A handmade piece doesn’t need to be perfect to be charming: leave behind all that perspective stuff you learnt in art class and free-flow your way through a curve-filled design until your piece brings you joy.

Get the look with a plain plywood tray and poster paints in complementary shades from your local art-supply store; here, we’ve used a cool coffee shade, a dusty pink, a deep ochre and a soft terracotta to evoke sandy dunes and sunset skies.

In case you missed it: 8 Popular Paint Colours in Home Design

Add movement to your space with a handmade mobile. This is a great project to do with kids. Don’t be too particular about having even folds and regular shapes; the more hand-made it looks, the better.

Work on this do-it-yourself project with scissors, colourful cards, chopsticks, artist’s wire and double-sided tape, all of which can be sourced from your local art-supply store. Use chopsticks to make a cross, and wrap some artist’s wire tightly around the cross-section to secure. About 2cm from each of the ends, wrap more wire tightly around, leaving a little piece to create a hook shape. This is where the strip of paper shapes will hang from. Do the same at the cross section, too.

Fold each shape in half and make a pin hole in the middle of the fold. Thread a length of wire through; here, we used three to five shapes per strip. Lay the pieces flat and space them out, stick down the wire and cards, and use double-sided tape on the inside. Make a loop of wire at the top end of each strip, then hang each strip from the cross.

You may need to move the pieces around to get a good balance, and add or remove shapes until your mobile hangs comfortably. Trim off excess wire. To suspend the entire mobile, attach the wire to the central midsection, finish with a loop at the top and hang it at your favourite spot.

Add an avant-garde touch to your coffee table with arched vessels and a curvy candleholder. And remember, small vases aren’t just for flowers—they look just as charming when used to store stationery and art materials. 

Transform your space with colour and curves — without any pesky paint fumes — by using removable vinyl wall stickers. These are really easy to install, and can also be moved around should you fancy a change and want to create a new configuration.

This stylish tableau is created with vinyl stickers from Stickaroo; the vintage Tulip chairs by Eero Saarinen are the stylist’s own.

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