Colourful interiors and dramatic outdoor spaces documented by Emma Jane Palin

Greg McIndoe continues his Follow Friday series with a closer look at the Instagram feed of lifetstyle blogger Emma Jane Palin.

Fuelled by her passion for illustration, interior design and creative culture Emma Jane Palin runs one of my most coveted design blogs. And her Instagram feed acts as an extension of this space, giving her a little extra room to share her colourful approach.

G F Smith

Earlier this week, Emma joined G F Smith to celebrate the unveiling of the world’s favourite colour.

As soon as you see her Instagram feed a distinctive point difference is evident. Unlike the standard square image format, Emma has chosen to crop down to a landscape rectangle. It’s not as noticeable seeing her images one by one but viewing her feed as a whole, it changes the viewing experience more than you’d expect. For Emma, this is a passion project, not just a way to pass the time.

Design

As well as blogging about other people’s designs Emma also creates some of her own and recently started experimenting with paint once more.

Emma has a talent for capturing colourful shots. You are far more likely to find geometric patterns, street art and neon typography than the classic blogger flat lay (although she excels at those too) on Emma’s feed and each shot is always perfectly framed in it’s rebellious rectangle.

Emma describes her ultra-stylish living room as her “happy place”.

My favourite snaps from Emma’s almost 1000 posts are those taken on her adventures around London. From visiting every blogger’s favourite up-cycled petrol station, to celebrating the world’s official favourite colour with G F Smith, Emma is always out and about. The big bosses of Instagram would probably disagree but I find the best feeds to follow are those which encourage you to close the app. Encourage you to put down your phone and venture out and find your own inspiration in the real world (which you will then inevitably snap and share and so the cycle continues).

Emma dropped by every bloggers favourite revamped petrol station to take some pics with fellow bloggers Natasha Nuttall (@natasha_nuttall) and Rosh Thanki (@roshthanki).

With a certain amount of blank space guaranteed, Emma takes a ‘more is more’ approach to her compositions. She crams as many patterns and colours into what’s left of the frame as physically possible. There doesn’t appear to be any set colour scheme or any other restricting criteria. Her maximal approach is the most recognisable indicator of Emma’s style, lending a vibrant and youthful vibe to all that she shares.

One of Emma’s more minimal shots features simplistic calendars by Block Design.

Neon typography is one of Emma’s favourite things to snap and share.

The best thing about Emma’s Instagram rule is that it’s the only one. In order for it to break the rules in the right way, each image must fit into a specific rectangle. After that it’s a creative free for all! Whether it’s a new addition to the stylish abode or table filled with cacti. Everything has the potential to be an Instagram image worthy of that sacred double-tap.

Emma recently celebrated her love of Andy Warhol with a Instagram giveaway.

Flat layers don’t feature too often in Emma’s feed but when they do they are always perfectly composed.

Taking Emma’s lead – to make yourself stand out – adopt a clear cut rule of your own. Set yourself one rule, no more and once you’ve got it, go wild!

Emma spotted a beautiful peachy palm design by Hicks & Hicks on a recent London jaunt.

emmajanepalin.com | instagram.com/emmajanepalin

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Posted on Jul 7th, 17 by

Greg McIndoe - also known as Headless Greg - is an illustrator and design writer based in Glasgow, Scotland. He regularly writes for design magazines and online platforms, interviewing fellow illustrators and leading creatives.

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3 responses to “Colourful interiors and dramatic outdoor spaces documented by Emma Jane Palin”

  1. And Projects says:

    Love this post, it’s so nice to see people being praised for breaking boundaries on Instagram and there’s nobody better at breaking boundaries than EJP!

  2. Emma Jane Palin says:

    This is honestly such a surprise – thanks so much Greg and Inky Goodness!

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