Simple, Elegant, Understated Take a closer look at Louise Roche’s work to understand its beauty. WORDS James Perkins PHOTOGRAPHY Louise Roche T he interiors created by Louise Roche are clean and simple, yet this description betrays the intricate patterns, colours and textures that are subtly inserted into her work. Hours spent searching for homewares allows Louise to find the pieces that subtly set each room apart. The Villa Styling founder searches wholesalers, retailers, social media, blogs, and websites, all to find that understated pattern or small item hidden at the back of the room that add texture to each project. “It is a huge part of the job, but an exciting part. Not only do I spend hours online, but I also spend hours driving here, there and everywhere collecting items,” she says. When the search is finished, the items are laid out at Lousie’s house, and it is there that she begins to see her plans materialise. “That’s when it starts to get even more exciting.” “As I work I can see the look coming together and everything falling into place and when the design is done, it is a satisfying and rewarding.” Theinspirationforherdesignscomefromeverydayobservations, whether that is at her home in Byron Bay, or travelling the world. “Every time I go to a new house there are little details, small things that I notice in the detailing that have been done to add to the overall picture and those things stick with me,” she explains. What is important is not to overcomplicate things. “If I am styling a space, or working on the accents of a home, I work to enhance those accents by picking up the homeliness of the space and draw that out in the photography.” Photography completes Louise’s creative process, which starts with sourcing, comes to life in her design and placement and then is captured on camera and placed on Instagram, where she has amassed more than 92,000 followers. A close look at the photos that Louise captures of her designs brings home the effect of her hard work, as with each view a new shape, pattern or colour is revealed. They are clean and simple, elegant and enticing - designs that feel and look like the beach. Louise Roche Interior Designer S P A C E DESIGNED INTERIORS 23 M B G C 22