very interesting.

Special No.9, 1915, and No. 15 Special, 1916-17 by Georgia O'Keeffe

The next section of the exhibition contained a series of paintings that were purely abstract explorations of colour and form, and were said to be inspired by music in a similar way to that of Kandinsky’s paintings. I also really enjoyed this section as it got me thinking about the idea of abstraction in art and design for it’s own sake, rather than in reference to a physical object or process that inspired it (which is what the vast majority of my designs are about).

Blue and Green Music, 1919/21 and Grey Lines with Black, Blue and Yellow, c.1923 by Georgia O'Keeffe

Next up was quite possibly my favourite section of the exhibition, which were the paintings inspired by the landscape around Lake George in upstate New York. This is where the Stieglitz family had their summer house, which O’Keeffe visited with Alfred Stieglitz on several occasions. I loved the beautiful blue and green colour schemes (a palette I’m particularly fond of, as seen in the Woodland and Under the Sea collections), and ambiguous nature of these paintings.

From the Lake No.1, 1924 and From the Lake No. 3, 1924 by Georgia O'Keeffe

At long last I reached a room of the floral paintings that O’Keeffe is best known for. I got the sense that the curators of this exhibition purposely downplayed this aspect of O’Keeffe’s work as (I assume) they were aiming to portray her as a multifaceted artist that paints more than just pretty flowers, which is what some people may see her as. It is a sound approach but nevertheless, I would have liked to see just a few more flower paintings as they were stunningly beautiful and I love large, monumentalized floral imagery (as evidenced by my Floral Explosion rug collection).

Oriental Poppies, 1927 by Georgia O'Keeffe

Much of the rest of the exhibition was dedicated to paintings of the beautiful, dramatic desert landscape of New Mexico. These arresting images got me thinking about the desert as a natural landscape I know little about (despite living in one for years as a child in the Middle East!), and haven’t considered using in my work before. I’ve definitely noted it down as an area to explore for future collections - watch this space!

Rust Red Hills, 1930 by Georgia O'Keefe

-Belma Kapetanovic

For the first post on our newly relaunched blog, I thought I would share a bit of insight into my design process and how the colourful, inventive patterns seen on Interiors by Element products are conceived.

My design process always begins with observation and photography. I love being active and spending time outdoors, and I always carry a camera to record any beautiful or unusual natural objects or processes I may come across. For more far-flung natural environments that are harder to visit, I rely on other people’s photographs in books and magazines about the natural world for inspiration. I have a particular fascination with exotic natural environments, such as coral reefs and rainforests, as they contain such a richness and variety of plant and animal species that they almost feel like another world. Close-up photographs often work best for discovering the hidden beautiful patterns in the world around us.

Once photographs are collated, I work by interpreting them into flat, stylized black and white drawings. I find this to be the easiest way to create the ambiguous organic forms that embody the Element design direction and do not worry too much about colour or repeat structures at this point. I will often do several quick drawings from a single photograph to figure out which areas of the form to emphasize and which to leave out.

Some of my photographs and drawings can be seen below - you may recognize the drawings for the Polygon and Portobello wallpapers, as well as photographs that lead to the Dahlia and Kaleidoscope rug designs.

When the drawings are selected and finalized, I then scan them into Photoshop or Illustratior and work out the colourways and repeat structures digitally. Designs are now ready to send to our rug makers and wallpaper printers to create a beautiful finished product for you!

-Belma Kapetanovic

Welcome to the newly relaunched Interiors by Element blog. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to incorporate our blog into our website and are pleased it is now ready to share.

We’re looking forward to creating a space to share more about what inspires us,including current trends and exhibitions, decorating tips and ideas for styling our products, as well as what we are up to behind the scenes to give you more insight into our design process and the day-to-day running of an independent design business.

Happy reading!

-Belma Kapetanovic