The conversation
Angus Buchanan’s influential Studio stripe chair has set the decorating tone but it’s his clever layering that makes bold pattern work, as he tells our editor Pip Rich
DesignerAngus Buchanan is the creative director of Buchanan Studio, known for creating layered interiors and for that trendstarting Studio chair. His background in set design has been the foundation of this ability to put together the most richly curated spaces, blending contemporary and classic with ease.
PIP RICH It’s not often I believe in macro trends, but I do think you started one with the Studio stripe chair. It’s because the chair taps into a bigger trend for us all wanting things in our home that make us smile – and your design is so instantly evocative of deckchairs and good times on holiday.
PATTERN CAN BE OVERWHELMING – START SMALL, USE IT SPARINGLY AND KEEP THE WALLS AS PARED BACK AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THE ROOM, OVERALL, STILL FEELS CALM
ANGUS BUCHANAN It certainly uplifts you, doesn’t it? It’s not taking itself too seriously: it’s a chair for living in, eating in, it’s nostalgic, fun. You’re right that its reminiscence of the seaside is very appealing right now, for all of us.
PR Being such a bold design, what rooms do people tend to use it in?
AB It’s really graphic, so I find it works best in a fairly neutral scheme, to bring it alive. It creates a moment. The great thing about this stripe is that it accentuates the curves of this chair – it makes you want to sit in it even more.
PR And isn’t that the goal of the perfect chair! At the other end of the spectrum, we have your Ticking Rose fabric – it’s based on trad ideas yet somehow feels totally fresh. How do you think that is?
AB Chintz was such a big part of my childhood, so it’s just as nostalgic for me. My mum used to buy quilts and curtains in it all the time, and it feels so familiar. But because I’ve done it on a stripe it seems more contemporary, hopefully less trad.
PR It doesn’t seem trad at all. I’ve told you before that when I first saw it I felt it was like nothing I’d seen before, despite on paper being a classic floral print.
AB It can be used in several ways. I’ve seen it in stately homes in Scotland, sold it to clients in Miami Beach, and it doesn’t jar in either one. We live in an Edwardian house with a modern extension and even we approach pattern cautiously, but it’s a great way to add character to a home that may not have much of it.
PR I’ll admit, I’m pattern adverse myself, mostly because I’m cautious of it.
AB It can be overwhelming. Start small, use it sparingly, avoid crazy wallpaper and layer up colour instead. Keep the walls as pared back as possible so that the room, overall, still feels calm.
PR Good advi
