Scandi Boho Interiors Styled By Kyla Magrath

Scandi, Boho Interiors

Scandi, Boho Interiors: Styled By Kyla Magrath

For the latest in our “Styled By” series, we sat down with the lovely Kyla Magrath – an interior designer and mum of two, who is utterly obsessed with all things décor! With a home full of natural textures, cosy corners and the most beautiful collection of plants and dried flowers we’ve ever seen, it’s no surprise that Kyla’s interiors sparks joy and interest for so many people (60 thousand, to be precise!). Sit back, relax and read on to find out how Kyla discovered her own interior style, her top tips for styling a room and advice on creating a happy home…

Kyla’s interior style

Describing her interior style as a mixture of Rustic, Scandi and Boho, with a key focus on plants, dried flowers and natural textures, Kyla refers to herself as “a massive texture junkie”!

In Kyla’s home, no room is complete without a massive pot of dried ferns or pampas grass. By incorporating these natural elements, it helps to not only soften corners, but also create a much more relaxing environment.

“Plants and flowers bring life into a space and have the power to literally fill me with joy and ground me.”

Introducing natural materials with furniture and home accessories is also a great way of creating depth and interest in your space– from wooden tables and wicker baskets, to rugs and wall hangings. Bringing in raw textures such as wood, concrete and lime paint add that rustic element, but can be a little harsh on their own. By adding layers of softer, more tactile furnishings such as cushions and throws in linens and wools, you create a softer, cosy space.

Finding inspiration

Finding inspiration for your own interior style is a very unique journey, and is part of what makes your home yours. In Kyla’s case, she fell in love with Moroccan design having travelled to Marrakesh some years ago, and was particularly drawn to tadelak walls and simple lines – a key part of interior inspiration for her home.

“Everything felt calming and understated, which was juxtaposed by an overdose of texture, with gorgeous palm fringing accessories and beautifully fluffy rugs.”

When you look around Kyla’s home, you notice that her interiors are styled with shades of pinks, browns and creams. These autumnal, earthy tones are both warm and comforting and inspired by Kyla’s love for nature – helping her create a calm and inviting space to live in.

Another trend Kyla is loving at the moment is the 70s revival of rattan and cane webbing! Not only does it fit beautifully with her style, as rattan furniture and accessories are made from natural materials, but rattan pieces often help a room feel brighter because of the lightweight design.

“I particularly like the Wonder lampshade in bamboo from the new sofa.com lighting range, which I have in my living room.”

The importance of happiness starting at home

For Kyla, home is where happiness begins, and having a home that you love and feel content in has never been more important, particularly after the last year we’ve had. Whether it’s creating a space for the whole family to enjoy, or creating a little corner for some well-deserved “me-time”, ensuring your home is somewhere you enjoy being is key.

“For me, creating a clear uncluttered space makes me feel calmer. My head is quite ‘busy’, so I need my home to be the opposite of that to balance me out.”

How to approach styling a room

Consider how you want a room to feel

When Kyla begins styling a room, the first thing she considers is the feeling she is trying to create in that space. For example, in her living room, Kyla wanted to create a light but cosy space, where the whole family can spend time together.

Colour palettes

Once you have an idea of the feeling you want to create, think about the colour palette that would best reflect this. In Kyla’s living room, she opted for a warm neutral lime paint for the walls, which not only introduced some interest to the room, but also acted as the perfect backdrop so that she could introduce lots of texture and accessories.

Furniture and fabrics

Now consider furniture styles and fabrics. For Kyla, our Teddy loveseat works perfectly by her fireplace because of its super cosy design, which acts as the perfect reading seat or allows two people to cuddle up together. The light cream linen helps to brighten up the room beautifully, whilst still retaining that natural element that Kyla loves.

The other sofa in Kyla’s living room is our Teddy sofa bed, in Blush pure Belgian linen. Kyla chose this pale pink as a more adventurous contrasting colour to her loveseat, and it’s worked beautifully, adding warmth and colour to the space. The linen fabric provides a subtle texture – and is durable so can withstand the chaos of kids (tried and tested!).

Accessorise

Once you have your furniture in place, it’s time to go wild with accessories! Try to layer colours and textures that are within the colour palette, but more on the extreme ends of it. Kyla has added bolder rust and mustard coloured scatter cushions to her sofa, which sit beautifully alongside the more muted pinks, browns and creams in the room.

Finishing touches

Kyla’s final step is to style the walls and surfaces – paying attention to all levels of your room. From fresh flowers and dried plants styled on tables, as well as wall hangings, artwork and mirrors on your walls, to pendants and hanging plants from your ceiling, these final touches will truly transform your space from top to toe.

“I like to use a mix of things on the walls, with seagrass styled tribal wall hangings alongside prints to mix it up a bit.”

Kyla’s top tips for starting your own interiors journey

Starting your very own journey into the world of interiors can be daunting, but the results can be incredible!

Create a mood board

Kyla’s key piece of advice is to totally immerse yourself in it! From finding inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest, to covering your favourite interiors books and magazines in post-it notes, highlight anything you love, and keep referring back to them. You’ll likely start to see a style emerging that you love, whether it’s a culmination of different styles to create your own unique style, or a key trend begins to stand out to you.

Be brave

Another key tip from Kyla is to not be afraid of trying new things out, whether that’s experimenting with colours, or introducing new materials and textures. Sometimes the best things come out of an experiment!

Start with one piece that makes you happy

Finally, Kyla recommends starting with something you love in a room, and building from there. Whether it’s a colour, a piece of furniture, or a texture, use that as your focal point and find things that sit beautifully amongst it.