Pepper Sq is a furniture and interior design platform, one where customers create interiors that ‘feel right in a heartbeat’. We spoke to Pepper Sq founder, Oxana Yanushkovskaya to find out how they get it right and how to work interiors trends into a modern home.
What are the key interiors trends?
There’s a big movement towards colour, texture and layering. You can achieve amazing results by experimenting and finding the balance – abstract black and white photos in combo with oil painting, modern furniture with a few antique pieces, or colourful glass objects against concrete walls. Colours and patterns are back. This is mainly inspired by the artworks of abstract impressionists with bold geometrics, blocks of colour and sketch style lines. This style is a great way to add some personality and ambience to any room without being too distracting. As with the expressionist art movement, this trend celebrates the imperfect and fluidity of hand-drawn forms – line drawings play a key focus within this look. Getting a colour wheel could be a real game changer when it comes to finding the complimentary colours that go together.
With the topic of sustainability and the environment high on the agenda, many of us are looking inwards and homewards for comfort as an antidote to all the uncertainty. Inspired by the Nordic interior style that became so popular in the last few years, structured simplicity is a style that is aimed at creating a space to relax, paticularly with a warmer grey colour palette. This trend demands some texture in textiles and finishes and a touch of raw materials for the additional cosiness. Last but not least … Eclectic Glamour! Include gold toned accessories, fluid shapes of furniture and bright accents. As for the colour palette, dark rich tones mixed with the warmer lighter secondary colours and a touch of gleaming gold/brushed brass/copper, whichever tone goes best with your hardware.
What space saving tips do you have for those living in inner cities with limited space and budget?
We all have those pieces of furniture that we dream about owning, but sometimes we have to compromise – especially when we have limited space. Prioritise furniture that will fit comfortably into your interior and that will give you plenty of room to use it. Invest in two-three foundation items – the furniture pieces you’ve dreamed about. Turn this into your inspiration and use it to form the final design for your space. Function comes first. It’s a common mistake to create interiors which look stunning but can’t quite be used to their potential. Think about how you will use your home and all of its spaces.
If you have a family, think about all of the family members and the essential functions of your dining room and living room, these are areas you will need to access with ease. Think about how much room you will need to use these spaces comfortably. Multifunctional transforming furniture could be extremely handy in the limited space. We recently introduced a great range of transformers on the site, including coffee tables that transform into dining tables, console to dining tables, compact sofa beds. Remember to maximize your storage space – hidden wardrobes or narrow shelving is great for displaying smaller items – it could cover the entire wall. Also, spacious beds with storage.
Multifunctional transforming furniture could be extremely handy in a limited space.
Name 5 pieces of furniture that should be prioritised in the home.
You have to think about the rooms that you really utilise on a daily basis. There are three areas that give an emotional yes or no to any house. In my experience, these are often the dining areas, living space and master bedroom. This is the heart of the home and really informs the rest of the interiors, so it should capture your lifestyle, taste and vision.
I would start with the following:
- A beautiful family sized table and comfortable dining chairs to make every brunch, lunch and dinner an unforgettable experience for your loved ones.
- A gorgeous yet comfortable sofa, or a sofa-bed if you have limited space and have guests who often stay overnight.
- Lighting – it’s never enough! Utilise the nooks and spaces to read. Table lighting displayed on shelving and units are perfect for mood setting and creating a cosy ambience.
- A spacious bed with the best possible (or most affordable) mattress.
What items / spaces are often overlooked in the home – but make a huge difference?
There are a few areas in our home that receive little to no love at all. While these spaces, to some, may seem a waste of design effort, any space without decor is a missed opportunity. As an example, hallway and stairways are the first and the last thing you and your guests see in any home, but very often they are overlooked. First impression matter. You can try more extravagant colours or decor elements that might be too bold for the entire home interior.
What is Pepper Sq?
Our aim is to revolutionise the furniture retail industry, by creating unique customer experiences and simplifying the purchasing decision making process. Following from our own experiences of online furniture shopping, we noticed a gap in the market for a new entrant – one which provides vast yet considered furniture selection, digital ‘interior design’ tools and smart curation to foster better customer experiences. We offer an end-to-end solution that helps to discover the best furniture for your space, estimate the room makeover budget, assess dimensions and visualise your room design and make purchase decisions. Simplicity is the key – from the intuitive technology which powers our online platform, to the thoughtfully curated interiors concepts. We truly believe that online furniture shopping should be effortless, quick and accessible for all.
As an example, hallway and stairways are the first and the last thing you and your guests see in any home, but very often they are overlooked.
What are your best selling items?
– The cane bentwood combo takes our heart this season. Rounded shapes and sinuous lines are known for giving a softer and more welcoming feel . We have a vast collection of bentwood and cane furniture, that’s extremely popular among our customers.
– Our Arc side tables in beautiful light wood are loved by customers for their hidden storage and remarkable design, alongside the Ozzy and Moli collections these are perfect for someone who likes clean lines.
– Our Hugo Compact Sofa-Beds are a real statement, they are utterly elegant – with no hint that they transform into an occasional bed in one swift movement. Available in many vibrant colours.
– We have transforming multipurpose furniture that is perfect for a smaller space, including the Barbican and Levante Coffee-Dining tables, the Origami Folding Table or the Flap Console-Dining Table.
furniture industry has lost touch with modern consumers.
What are the most common questions / problems you are faced with from clients?
In an age of unprecedented life speed, stresses and strains, a well designed beautiful home space can make us happier and healthier. However, the furniture industry has lost touch with modern consumers. While so many people want to design their perfect home, they find it extremely time consuming to shop in-store or to search through thousands of portals on the Internet. Needless to say, many feel overly confident choosing furniture, as it involves dealing with sizing, colour and style matching issues – money and time are often wasted on sorting returns. This is where Pepper Sq changes everything, we reduce noise that’s out there and let customers hone in on precisely what they are after.
Where do you source your inspiration from (accounts to follow / podcasts / magazines)?
From hotels and new restaurant lounges, art exhibitions, online publications, movies, and of course, international furniture exhibitions. My favourites are Salone De Mobile in Milan and Maison at Objet in Paris.
Blueprint 356 magazine offers a good mix of news and reviews on design and architecture. Frame, a leading magazine for interior designers, is full of positive ideas and inspiration. Elephant is smart, humorous and playful. It covers art, fashion, film and visual culture as well as the ‘stars of the future.’ I follow online publications such as Canvas (blog by Saatchi Art), De Zeen and Design Milk. I am not a huge fun of podcasts (never enough time to enjoy them!) but there are a few I listen to if I have a minute: Control Alt Delete by Emma Gannon or Great Indoors with Kate Watson-Smyth and Sophie Robinson & The Jealous Curator.
Who is your favourite designer?
Kelly Hoppen for her calm balanced environments based on Eastern cultures – order and creation of harmony. Martyn Lawrence Bullard is a multi award winning LA interior designer – I love his broad eclectic style, layers of texture and sophisticated and inviting interiors. Also, Muriel Brandolini for tropical and colourful interiors that are influenced by her upbringing between Vietnam, Venezuela and France.
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