Rita Konig speaks to the BADA about selecting the colour for BADA Week 2022, her love of antique china and glass, and her top tips for decorating your home.
Thank you so much for choosing the BADA Week colour for 2022. Could you tell us more about why you have chosen this particular colour?
I love olive green and find it is a colour that almost everything looks good with.
We've been reading a lot about colour therapy recently, for example that colours that occur naturally in nature can have calming properties - do you incorporate this thinking into your interiors?
How fascinating, I don’t actually. But I do find that I am drawn to the colours that occur in nature and that I do think about how a room connects with the space outside of it.
You're well known for your dedication to empowering people to have the courage to design their own spaces, do you have one key piece of advice for people who are looking to start decorating with antiques?
Don’t be timid. It is easy to go out shopping and come home with small things. And also to give brown furniture a chance, you can buy it for such good prices and a bit of mahogany is so good for a room.
Do you collect antiques yourself, and if so is there anything in particular you are always on the lookout for?
Yes, I do. I buy a lot of china and glass. I am quite a magpie though; I just buy all the time, all sorts of things.
Can you tell us about a recent purchase you made that you were particularly excited about?
I bought a set of dining chairs from Streett Marburg for my new apartment that I am very excited about.
What one antique item in your home has given you the most pleasure since you bought it?
The thing I am most excited about is a low cupboard I was given by William Yeoward and Colin Orchard. They bought it in Marseilles, it is a 1930’s piece and I absolutely love it. I love it because it is so much their taste, and because I love them, so it ticks a lot of boxes. It is also has a terrific amount of storage.
Do you have any advice for mixing styles and eras when it comes to furnishings?
I am not sure there is an easy rule of thumb, but I do think that you can mix eras quite widely. I think what is important is to make sure that the scale of your furniture works in the spaces. Furniture looks wrong when it doesn’t fit properly, and when I say doesn’t fit – too small is usually the worst crime.
Do you have a favourite antique shop or area in London, or a favourite antique-hunting town in the UK?
I love the Lillie Road and Church Street in London. I often go to Tetbury in Gloucestershire. And I use Instagram a lot as I can then see a lot of dealers from around the country.
What are some of your favourite textures when it comes to using antiques in interiors?
I find I buy quite a lot of oak. I also love ceramics and fontane arte glass.