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Richard O’Gorman, otherwise known as @househomo is an epic example of making your home your own with the mural artist transforming his home into a multicoloured masterpiece. Dive in and discover his top tips on being bold and where he gets his inspiration from.
Styling the Viccy T
Beautifully big bay windows and built in fireplaces are just a couple hallmarks that may spring to mind when you think of a traditional Victorian terrace home…but Richard O’Gorman’s Victorian terrace, or as he affectionally calls it the ‘Viccy T’, is unlike any other.
“One of the features I love the most about my home is the light… sometimes painting a room with loads of colours can bring the walls in but when the sun hits, the rooms sing!” Boasting large windows, natural light floods the interior to frame Richard’s art drenched walls perfectly. Moving into the property just before the pandemic, the world shutting down outside gave him plenty time to get creative inside; and that’s an understatement! “I’d describe my interior style as colour maximalist – although I always change my mind so ask me tomorrow and it’ll be something different”.
The fluidity of interior style and the potential for it to change and evolve is what makes furnishing your home so exciting. Even the simple change of a few cushions can transform a room. “I’m sometimes confused by interior trends; your home should be for you, and you should fill it exclusively with things you love! I’m currently focusing on trying to buy practical things that are also beaaaautiful”.
Imagination is key
Transforming your home into a outrageously eclectic space and creating intricate murals are only for the experienced…right? “My love of painting really only started when I moved into this house – I’d never really painted anything before, but I had a vision of what I wanted to create so I just went for it!”
The lack of experience behind creating such a magnificent space is inspirational, but Richard gives us some background as to where his confidence flourished. “I used to be a visual merchandiser for Topshop so a lot of the colour & styling confidence comes from that, but also I think just trying things; I am almost constantly moving ornaments around and sometimes it doesn’t work and I’ll change it back, but sometimes it woooorrksss!”
Adding pattern and colour can be intimidating so Richard advises: “Lean IN! If you want to go bold and pull back half way through, it will only ever look half way done, whereas if you lean in and go BIG, that level of commitment always reads as the best statement in a home (or in your wardrobe, or anything; go big or go homo!)”
If you’re struggling to find inspiration he suggests looking to look to “fashion runways to inspire colour stories or texture palettes and to 3D designers like Peter Tarka or even now AI home designs to see how I can emulate that in my home. I also I love finding inspiration in really unexpected places, like a handful of rocks on the side of the road or a colour palette in a sweet shop!”
It’s magenta be!
New for SS23 our Seattle armchair is the perfect contemporary statement for any home fusing sculptural minimalism with casual lounging. Landing on Peony Cotton Matt Velvet fabric, the armchair perfectly matches the energy of the rest of his home.
Rejuvenating a corner of his living room he explains “I’m always drawn to big soft shapes and curves so the Seattle was a perfect choice for my home, it’s like a giant hug! The original design is in white boucle but I’m way too accident prone for white so I opted for Peony velvet; it’s soft, it’s a HUGE statement and it ticks off both the Barbiecore moment and the Pantone colour of the year – Magenta 💖 plus sometimes I walk past it and it looks like a giant pink hippo face and it always makes me smile.
Curves are huge in the world of interior trends this year, with people looking to soften their spaces and build a more oozy oasis, erasing sharp lines. Throughout Richard’s home curves, arches and waves follow you with the feature of harsh edge being a rarity.
“Imagine you’re walking around a giant empty room blindfolded, only now it’s full of giant cubes or cuboids; everytime you interact with one you’re most likely gonna hit a flat side and bounce back or touch a sharp painful edge. But imagine the room is now full of giant spheres and curves and soft shapes; the interaction is going to be so much softer and gentler! The same applies in mural and furniture design; even if you’re not physically running into them, the energy of a space, or the air flow, or your mind’s eye is, so the softer shapes are naturally the spaces feels more calming, relaxing, comforting!”
No two homes are the same as we all hope to express ourselves in our interiors and Richard O’Gorman’s home is truly one of a kind. Whether you’re a minimalist or a maximalist, contemporary or traditional you’re always sure to find the one at sofa.com!
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