Step inside….Magic Garden

Last weekend I went to see Tim Burton’s long awaited adaptation of Alice In Wonderland and was not disappointed … what a visual feast!  Burton’s gothic “underland” is a heady trip down the surreal path to weird and wonderful, taking you through stunning enchanted forests, and the fabulously gothic castle of the Red Queen (who is played superbly by Helena Bonham-Carter).

One of the key trends of the season is ‘Magic Garden’, which is strongly influenced by Alice with elements of surprise and the surreal, exaggerations of scale, secret patterns, oversized flowers and foliage, and pieces with human characteristics and personality!

• Vincent Thomas Leman’s Dust Furniture and Mantel Clock
• ‘One Lump or Two’ Lamp from Anthropologie
• Petite Rose Footstool and ‘Cumberband’ Setting Stool by MacKenzie Childs
• Christopher Guys ‘Camilla’ Mirror

You can work this trend in two ways, the Disney way or the Burton way!  Burton’s wonderland is an intense, monochromatic style with “a splash of painting the roses red” as Victoria likes to say!  See this earlier posting for some fabulous ideas on how to rock this look.

For a more whimsical, pretty look take your inspiration from Disney and work with a colour palette of charming English Country Garden shades of green and Alice blue, accented with sweetpea tones of yellow and pink.

Overall don’t be afraid to really play with scale in your interior design; oversized pieces in spaces they are clearly too big for is key for perfecting this look.  Go ahead and have some fun creating your very own fantasy wonderland!

• 3D and Optical Illusion wallpaper designs by Hanna Nyman
• ‘Le Telefon’ available online from Sundayland
• Pink ‘Diva’ Ottoman and small ‘Perch’ stool by MacKenzie Childs
• Red ‘La Boheme Fat Stool’ by Philippe Starck for Kartell available from John Lewis
• ‘Courtly Check’ ceramics by MacKenzie Childs
• Set of 4 ‘Alice’ glasses available online from Fishs Eddy
• Lewis Carroll inspired Dining Room by Anne Pyne for McMillen