Dressing a room is what sets a designers home apart from the average house You want people to walk in and say ‘wow’.. In this section I will show you how to add those special details to your home.

Clutter

We all lead busy lives, and don’t have the time [or inclination] to tidy –up as much as we should, so piles start mounting and things get hidden in garages and cupboards. Then we can’t find what we want.

Clutter has to go, it spoils the look of any house. Have a garage sale, give away to charity, but get rid of it. If you are short of cupboard space, get some more put in, use the garage if you have no room in the house.

Get a garden shed if the garage is full, or hire lock-up storage space.

I paid a handyman to work in the garage with me, for two mornings. He took all the rubbish to the dump, put up shelves and hooks In the garage put up shelves and hooks, and I bought lots of different coloured storage boxes.

I labelled them in large writing, so I could find everything again.

Hang all you can from the wall, I used large metal hooks to hang up four mountain bikes which had taken up a lot of floor space. It was much less stressful working with him than my husband, that always ends with an argument over what gets thrown out!

Get box folders for your office, colour code them so information is easy to find.

Children’s toys can be quickly found if stored in transparent boxes. Lego used to drive me crazy, trying to pick up all those tiny pieces. Then I made my boys a large play mat from canvas, so all the pieces could be picked up at once and poured back into the box.

Tidy up

Put things away, have plenty of storage, go through it and cull mercilessly! Leave the chairs tidy when you get up from the table, put the cushions straight on the couch.

Have a box to put things in to take upstairs.

Do it on a regular basis so it isn’t such a chore.

Colour

In the section on colour and co-ordination you will have learnt the secrets on the importance of colour, how to use unusual colours and combinations, and how to co-ordinate your rooms. This is the most obvious designer touch.

 

Texture

 

For interest you need a mixture of textures, gloss, mat, furry, woollen, knobbly, satin, silk, velvet to name a few!!

Add shine with gloss on a wall, kitchen cabinets or the floor, matt on the wall, flokati rug, silk cushions on the leather couch, etc.

Pattern

This needs to needs to be used with discretion, less if more! A patterned wallpaper on the feature wall, or cushions on the coach, or rug on the floor, but not on all of them please!

Furniture

Get beautiful pieces that give you pleasure, Better to get a quality secondhand piece [providing it doesn’t need recovering as that is sooo expensive] then new that isn’t so loveable. There are amazing bargains online.

Try to find one piece that is a little unusual.

White leather looks stunning for a settee, I resisted buying one for years, then the family grew older and more sensible, and I went mad and bought an l-shaped white leather lounge suite.

It is 11 years old now, and still looks really good. I use a leather cleaner on it once a year, then a leather protector and it still looks great.

Think about furniture placement, don’t put it all around the perimeter, think about how you will converse with guests, you don’t want them too far away.

And don’t crowd the room with too much furniture, it will be frustrating moving around and look cluttered.

 

Detail

 

The soft furnishings will have the extras like tie-backs, valances and swags on the windows. As you saw in the section on ‘Window Treatments’, each window was different, and had piping and edging. There will be cushions on the settee, but they will be edged and piped, or made from silk.

 

 

The fittings will be right for the style and period. Even the door knobs will enhance the design, whether they are sleek stainless steel, round wood, wrought iron or facetted glass. This requires a lot of hunting around, but is well worth the effort.

Flowers and plants

These can really make a room, and they don’t even have to be real! The fake ones look really good these days, I keep wanting to water my fake orchid i the bathroom it looks so good!

Choose an arrangement that complements your style, an informal bunch of flowers in a traditional room, a minimalist arrangement in a modern room.

Large statement plants in a pot in the corner like a palm, or an orchid on the coffee table.The choice is yours.

 

Create groupings

Small, singular objects can disappear or look out of place in a room when displayed on their own. Grouping a few items together will add weight and impact to your accessories Follow the rule of three; odd numbers of recurring fixtures tend to look more natural and effortless when incorporated into your design scheme.

This applies to pictures as well, if you group several smaller ones together on the wall, it will look even better is they all have similar frames.

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this modern house all the fittings co-ordinate, the towel rail, door stop and patio heater all have clean lines and are stainless steel or chrome. This gives a feeling of flow and harmony between the rooms.

In the chapter on bedrooms you will have found some ways to make the bedroom more interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like this corona over the bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very inexpensive option is a mosquito net. This can be dyed, stenciled, painted or decorated with sequins, ribbons or beads.

 

 

Lighting

As we saw in the section on lighting, the right lighting can add a dramatic touch to a room.

Run a light under the settee or bed, use up lighters in plants, low reading lamps, spotlights on pictures, there are so many ways to create interest and the right mood.

I particularly like colour change leds, your mood can be changed depending on the colour you use, but always switch to red when it is close to bedtime to help you sleep better.

Glass chandeliers add a touch of glamour, either the traditional branched style, or the more modern variety.

 

 

In this room the lighting is striking, but also perfectly positioned for reading in bed.

Onaments

No not knick-knacks, but pieces of art that give you pleasure, and are worth the time spent dusting them. These should be placed strategically and fit in with your style and colours.

Art

Again this should fit your style and colours. I have often chosen the colours for a room taken from a striking painting on the wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I gave this bedroom the tropical touch with orchids and cheese plants, and a mosquito net over the bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A touch of the dramatic!

 

Something a bit out of the ordinary, an unusual colour, material or gold leaf on a wall, unusual artwork brought back from your travels [or bought on the internet].

 

 

 

 

A tented ceiling and material on the walls, brass ornaments and you could be in Arabia!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A four poster bed, given a contemporary look .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make average items special

 

Buy second hand items and make them special. These lamps were enlivened with left-over material from the curtains. I dipped them into a glue that is white, and turns clear when it dries. I fashioned the material into a bow, and draped it onto the lamp base, pushing it back into place if it slipped.

On the other lamp I used silk flowers left over from the flower arrangement, and co-ordinating ribbon.

 

 

The lamp shade could be stenciled, sponged or have sequins or beads glued on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flower arrangements and plants.

 

A large palm or a flower arrangement make a room come alive. A collection of plants in a large container look striking

 

 

A large elephant ear sets off this room. It needs a prune as it has grown to big for the scale of the furniture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh are the best, but don’t last long. My preference is for silk flowers, mixed with pieces of wood, grasses, seed heads, branches sprayed gold or silver. Dried flowers look good, especially with the country style of house, but be careful were you place them, Feng Shui wise, as you don’t want anything dead in your career and love areas!

You can link the arrangement in with your room colour and style. Give it an occasional dusting, and it should last for years.

 

 

 

 

The pink silk, peacock feathers and gold branch arrangement in the corner is echoed on the table arrangement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I studied flower arranging at evening class for several years to ensure I could design the right arrangement for any style of home. To my great surprise I found that

1-once you know the mechanics of keeping the flowers in place, it’s really quite easy

2-you don’t need many flowers for a lovely arrangement

3-you don’t have to be artistic to be good, as there are simple rules to follow!

 

 

 

 

 

This was a traditional style show house I decorated in Bristol, England. I could not find the right shade of blue flower, so I bought white silk flowers and sprayed them with two shades of blue car paint. The walls were a pale pink, slightly lighter than the centre of the flower on the material. I sprayed the larger silk flowers the same colour. The fern was added to give a contrast in colour and texture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This arrangement on the centre of the table and helped pull the room together.

This bedroom was in blue and white, the material reminded me of the tile work I had seen in Morocco.

To enhance that feel I designed an arrangement from broom twigs [sprayed dark blue] and white silk flowers, in a crescent shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a loft conversion which was a high tec office and a music room. The material was a red and black version of the blue dining room above. The house was in a modern minimalist style with a touch of oriental, and the client was a man who would be spending the majority of his time working form home. He was initially adverse to any thing as feminine as flowers in his office, but was so thrilled with the conversion that he agreed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The red silk flowers are a bold statement, the leaves and cane were sprayed black, the poppy heads white. The contorted hazel [sprayed gold] added interest. The large vase was an umbrella stand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a feminine version of the above arrangement, for a bedroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A simple arrangement of canes, which can be sprayed to match your décor, add interest to a room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are just a few examples, for more details see the section on flower arranging.

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping up to date with fashion trends.

 

Just as with clothes, there are trends in interiors. But don’t be a slave to fashion. I often have clients say to me that they would like a certain colour, but worry because it is not ‘fashionable’.

Firstly, if you like a colour, have it, it’s your home.

Secondly, you can change the shade or tone to make it more fashionable. For instance, if you want to use green it varies from dark bottle green to a pale pastel eau de nil.

 

 

Colours vary in shade and intensity, there are bright vivids and pale pastels. Some will be perceived as being more fashionable than others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirdly, you can change the secondary colours to update the look.

Don’t feel intimidated by ‘the fashion’.

Colour consultants and designers decide three years in advance what each seasons colours will be. This way the fashion, interior designers, paint, bath, car and fabric manufacturers, can all co-ordinate.

 

Many styles have been around for years, and as with clothing, are given a new spin or name, and promoted as new.A few years ago ‘crackleture’ paint finishes were in fashion. Last year I bought a hundred year old coffee table that had a cracked paint finish on it, just to remind me that very little is actually ‘new’.

Technological changes produce some trully new innovations, unusual colours, suede, pearl and metallic paints and materials. Read home and garden magazines to keep abreast of what’s happening, and update your home with the latest cushions, lamps or rugs, just a s you can up-date your wardrobe with this seasons belts, bags, shoes, sunglasses, scarves, at no great cost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variety

You want your home’s rooms to flow into one another without jarring, but you still want each room to have an individual feel. This needs variety in

• the colours-a different feature wall colour,
• The window treatments-use a mixture of curtains, blinds and sheers.
• Textures-choose from heavy wools and velors through to fine satins.

 

This way each room will not seem predictable, and you won’t become bored living there.

 

 

Quality

 

Buy second hand quality, rather than poorly made new is my motto. Usually the ‘preloved’ quality item is a lot cheaper than the new. This applies to clothes and furniture. Don’t buy a new, poorly made settee, go to the auctions and buy a good one from someone going overseas. It will last you much longer.

Try to find an artist [or art student] who will sell you their work directly, contact the art colleges, go to the amateur exhibitions. The same for sculptures and furniture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No clutter

Flower arrangements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small pictures look better grouped together on a wall.