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You never get a second chance to make a first impression. What do you think of this old adage? I believe that it is absolutely true, whether we are talking about people or houses. That first impression really does count and is particularly important if you are in the process.. Read more
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Bohemian style in all its beautiful laid back hippie glory is sweeping the globe. Whether you are in chic San Francisco, trendy London or on the coast of New South Wales, this gorgeous, patterned and exotic look is everywhere. I have identified the classic Boho home accessories that you should.. Read more
I love to read and central to my own home, and something that I try to include in a decorating scheme, are cosy nooks to curl up with a book and shady parts of the garden to lose yourself in. The benefit of enjoying books of course is that unlike.. Read more
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I am always hesitant about providing trends each year as I am a firm believer that you should decorate for yourself rather than slavishly following looks that can often turn out to be a short lived fad. However it can be interesting to see what the trends are as it.. Read more
Indoor plants are good for your health. This is a fact and one of many good reasons you should be scooting off to your local garden centre to include these in your home styling. I have a list of reasons why you should introduce these into your home and lots.. Read more
The modern day buzzwords of eco sustainability are now firmly entrenched in day to day living and designers are often asked to create designs which integrate well with the natural environment. When considering the environment it is the colour green which you often turn to, however other neutrals which are completely.. Read more
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Your choice of kitchen door handles can have the greatest impact on the overall look of your new kitchen but this is often a crucial detail that is overlooked and then becomes a last minute choice. Let me take you through some ideas and show you how much a difference.. Read more
Renovating a bathroom is expensive and the old adage that bathrooms and kitchens sell houses is very true. For these reasons I always recommend keeping a bathroom renovation simple. Good quality, but classic and timeless, so that you don’t tire of it but it will last the distance. You may.. Read more
One of my favourite coastal looks is a neutral beachside scheme. We are so conditioned to associate coastal style with the colour blue that we often don’t consider using anything else for this look. Although blue is a favourite colour for the majority of us, in fact Pantone say 70%, we may.. Read more
Stylish white bedrooms are always a classic. The simplicity of the colour white makes this the perfect choice to use in this all important room. Calm and serene, white is a gentle colour to relax in and therefore perfect for this space. Even if you have a neutral or a.. Read more
Have you noticed the trend for black bathrooms? These have been popular for a little while now but I am seeing more and more elements of this colour being incorporated in lots of different ways and it certainly seems like this is no passing fancy. If you love this trend.. Read more
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A window seat ticks the boxes for aesthetics, practicality and a great use of space. They provide additional seating where space is at a premium, they can provide good storage solutions and are the perfect place to curl up with a good book. Let me show you what to consider.. Read more
I am a huge fan of an upholstered bedhead as I feel that bedrooms, as places of sanctuary, should be cosy, soft and inviting. A beautifully finished bedhead makes a colour and sometimes a major design statement, is tactile and really nice to rest upon after a long day. I.. Read more
What should you paint on the inside of your front door? I am regularly asked about how you should treat the inside of your front door. I have talked a lot about making an entrance, exterior colours and fun front door colours which is all very grand and exciting but.. Read more
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Eucalyptus, native to our beautiful Australia, has to be my favourite indoor greenery. The subtle silvery green/grey tones are so stylish and the crisp, fresh menthol smell is cleansing for the home. I have some inspiration to show you how you can introduce this into your home. Just one spring.. Read more
Skirting boards and architraves are often given the least thought – they are in fact an after-thought but the colour and tone that you use here can make or break your colour scheme. I have some guidelines and tips to help you to decide the right colour for your look... Read more
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People tend to either love or hate a dark colour palette. Those of us who do like them though are often too afraid to use them and the alternative of a light white or neutral scheme just seems an easier option. Certainly, this can be true but often it isn’t the.. Read more
Since the year 2000, Pantone has been announcing their colour of the year. Eagerly anticipated by designers around the globe, the colour for 2019 is Pantone Living Coral. A soft orange with pink undertones. At first glance you may think this is an outdated colour but let me tell you.. Read more
Look at a colour wheel and you will find teetering on the edge of blue and almost meeting green, the colour Duck Egg Blue, often also referred to as Robin’s Nest Blue. Generally accepted to be in the blue family, when looked at closely, many will perceive this colour as.. Read more
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Five years ago I would have only associated Canopy Beds with historical movies. The realms of Queen Elizabeth 1st or Anne Boleyn seemed more appropriate then than a modern day bedroom but how things have changed. The canopy bed is now quite a common piece of bedroom furniture which I.. Read more
In the global world of interiors, the hot trend of the moment has to be Scandi Style. Whether we are talking about country style Gustavian interiors from Sweden, the Scandinavian mid century classic designs of the Modernist movement or the Danish passion for Hygge, we can’t seem to get enough of it... Read more
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It’s great when I get the opportunity to work with a client on a feminine bedroom scheme. This is really a good opportunity to have some fun and make use of all the beautiful chintz fabrics and wallpapers available. There are very few other opportunities to do this, but clearly.. Read more
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The perfect creative space is a room that says a lot about you and one that you enjoy spending time in. Somewhere that really gets the creative juices flowing and where you are surrounded by things that you love and have meaning to you. This rule alone will help you.. Read more
The great debate about whether technology has simplified our life goes on but in terms of decorating, whether we like it or not, we now need to consider a dedicated area in our homes to handle all of our media. Hence many kitchens, studies or living areas are being designed.. Read more
Beautifully evocative, Moroccan style is simply stunning. The richness of the colours, the classic lines of the architecture and the exotic furniture designs make this one of the most interesting of all the global decorating styles. Difficult to replicate in its entirety, there are nonetheless many features from this look.. Read more
What are monochromatic colour schemes Take any colour and add varying degrees of black, white or grey to it and you will have a fabulous range of different tones to select from for a very simple, yet effective decorating palette. Designers refer to this as a monochromatic scheme as you are.. Read more
Who wouldn’t like to see the back of school bags, shoes, hats and coats cluttering up the entrance hall? I would hazard a guess that this is pretty much everyone which is why when you are planning a new house or renovating an existing one you should consider including a.. Read more
Garden designers know all about borrowing the outlook from your neighbour and making use of their trees and hedging in your own scheme and the same principles apply when looking at an outdoor room of your very own. Your indoor space absolutely must benefit from your outdoor area or you are wasting valuable.. Read more
Window dressings, in addition to looking great and finishing a room, are also extremely practical. One of my favourite choices to dress a window are sheer curtains – curtains that are simple and unlined that you can just see through when the light shines on them. Sheers can look contemporary.. Read more
Gone are the days when you bought a 3 piece living room suite and your job was finished. There are so many seating options available now and lots of mixing and matching to be done that the job is a lot more interesting and of course potentially quite a bit.. Read more
Country Style covers a wide range of looks and will vary greatly depending upon which country you are in so this guide is to show you how to get the general look and feel. Later I will be writing in more detail about the different types of country style as.. Read more
Painting bricks white is one of the easiest and most effective ways to update an interior scheme. Bricks are certainly back in fashion and you only need to look at a trendy TV show to see a wall of bricks somewhere in a gorgeous loft apartment or warehouse development. However,.. Read more
Kitchen styling is the fun part of a renovation project. Let’s face it, renovating a kitchen is a major job. There is a lot of planning, choices to be made, tradespeople to deal with and the upheaval of making do with a microwave in the living room for far too.. Read more
There is something quintessentially wonderful about Australian Coastal Style that is difficult to replicate anywhere else in the world. Perhaps it has something to do with the laid back persona of the Aussies or just the magnificence of the natural beauty of the coastal regions with their gorgeous sandy beaches.. Read more
Table lamps are the perfect accessory tool when finishing a room as they are practical but can be very beautiful and a statement piece in the scheme. The way that we feel when we walk into a room is often governed by how well it has been lit. Lighting a.. Read more
I really do like a window finished with Roman blinds and it is without doubt one of my favourite ways to dress a window. The appeal for me is that Roman blinds are neat and tidy but also stylish and often very pretty. They do not offer the practical solution.. Read more
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I love my dining room. It is lined with bookshelves and music and I love entertaining there. I also just like to go in and sit at the dining table – it’s in the cooler part of the house – so sometimes I just camp there with my laptop to.. Read more
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Have you noticed that interiors are very neutral now? I’m sure there is no way that you couldn’t have done. White and Grey are the neutrals of the moment and of course they are very stylish. Flick through Pinterest and you will see that so many coastal schemes are also.. Read more
Both beautiful and sustainable, natural timber is one of the best ways to introduce warmth and personality into an interior scheme, which is one of the main reasons that timber kitchens are enjoying a well deserved revival. While we don’t see full solid timber kitchens in design much anymore, there.. Read more
We have all been faced with a blank wall and wondered how to make it more appealing rather than a dead space to pass by. There are a number of approaches to make it more interesting. You can employ a collection of interesting items to group together so that the.. Read more
For those of you who love classic style decorating, you should really consider incorporating blue kitchen cabinetry into your next kitchen scheme. Whether you like a farmhouse look, an upmarket Hamptons style or a classic English scheme, using just white on its own, although lovely, can sometimes leave you wanting. .. Read more
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Styles come and go, as do colour schemes, but simple and elegant black endures. Chanel’s little black dress is the epitome of elegance and style, a look that has survived the years, most famously worn by Audrey Hepburn and emulated by women for decades. This classic neutral is also a great colour for.. Read more
You may have seen the recent hype about Hygge and wondered what on earth it was all about. I thought the same last year and decided I needed to become informed and bought myself The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. I sat down and read the book in.. Read more
I would hazard a guess that the majority of us have introduced a little bit of Bohemian style into our homes without even realising it. Remember there are no new ideas, just reinvented ones – I am happy to say though that these are usually improved upon versions. The hippy.. Read more
The Pantone colour for 2017 was Greenery – since updated in 2018 to Ultra Violet, and now in 2019 to Living Coral which is a change to say the least. However although the colour now of two year’s ago, it appears that Greenery seems to be here to stay. Perhaps.. Read more
Investing in a sofa or occasional chair for your home can be a costly exercise so it pays to understand a little about upholstery fabric before you hit the shops. A sofa, in particular, is a piece of furniture that you need to last for a long time and you.. Read more
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Bathrooms and kitchens sell houses but unfortunately they are also the most expensive areas to remodel. Sometimes though a bathroom can be fundamentally OK. The tiles may not be exactly as you would choose if you were starting from scratch but everything works and is still pretty modern or at.. Read more
I expect that most of you right now are thinking about entertaining at some point over the Christmas holidays and I suspect there is just a little bit of panicking going on too! So you really want to be able to sit back and enjoy the time that you have.. Read more
So, Ultra Violet has been chosen by Pantone as its colour of the year for 2018. Quite a provocative choice, by their own admission, particularly after the well regarded and universally liked Greenery of 2017. What do you think of it? What do you know about it? A little background.. Read more
Kitchens sell houses and are also the heart of the home. Overall this is probably the biggest investment you will make when renovating or building your home. NO pressure then to get it right! There are many decisions to be made but one that is very important and I find.. Read more
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Navy blue is the new black. Many will argue that grey is the new black and as a long time lover of grey and one who appreciates its suitability to many decorating schemes, I still contend that for right now, Navy is the current all star. There is no doubt.. Read more
I think that one of my favourite accessories to complete an interior scheme is the humble floor rug. I have been in too many houses with large expanses of flooring – timber, stone or tiles – that are crying out for this simple finishing touch. Even the simplest of rugs.. Read more
I love my bedroom! I find that if I have a good night’s sleep then I can achieve anything – well almost anything – the next day. Sleep however can sometimes be elusive, for lots of reasons, but I believe it is a good idea to at least start with.. Read more
My recent colour feature in Country Home Ideas used the beautiful Waterperry range from Sanderson Fabrics. Inspired by British country gardens, Sanderson has translated these into very elegant designs that create a gorgeous contemporary country style space. I really like the way they have used them in this dining room.. Read more
Have you heard of Millennial Pink? Have you noticed the resurgence of the colour pink? It is now being referred to as Millennial Pink and has been made popular again by those Generation Ys amongst us. Young people have embraced this beautiful colour and I am glad to say that.. Read more
I am a big fan of breakfast nooks as I really like this cosy seating option which is in between the island bench counter stool and the full dining table. It appears that lots of other people love them too as there are so many different options around. I really.. Read more
When I am asked about winter colour palettes, I often talk about the rich warm tones of red and orange but these colours can be quite polarizing and if this is not a favourite for you, but you want to create a cosy and warm environment, there are other colours.. Read more
I am so happy that wallpaper is back in fashion. I used to teach a styles and trends module at a design school and I remember about 10 years ago setting a task for students to look for upcoming trends. The following week many of them came back excitedly with.. Read more
If you love to decorate you will really appreciate how important finishing touches are. The clutch bag and necklace for the little black dress or the ideal leather belt for your jeans – you couldn’t do without them. Cushions on a chair or sofa are the fashion accessories that you.. Read more
The quintessential European farmhouse with aged, mellow stone, limewashed walls and worn thresholds or a classic English country cottage with a garden of rambling roses and doors and windows that don’t quite line up, are the buildings that lovers of country style will evoke when thinking of a house with.. Read more
When putting together a colour scheme for a child’s bedroom, one of your first considerations should be to make it a happy one. Children respond so well to colour in their lives and studies show that it enhances learning and well being. Of course we all respond well to colour.. Read more
Country cottage colours should take their lead from the amount of natural daylight your home receives and the upholstery and other soft furnishing colours that you have. Generally I find that cottages often have less light than other homes as their windows tend to be smaller and they are often.. Read more
I love Summer but I have to say that Autumn is probably my favourite season of the year. In any case, Autumn offers a respite to the heat and humidity of summer and a chance to get things done around the house and garden again. It’s at this time of.. Read more
My latest article in Country Home Ideas magazine focuses on colours for a French Provincial Style, a timeless classic that seems to have been on trend for a long time and I expect (and hope) is one that is enduring. The beauty of French Provincial style is that it can be.. Read more
If your house is anything like mine, then family members will always find something to put onto a clean surface! Most frustrating, but a fact of life, and this is where interior styling is not just about making things look pretty, in many cases a simple vignette actually provides a.. Read more
My colour feature page in Country Home Ideas this month is all about how to create a classic kitchen scheme. I love this look and chose an image from Roseleigh Homes featuring a bench top of Caesarstone Statuario Nuvo, which is one of my favourites at the moment. Partnered with.. Read more
The question I am asked the most, either through this blog, or when I am working with clients, is ‘which white should I use?’ Decorating with white colour palettes is very popular for all styles, whichever country you are in. Whether you prefer an Australian Coastal or Country style, an.. Read more
Yellow is the happy colour of the spectrum. Uplifting and bright, this colour evokes images of beautiful sunflowers, bobbing heads turned towards the sun and brings warmth to all it touches. Good news for those of you who profess to love yellow as it is purported that this beautiful bright colour is.. Read more
Designers are always writing about trends but it is great to have a design element in the home that is a classic and a white kitchen is truly one of these. Whether contemporary or traditional in style, a white kitchen is timeless. I love to introduce colour into kitchens and.. Read more
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In the shops now is the latest Country Home Ideas magazine with my article about Summer Floral Hues. For lovers of chintz and other floral textile designs, this time of year has to be one of the best for inspiration. Judicial use of floral patterns can really add a pretty.. Read more
Finding the right neutral grey for your interior project can be as fraught as looking for the right white. Each paint company offers a wide range to choose from and as with whites, they all have a different underlying colour. You need to be careful with your selection so that.. Read more
The most important point to remember when decorating a guest bedroom is that there are many different stakeholders, from your oldest and dearest friends to your nieces, nephews and maybe even grandchildren. It can be tricky therefore to create a mood that is just right for everyone but I believe.. Read more
If you are lucky enough to own a holiday house you will appreciate that this is a double edged sword because as lovely as it is to get away at the weekend, your precious family and friends have the same idea! Seriously though, a holiday house is a great opportunity.. Read more
Colour, and more importantly its tonal level, is a very useful tool to change the perception of size and scale in a room. Often people will do this and not even realise it and then either be unexpectedly happy with the end result of the décor scheme or feel that.. Read more
You can’t think about coastal style without conjuring up the beautiful colours of the ocean. This isn’t to say that you must have blues and greens in a coastal style palette. A gorgeous tactile neutral palette also works well for coastal style decorating, however for my colour feature page for.. Read more
Your kitchen benchtop can often be the single most expensive item for a kitchen renovation and it is therefore really important that you get this choice right, both in terms of practicality for you and your family and in terms of colour and design for the look that you want.. Read more
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Trend setters in paint companies are starting to talk about Terracotta again. A much maligned colour for years, people denounced terracotta for being related to the colour schemes of the 80s and 90s. It has been seen to hold no place amongst the smart neutrals and cutting edge blacks, whites.. Read more
British Colonial Style is a favourite of mine as it is a reminder of a gentler age, without technology, where you are invited to sit in a comfy chair and while away the afternoon. Read further to see how it is related to current decorating styles and find out my.. Read more
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The latest Country Home Ideas is in the shops now and my colour feature article this month is about how to link your inside space to the outside using colour schemes. Perfect timing for those of us in Australia where it is warming up. Even in cooler areas, or for.. Read more
So with Christmas in mind my thoughts are turning to beautiful silvery hues. It’s that time of year when sparkle is called for and I really love the cool silver tones at this time of year, particularly in the heat of Australia. With only 50 sleeps to go, it is.. Read more
Everyone is talking about vignettes and it is no wonder as they are a stylists dream. A bare coffee table, once home to a couple of magazines, is now finished with beautiful vignettes to add interesting layers to the design. A hallway console table that was a dumping ground for.. Read more
Yellow is the uplifting colour of the spectrum as it makes us happy and optimistic. It is however a very tricky colour to use for interiors and styling and I find in its brightest form should only be used as an accent. This however is all you need to make a.. Read more
Colour lesson 3 sees us exploring complementary colours. As the words suggest, these go together and are those that are directly opposite each other on a colour wheel. Be careful though, even though they are meant to work with each other, if placed in a decorating scheme in equal proportions, these two colours will.. Read more
I love to use neutral exterior colours as they are the perfect backdrop for splashes of all year round colour. Summer is coming in Australia and thoughts are turning to styling outdoor rooms and terraces. It’s the ideal time to splash out on new cushions and accessories for outdoors and.. Read more
Colour lesson one started right at the beginning with the Primaries and now in this lesson I want to show you the next step. It’s really simple but will demonstrate how easy it is for you to put together a colour scheme that you will love. Hopefully, this is the.. Read more
Now I understand that for many of you the colour pink is one that you reserve for girls bedrooms – soft pink for children and hot pink for teenagers and there the colour and the story ends. This is a terrible shame as this very misunderstood colour can bring grace.. Read more
Celadon Green is such a user-friendly colour and never seems to be out of fashion. A delicate and soft decorating colour, Celadon works beautifully in all areas of the home, particularly in bedrooms where its calming influence is perfect. Perfect for a country, coastal, Swedish or Hamptons style, this grey blue/green.. Read more
Have you ever been seduced by a funky New York loft style apartment so often seen in the movies but rarely in real life. There are many elements to a successful loft style scheme but the one I really love, and that I think you can’t do without for this.. Read more
Back to Basics – The Primaries Those of you amongst us who feel that colour and its use in decorating and design is only to be understood by creative types can be assured that colour crosses the boundaries of science and art. There is a logic to it and definite.. Read more
White is a perennial favourite when it comes to decorating schemes. Whether you love a contemporary look, the softness of a Scandinavian scheme, a relaxed coastal look or a pretty country style, you can’t go wrong with white. As much as I am addicted to colour, I really do appreciate.. Read more
Lovers of orange are known to be a sociable bunch. They are often urban dwellers who enjoy the company of others so it is great to find friends who embrace this colour – it means they will be fun and interesting people to know. Let me show you how to.. Read more
Are you like me and love dark blue? I recently wrote about using this beautiful colour in a decorating scheme for Country Home Ideas magazine. Dark blue is one of my absolute favourites and I really like the way it works on panelling where you have shadow lines. This is why.. Read more
I recently wrote about the colour Pink in my regular Country Home Ideas page. Pink is a colour often overlooked for interiors as it is perceived as too feminine. Read my feature here though to see how you can make this a touch more masculine and why it is a great.. Read more
Almost daily, I am asked ‘How to choose the right white paint’. In terms of paint selection it is definitely the current question of the moment and I know is one that you will be struggling with. Serene, calm and crisp are just some of the many adjectives that you.. Read more
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Warm and inviting, rich and enveloping are words associated with a classic winter scheme and no colour meets the brief more perfectly than brown. Solid and reliable, conservative and yet sometimes perceived as boring, brown is without doubt a colour that would be greatly missed by interior decorators who appreciate.. Read more
One of my main reasons for starting this blog is that I love to write. I always have. From a young child writing stories at school and day dreaming of becoming an author to an adult training to become an interior decorator, the passion to write was always there. Finding.. Read more
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The colour that usually springs to mind when we think of open countryside or pretty gardens is the colour green. Associated with nature, new beginnings and wellbeing, green is the colour of balance and harmony. I happen to adore the colour green and I would say it is one of.. Read more
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