Do incorporate your ‘what’s old’ into your ‘what’s new’
The introduction of furniture and fabrics you’ve collected and carried along the way with you are integral to an inventive and interesting scheme. An antique rug is a great place to start - that, or by picking up on accents from old cushions or a small ottoman you’re dropping in from a previous home.
Don’t underestimate the number of bums on seats a house may require
Seek out ways to help your house expand to fit as many people a party may demand, whether by being able to pull in your dining chairs to slot seamlessly into your drawing room, or having extra seating space with a fender and the occasional fireside chair. A card table I have in the corner of my drawing room works brilliantly as a place where people can break out to chat.
Don’t think fabric is just for curtains and upholstery
As a major advocate for wallpaper, I’m equally just as enamoured by a fabric walled room. Whether its paper backed or done with battening, this age-old effect is not to be underestimated. Layer upon layer of print can be maximised, as well as a wonderful, cocoon-like room achieved, especially when you furnish it with sumptuous pieces of upholstery in the same fabric. This can also be pushed in either the direction of a more feminine palette in a dressing room with accompanying cupboards, or a tailored streamlined study.
Don’t think jewel tones are just for Christmas!
They have a fabulous ability to uplift and invite at all times of year, and I refer to them time and time again in both our collections and my projects. However, when using them, you need to be mindful of texture - for example, by combining a matte, flat linen with the deep pile of a lustrous mohair. It’s this balance of hard versus soft and understated versus luxurious that allows you to go for it in terms of colour, and creates that point of interest.
Do celebrate a kitchen as a working space
Think about what practical items you want stored where, but equally consider the ordinary that you want on show as much as the extraordinary. For me, a kitchen is a great place to mix old and new – your cherished teapot and kilner jars of cereal or much-loved mugs collected over the years alongside something a little sleeker. A streamlined and chic kitchen can be achieved through a myriad of complementary finishes and the wonderful world of fittings – playful handles, statement lighting and a mix of the expected and unexpected.
Don’t be afraid of putting enough of yourself in your house
In my book The One Day Box, I champion the telling of our stories and celebration of those we live with and want to carry with us via the objects we assemble around us. To that end, I see a mantlepiece, bookshelf or entrance hall console table as an opportunity to prop up those postcards, celebrated achievements, rosettes and mementoes – not only to give myself pleasure as I glance at them, but also to tell my story to those that pass through my door.
Do consider your bedroom as your sanctuary
As someone who promotes maximalism in so many ways, it’s taken me several decades of decorating my own homes as well as others to realise that the most serene and successful bedroom is one that is relatively uncluttered in terms of stuff. Small or large, space is key, and therefore storage paramount. The use of a soft, plain fabric alongside the backdrop of a patterned wallpaper, or the introduction of a sheer either surrounding the bed or on the windows adds to a feeling of otherworldliness and the making of a room as a sanctuary.
Don’t downplay your bathroom as a mere dash to the shower in the morning
Spending time in there should be a wonderfully spoiling experience, no matter how limited you are on footprint or natural light. In a world of decadent bath fittings and capacious bath tubs there’s also no shortage of fabulous options, as well as with the juxtapositions of materials such as original wooden flooring, traditional glazed tiles, opulent marbles, or more subdued, subtle tadelakt style finishes. Equally, bath time with your children can be a lengthy and not always straight-forward affair – so be mindful of somewhere to sit, somewhere to store, and those talking points that make storytime in the bathroom as valuable as anywhere else.
Don’t forget that the hanging of your artwork is just as personal as the collecting of it
Save some of your most precious (often not valuable) works for where you’re going to enjoy them most. Often people relegate their less meaningful pieces to their bedroom, when in fact the poignancy of what surrounds you at the close or beginning of your day could be argued to be the most vital. I would say the same about what you see as you walk up the stairs to bed and wake up to on the morning run to the kitchen. In terms of hanging, break up your sight line and, crucially, don’t hang too high (and for what it is worth, in my mind large should hang over small!). With groupings as well as statement pieces, symmetry is not of the utmost importance and a playfulness can be achieved by mixing more sculptural objects and ceramics with other media. I frame anything and everything and never regret it.
