Decorating
Styling: 10 Décor Updates for an Indian Summers Mood
Missing the lush interiors and 1930s style of Channel 4’s period drama, ‘Indian Summers’? Here’s how to get the look in your own home
With the series finale now aired, are you mourning the end of Indian Summers? If you’re anything like me, you were glued to your TV set every Sunday night, eager to be transported to intrigue-filled, Raj-era Simla in northern India, in Channel 4’s hottest period drama – literally. But while the characters’ rivalries and passions as the British Empire crumbled around them were captivating, for me the stars of the show were the interiors – jewels of colonial buildings on rambling tea plantations, lushly coloured British drawing rooms and the industrial charm of the Indian quarter. Capture some of that mood in your own home with these Indian Summers style ideas.
Perfect a duvet day
Channel the decadence of a rumpled bed after a night of dancing at the Viceroy’s Lodge by layering soft Indian quilts with crisp traditional linens. Mix patterns in similar colours to keep it cohesive.
Channel the decadence of a rumpled bed after a night of dancing at the Viceroy’s Lodge by layering soft Indian quilts with crisp traditional linens. Mix patterns in similar colours to keep it cohesive.
Get out your best china
Summer calls for plenty of alfresco dining, but pack away that melamine and make every day and evening an indulgence with your best glassware and china. If the weather permits, leave out candles and vases containing fresh-cut flowers for prettily styled garden scenes all week long.
Find out how to turn your garden into an inviting room
Summer calls for plenty of alfresco dining, but pack away that melamine and make every day and evening an indulgence with your best glassware and china. If the weather permits, leave out candles and vases containing fresh-cut flowers for prettily styled garden scenes all week long.
Find out how to turn your garden into an inviting room
Add colonial character with shutters
Traditional plantation shutters instantly transport a space to a sunnier location. If you’re lucky with your room’s window size, you might manage to hunt out vintage versions online or at salvage yards. Paint them in a pastel hue and mount as a focal point for a small space. Here, they give a nursery an individual twist and the sense of an airy atmosphere.
Traditional plantation shutters instantly transport a space to a sunnier location. If you’re lucky with your room’s window size, you might manage to hunt out vintage versions online or at salvage yards. Paint them in a pastel hue and mount as a focal point for a small space. Here, they give a nursery an individual twist and the sense of an airy atmosphere.
Update a classic colour scheme
Blue and white was a quintessential palette of the era – classic yet, in the colonial Indian version, vividly hued. To re-create the effect, revamp a traditional piece of furniture with electric blue paint for a jolt of contemporary colour in a neutral room.
Blue and white was a quintessential palette of the era – classic yet, in the colonial Indian version, vividly hued. To re-create the effect, revamp a traditional piece of furniture with electric blue paint for a jolt of contemporary colour in a neutral room.
Fashion a members’ bar
Indulging in more than an occasional tipple seems essential to re-creating the heady days and balmy nights of an Indian summer. For a characterful take on the bar cart trend, use a trio of vintage steel trunks topped with trays to emulate the makeshift aesthetic of a dubious, Raj-era drinking establishment.
Indulging in more than an occasional tipple seems essential to re-creating the heady days and balmy nights of an Indian summer. For a characterful take on the bar cart trend, use a trio of vintage steel trunks topped with trays to emulate the makeshift aesthetic of a dubious, Raj-era drinking establishment.
Introduce a taste of the tropics
Wallpaper is a quick way to inject any room with instant pattern, and this palm frond design transforms a bathroom into a tropical paradise. The latticework on the vanity unit and mirror adds to the colonial mood.
Discover how to choose the wallpaper of your dreams
Wallpaper is a quick way to inject any room with instant pattern, and this palm frond design transforms a bathroom into a tropical paradise. The latticework on the vanity unit and mirror adds to the colonial mood.
Discover how to choose the wallpaper of your dreams
Employ jali screens
Whether it’s to zone spaces in the hilltop mansions of British high society or to separate a modern-day living room from a dining area, there’s nothing like a jali screen to add exotic flair. A small, perforated screen like this can create distinct zones without blocking the light or making each space feel cramped.
Whether it’s to zone spaces in the hilltop mansions of British high society or to separate a modern-day living room from a dining area, there’s nothing like a jali screen to add exotic flair. A small, perforated screen like this can create distinct zones without blocking the light or making each space feel cramped.
Line up vintage lanterns
In an era of mass-produced goods, accessories with a difference really stand out. Go off the beaten path and head to antiques fairs, salvage yards and online to pick out unusual vintage and industrial lanterns that really add a touch of history. Doing this with smaller items in your scheme can completely transform the space while keeping the look affordable.
In an era of mass-produced goods, accessories with a difference really stand out. Go off the beaten path and head to antiques fairs, salvage yards and online to pick out unusual vintage and industrial lanterns that really add a touch of history. Doing this with smaller items in your scheme can completely transform the space while keeping the look affordable.
Add wicker wherever possible
Light yet sturdy, wicker is usually associated with warmer climes and used on verandas and porches, as well as in sun-drenched rooms. Sunny-up your space with side tables, occasional coffee tables and tactile lamp bases in wicker and rattan for a colonial mood.
TELL US…
What’s your favourite Indian Summers style idea? Share your thoughts and tips in the Comments below.
Light yet sturdy, wicker is usually associated with warmer climes and used on verandas and porches, as well as in sun-drenched rooms. Sunny-up your space with side tables, occasional coffee tables and tactile lamp bases in wicker and rattan for a colonial mood.
TELL US…
What’s your favourite Indian Summers style idea? Share your thoughts and tips in the Comments below.
Fashion yourself a languorous sunny spot to take respite from the midday heat and sip a mint julep. Re-creating a colonial veranda is all about bringing the outdoors in. So use houseplants such as ferns, orchids and palms – also great for screening – to create the lush and hushed feel of the tropics. The key to this look is the more the merrier.