After a 3-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Notting Hill Carnival in London is back this holiday weekend. It’s expected that over two million people will turn up across the three day event to celebrate. It’s the biggest street party in Europe and the second biggest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro. A celebration rooted in Caribbean culture, we’re always inspired by the explosive use of colour and vast arrays of feathers and sequins. There are around 15,000 costumes on display which take approximately 1 million man-hours to decorate. To be there is a truly unique and mesmerising experience. We thought we would talk through some of the costumes that stand out to us and draw comparisons with our own colourful interiors.

These pink and orange costumes worn during the children’s parade are vibrant and eye-catching. The clash of these two colours is a combination we have loved to use in our own interiors, from hot pinks and vivid oranges to more muted tones of blush pink and terracotta. This is a fun pairing that adds warmth and liveliness to a room.

In this bedroom we have used our collection with Annie Selke to add warmth and texture to the room. Initially pink was the dominant colour, but we have balanced this scheme with flashes of sunny yellow and zesty orange. Our Always Greener Red rug also injects sophisticated and earthy tones.

Green is a colour that brings about feelings of nature, vitality, and freshness. This costume is a mixture of dazzling emeralds and pops of lime. In interiors it can also help to create a calm and balanced environment to stimulate productivity.

The costume reminds us of a bedroom at Crosby Street Hotel where different shades of green have been combined together to create a serene and harmonious environment.

This red costume is full of power and charge. It is a bold tone that shines with passion and sensuality. The same can be said when using red for interiors. Visit our blog post Red, An Auspicious Colour.

We have often used red in entertaining spaces as a base colour because it gives depth and can help jazz up any festivity. At Haymarket Hotel we have had a carnival of our own! See how we can transform the Swimming Pool and Bar to get the party started. Explore this space further with our blog post Take A Dip.

Electric blue is one of our favourite colours as it can be used in a diversity of ways. Although the saying ‘feeling blue’ has negative connotations, blue is a colour that can bring positivity and revitalise a room. When using it on a costume you can be care-free…

However with interiors you have to seriously consider the space’s natural light. This is because blue can come across icy and dark if the room doesn’t get much sunlight during the day. In this bedroom at Number Sixteen the many tones of blue work well together due to the fact that this room faces the sun throughout the day.

Whatever you do, we hope you have a lovely long holiday weekend and if you get a chance to head to the Notting Hill Carnival, look out for us in our colourful costumes! If you’re planning a weekend at home, find our Design Threads blog posts which are full of creative ideas.