d'Erlanger and Sloan: 2011

We thought we'd start with the biggest area of your house, your walls. Over the next few weeks we'll look at the different ways to approach these blank and sometimes intimidating spaces.

This week: No 1: Impact wallpaper...

We are often approached by clients who want to use funky papers but are worried of getting sick of them. We have found the best solution to be containing them in small spaces. Whether this be a hallway, cloakroom, bathroom, nook... the impact can be fantastic and gives these often forgotten areas a bit of drama. It may seem illogical to place large scale/intricate/bold coloured papers in restricted spaces but in fact the juxtaposition is fantastic.

The moral of this story is to not shy away from the unexpected. What could be better than opening the door of your cloakroom and instead of a sorry looking corner basin you are hit by a riot of colour to tantalise the senses. It is the little, forgotten areas that can be the easiest to have fun in. Be bold, let your imagination run wild, you will be rewarded...

We transformed this kitchen nook into a wonderful bookish retreat. Interesting without dominating the room it has become a real focal point.

Even the smallest area of wall can benefit from a geometric facelift, this walk through wardrobe has only narrow strips of wall remaining but by papering these areas you transform a boring utilitarian area into a quirky and inviting hide away

This paper, with its Chinese inspired balls, would have felt too old fashioned in a conventional room setting. But its use in a hall gives it a new, avant garde feel, and is truly amazing to walk off the street into

This cloakroom setting is the perfect excuse to be bold with your colours . "Red and Green should never be seen...", we beg to differ..

This arabic inspired printed jute not only adds interest to this hall through its elegant pattern but also texture. Its soft colours are easy to live with without being mundane

Geometric at its finest...

This beautiful and quirky cottage, with its misshapen walls and little awkward spaces was perhaps not the most likely candidate for busy wallpaper. However by sticking to monotones it not only feels fresh and up to date, it retains a nod to the past and creates an amazing and unexpected atmosphere.

Hello and welcome to our new blog.

We want to begin by introducing ourselves and our work at d'Erlanger and Sloan. Nearly four years ago, in January 2008, Anna and I launched our interior design firm, d'Erlanger and Sloan. We aspire to create understated, inspirational interiors.

Since our first meeting at university we had the vision of combining our styles and aspirations. Sitting in our Edinburgh flat we dreamt of creating beautiful interiors having been inspired by the incredible architecture that surrounded us. We still like nothing more than drawing inspiration from our surroundings, rummaging through antique shops and creating the beautiful out of the unexpected.

We were joined last year by an honorary member, Rafa, Anna's very naughty terrier. He has proved an inspiration in himself.

We hope to share with you our everyday influences from work and life beyond it. Included will be tricks of the trade, our favourite interior hunting grounds and updates on the life of an interior designer.

Here are a few images from the last few years. We hope you like them, please feel free to leave comments. We look forward to hearing your thoughts. If you see anything you like (all these are items we have sourced or bespoke designed) or have any questions please feel free to e-mail us.
www.derlangerandsloan.co.uk