LIV Chats To…Colour Enthusiast Richard O’Gorman
This week we are super excited to introduce our ‘LIV Chats To’ @househomo blog. His house is full of energy and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Meet Richard!
Hey everyone, I'm Richard from Househomo 🙂 I live in a Victorian Terrace in Birmingham, all alone except for my plants and the ghosts!
What inspired you to start sharing your beautiful home?
It started off mostly as a little love child for myself; I moved in just before lockdown & was completely isolated from family and friends, so I was using it as a place to track the house progress and connect a little with the outside world, but then the reaction has just been crazy and so overwhelming!
Thank goodness there's a B&Q round the corner which kept me busy and sane with a paintbrush in hand at all times, and I'm really grateful for the time lockdown gave me to decorate.
Please could you describe your interior style, has it always been the same or has it evolved over time?
It has definitely evolved over time! My last house was a Victorian stable with a lot of exposed brick and original features, the styling was very industrial with lots of plants and blankets (it was very cold!) with the occasional bust of colour just to add some interest.
I definitely like to be informed by the space, luckily this house has an original Victorian archway so that was a great starting point!
What is your favourite part of your lovely home?
Definitely the aforementioned Victorian arch which I've now learned is called a Corbel! As soon as I stepped through the door in January, I saw it and I was SOLD.
“I knew immediately I wanted to make it gold and the rest is history!”
What brands or trends inspire you or your house purchases?
I have a real battle between trying to keep things minimal and going all out Maximalism. I always aim to be minimal, as you can see from my house it never ends that way!
There's a movement towards really simplistic architecture with bold colours, clean lines and classic shapes, and whilst I can't start knocking walls through just yet, I can definitely paint the shapes on the walls to try and emulate that aesthetic!
One of my favourite brands at the moment is DOIY design, they have a really interesting range of products that combine form & function seamlessly. I keep ordering their products from different websites without knowing it's DOIY until the delivery arrives and then realise I've Doiyne it again!
What interior Instagram accounts inspire you, could you name your top 3?
The first two are devoted to documenting the movement towards clean architecture and they're so inspiring; its mostly digital mock-ups but I'm always trying to think of ways to emulate that into @househomo.
The 3rd is the beautiful Ola; her home is just everything. People call me the King of Archways but she really is the Queen; she painted an amazing bright orange arch in her dining room like 2 years ago and that probably is the main inspiration for my entire house!
What inspired you to style your home using bold colours?
I'm such a magpie for colour. I loving dressing in bright clothes and I'm always drawn to colourful interior pieces, so I decided to go big or go homo! It definitely affects your mood and it always makes me smile each day walking through the bright, rainbow rooms! I think each colour choice is getting bolder than the last and so far I regret nothing!
I just finished painting a ceiling bright yellow (this is top secret intel!) and the unexpected effect is it always looks so sunny in that room even when the sky is grey and dark, it's the happiest thing and always makes me smile 🌞🌞🌞
What has been the most enjoyable part of styling your home?
I've loved seeing how much the house has changed in such a short time. When I moved in each room was mostly combinations of beige & taupe in every room so I just wanted to bring it to life with colour.
Living alone means it's nice having the full freedom to do whatever I want without having anyone else's opinion diluting my fantasy! However, the most enjoyable part is watching the fringe table move in the sunshine in the mornings, it blows my mind every time; no wind, no breeze, just sunlight coming through the window & it's mesmerising!
What's your favourite house purchase you have made in 2020 and is there anything on your wishlist?
Oh gosh, it's so hard to choose! I'm so particular with every purchase and every one is super considered so I have to LOVE it before I buy.
Can I say two? 😂 The favourite decorative item is the Merman print by @eldibujo! He just feels so much like me it feels like a self portrait!
The favourite functional item is the wave curtain track for my bedroom, I've never seen curtains so beautiful (although I am biased) but I love opening and closing them every day; it was an expensive purchase but worth every penny!
I saw on someone's home interview - now I can't remember who - but they said always go for the expensive item if you want it, because you'll appreciate it so much and it couldn't be more true!
The wishlist is ever growing, isn't everyone else's? I've been eyeing up some dinnerware and place settings for when I can finally open the house up for dinner parties!
But I've recently been speaking to @70shousemanchester and she has been inspiring me to avoid all things new, and focus on vintage and second hand, which is better because it has so much story & its way more unique!
finally, what does the future hold for @househomo, is there anything up your sleeve or is the house complete?
I do have a couple of exciting projects lining up, I still can't quite believe its happening but brands actually want to work with me!
I'm currently mid renovation on the bathroom. I then have the upstairs landing to do and the spare room. Hopefully next year I want to focus on the basement and the gardens and then I guess I'll just start all over again!
Ultimately i'd love to start spreading this out further and helping redesign other peoples houses, but I've gotta focus and get my house done first!
We hope you’ve enjoyed finding out more about Richard and his beautiful home as much as we have!
To see more of the lovely colourful home visit Richard’s Instagram profile, @househomo!
