Confession time – I really hate trends. They are usually just designed to get you to buy more ‘stuff’. So you throw out what someone told you was in last year and make way for cottagecore (whatever the heck that is). Wrong wrong wrong.
In the age of sustainability, we should be aiming for interiors that have a timeless style that can evolve. You don’t need to keep redecorating every couple of years if you make your interior interesting. This can be done by adding your personality; remember to make it your home and not something you are copying from Instagram.
This corner of our living room reflects the 21 years my husband and I have been together. The Greek vase (behind a picture of him) was bought on our first holiday together. It always makes me think of our time sailing around the Greek islands – trying desperately to learn how to sail while he was already an expert sailor!
There’s also a nod to Barcelona trips over the years with the ceramic piece from Gaudi’s La Pedrera. And from our many trips to Finland, there is a small glass box from the Iiittala Helsinki store, where I’ve spent hours dreaming about buying everything.
Here’s the wider view of this corner of our home – it’s my evening spot. We have my husband’s late mother looking down on us, and it provides a sense of calm to be surrounded by family. The footstool is covered in a racy Andrew Martin fabric called Adam, and was bought for our apartment when we briefly lived in Birmingham. The beautiful Entrelac crochet blanket was recently made by a friend as a wedding gift for us.
In the mirror reflection, you can see four Sid Dickens plaques I bought while in Atlanta on a solo trip just after I met my husband. I can remember texting him pictures to make sure he liked them. They bring memories of shopping in Atlanta, with a good friend, into our home.
As a decorating note, we hung the large mirror behind the sofa to reflect the view of the garden and it also brings light into our home – it was an absolute steal at £85 from Ikea.
Now moving along into the kitchen, where we have used Farrow and Ball Down Pipe to define this space. With an open-plan home, you need to define each area – painting the beam and column here helps separate this room from the dining space.
The copper bed warmer and chestnut roaster we inherited from my late father-in-law. They add an antique touch to our modern home, and copper has such a lovely warmth. Polishing them regularly has helped to keep us going through lockdown!
The artwork we bought for our first home together from the Affordable Art Fair. We were art buying newbies at the time but both loved these by Sally Begg. We used to cross Albert Bridge in our dating days, and the small piece reminds us of sailing up the Megansi channel in Greece.
In our bathroom, we have memories of overseas beach holidays. The top piece features Sand dollars that we collected from Hunting Island in South Carolina. We have very happy memories of walking along the beach on the first day hoping to find a complete Sand dollar – then realising there were literally hundreds of them!
The other piece has shells collected from Le Touquet in France on the first day we flew over after my husband bought his Mooney aeroplane. Both very special memories that live on through a simple idea of mounting and framing these shells. We also have a collection of shells from beaches around the world in a glass vase.
So, after you’ve decorated and start to add accessories to your home, try to make it personal. Don’t just pick up what someone else has decided is on trend… what do you actually like? Collect things while you travel, maybe artwork or ceramics. Also remember that it doesn’t have to be instant – it’s your home, you are in this for the long run.