Vivid Style in Colour by Julia Green & Armelle Habib
Julia Green and Armelle Habib’s new book, ‘Vivid Style in Colour’, shows us how to celebrate colour in our homes – we step into the Melbourne home of Eryca Green & Edward Opanmis.
Photography: Armelle Habib
‘Knowledge is a wonderful thing. It gives perspective and understanding, which can change how you view something,’ says Eryca Green, pictured in her Melbourne home with there partner Edward Opanmis. Photo: Armelle Habib
The ever-evolving and layered home of Eryca Green and Edward Opanmis. Photo: Armelle Habib
Tell us a little about creating this space. What was it inspired by?
This is an ever-evolving space. The house has been in Eddy’s family for sixty years and he grew up here. The fig tree and apple tree in the garden were planted by his parents, although the rest of the garden has been done by me. There have been two renovations over the past fifteen years and further work is required. Add to that the sentimentality of a family home, two people coming together later in life with their own styles and stuff, the necessity of sticking within a tightish budget, and all you can do is throw your hands up in the air and experiment like crazy until decisions can be made like whether to knock it down or to renovate. It means we are a bit in limbo, but with that comes this incredible freedom to use the whole place like a mood board.
Have you always loved colour?
Yes, even when it was profoundly unfashionable to do so. Even my photographic work is predominantly colourful. White walls terrify me! Eddy has had to be brought around to colour though. It has been brave of him – albeit often very reluctantly – to allow me to bring so much colour into the home.
How has your style evolved over the years?
Once you get to our age, you would hope that your style has evolved several times! The fact that we don’t have children living at home allows for a different approach now. As we amass knowledge on the furniture we work with, our style evolves with the learning. Knowledge is a wonderful thing. It gives perspective and understanding, which can change how you view something. My tastes have changed and refined. There are pieces I would have thought ugly ten years ago, but I can now see the beauty in, all because I have a deeper understanding of the design process. For Eddy, he has learned about colour and warmth and that amazing pieces of designer furniture are not enough to make a home – you need emotion and soul and a very good sense of space and colour. Otherwise it’s just a showroom.
A corner in Eryca Green and Edward Opanmis’ home. Photo: Armelle Habib
‘Then there are artworks, soft furnishings, rugs, vases – if you love and want colour around you there are a million ways to do it,’ says Eryca Green. Photo: Armelle Habib
“You need emotion and soul and a very good sense of space and colour. Otherwise it’s just a showroom.”
‘There are pieces I would have thought ugly ten years ago, but I can now see the beauty in, all because I have a deeper understanding of the design process,’ says Eryca Green. Photo: Armelle Habib
‘I try to stay away from colour trends and stick with instinct and emotion,’ says Eryca Green. Photo: Armelle Habib
How do you incorporate colour into your home?
Colour is in our home in so many ways. To begin with, I am unafraid of paint. It is the easiest and cheapest way to bring not only colour, but your own inimitable style into your home. I play with paint a lot. I’m not afraid to mix my own, although I learned the hard way that you must make notes on what you have mixed in case you run out before the end of the job!
Then there are artworks, soft furnishings, rugs, vases – if you love and want colour around you there are a million ways to do it. We have brought colour in with all of these. Having said all of this, I never made a clear decision to have lots of colour in the home, it has just evolved that way. I love what yellow brings to this house. What a glorious colour it is. It’s not the easiest necessarily to incorporate, but so rich and wonderful when you can.
Do you have a favourite item at home?
I am sentimental, so my favourite items usually have a personal story. The paintings by Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy would be among my favourite items. I love some of the furniture we have. The nature of our business means that things change, though. We keep them for a while, then let them go so they can find a worthy home elsewhere. Eddy loves rarity and the hunt. There are very few things he wouldn’t change if something else caught his fancy. It’s about the history and the provenance – once he has felt that, he can let go and move onto the next thing. I guess we both have current favourites.
How does colour influence the way you live?
I would say that it enhances rather than influences. It can soothe me, inspire me, bring me joy. If I feel stuck, I can create change with colour, either in the home, the garden or the wardrobe. The world offers us such an incredible palette to be inspired by, from the chaotically joyous and alive colours of Africa and India, to the beautifully stark whites and ice blues of the Arctic. I try to stay away from colour trends and stick with instinct and emotion.
Who or what inspires you?
Nature – light, colours, shapes and the sense of awe that nature offers us. Also my friends – I have wonderfully clever and creative friends. And Italy; my god, I’m inspired by Italy.
For Eddy, it would be designers such as Afra and Tobia Scarpa or Osvaldo Borsani. Eddy lives and breathes furniture, so is always researching. If you have a curious mind, inspiration is everywhere really.
Do you have a favourite location or place to visit and why?
For both of us it is Italy. We just love it: the language, people, landscape, architecture, history, the designers. My other favourite location is home. I am a profound homebody. For me, a good home means that once I am inside, the outside world ceases to exist. Encased in beauty and comfort.
‘Many people confuse beauty and comfort with luxury. We can’t all afford luxury, but if we want to, we can create beauty and comfort that makes our hearts sing,’ says Eryca Green. Photo: Armelle Habib
