My love for interiors began at an exceptionally young age, I was always trying out new furniture layouts at home, even as a child. But today you are more likely to find me creating exciting new layouts for other people’s homes. At the core of my passion for interior decor is my firm belief that every person’s home is their sanctuary.
Earlier this year I gave my study a much needed ‘Hygge’ makeover. With its uncomplicated half-painted grey and white decorative scheme, I wanted to emphasise an intimate Scandinavian feel to promote calm and comfort in a space in where I could think and create with ease. Who says you can’t mix business with pleasure?
I would say this has to be the seasons because my inner interior stylist automatically kicks-in with the change of each one. For example, I find myself leaning towards lighter bed linen and textiles in Spring, and darker shades in the Winter months for that cocooning feel. The outdoors is actually a massive resource of palette perfection!
Without any doubt this has to be my mid-century Danish armchair with its two-tone green upholstered cushions. Firstly, this was gifted to me by my late grandparents and has huge sentimental value. Secondly, whichever room I place this in, it instantly becomes a statement piece. It is also incredibly easy to transform the look of this versatile armchair by simply adding a boldly coloured scatter cushion to introduce a flash of new colour.
Answering this question brings out my sentimental side because we have just said ‘goodbye’ to our cosy home and will be moving onto a new 1960’s ‘project’ very shortly. Visually, there were many elements I adored about my last home, but actually the thing I most loved about it was the instantly welcoming feel as soon as anyone walked through the front door. I don’t know if homes can have auras but it definitely felt that way!
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I am a London based design blogger and mummy/toddler tamer who works part time in a library. We are currently renovating our new home, which we moved into just under a year ago. I am passionate about design and turned this into an online hobby writing about a variety of things that catch my eye on my blog, Design Soda, which I’ve been writing for three years. I am fortunate that I now get to do this part-time as work, my main obsessions are colour, pattern and patina (I’m a huge hunter of vintage pieces).
 this developed as a teenager, my room was a pretty impressive shrine of upcycled furniture and art in homage to 1920’s London & 1960’s Paris, two eras and locations I am still drawn to today. I moved away from creative things academically and studied history at university but I was always drawn to visuals. I guess my passion really ignited when we rented our first apartment as a couple and I began to source things that were unique and would make our home feel a reflection of us, from then on my passion for objects, from flea market to supermarket finds, grew and grew.</p>
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I think I have always been interested in interiors, from childhood I was quite particular about the look of my bedroom, pitching various changes to my parents and insistent on where things should be placed from an aesthetic point of view (what a nightmare!) this developed as a teenager, my room was a pretty impressive shrine of upcycled furniture and art in homage to 1920’s London & 1960’s Paris, two eras and locations I am still drawn to today. I moved away from creative things academically and studied history at university but I was always drawn to visuals. I guess my passion really ignited when we rented our first apartment as a couple and I began to source things that were unique and would make our home feel a reflection of us, from then on my passion for objects, from flea market to supermarket finds, grew and grew.
Our house is a fairly small 3 bed Victorian house. It has lots of character, high ceilings and two reception rooms. High ceilings make all spaces feel bigger so this is one of the most important factors to me in choosing a home. What I love most about our home is that, despite the high ceilings, most of our rooms are quite small. This may sound counterintuitive, but actually it’s given me the freedom to express design decisions with far more diversity, I feel each room is able to be distinct and hold its own amongst the greater feel of the house. Our last apartment had a massive living room, which was lovely, but in some ways limiting. Instead of one big room, we now have a botanical and natural history inspired living room and a darker, more mid-century look cocktail room next door, they couldn’t coexist side by side but are very happy next door to each other.
My goodness, does it sound bad to say my bed?! I would have to choose a space that I am most relaxed in and where I get time to be quiet, somewhere I can’t see to-do lists or household chores. My reading nook would, of course, be my sophisticated answer, but the honest one is my bedroom. I love lounging, I don’t get to do it so often as I used to now that we have an energetic toddler to contend with but I feel most at peace in the home winding down, so being in bed with a good book or a magazine in the evening is pretty close to my idea of heaven, if there’s fresh linen and hot chocolate, all the more so.
My most cherished interiors piece is so hard to choose, it’s a bit like trying to choose a favourite child for me! We have a lot of vintage and each piece tells its own story, the light fitting in the hallway took me four years to track down so I’m tempted to say that for sheer perseverance, but I think for sentimental connection it has to be my grandmothers chest of drawers. She bought it when she was first married so it shares a history with both of my grandparents. It was always in the spare room that I slept in as a child when I went to stay with my grandparents so it’s an item with real connection for me, but I also have a penchant for inter-war style so it ticks those boxes too! Its currently in our living room with some vintage pieces from the era and natural history finds scattered upon it.
 to the amazing architecture all around, great styling in shop windows, the colours people are putting together and wearing on my tube journey, inspiration is everywhere!</p>
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As I write a design blog I take influence from things around me all the time. Of course I spend a fair bit of my time looking at interiors in the usual places – Pinterest, interiors magazines, feeds on Instagram, or checking out the latest décor in hotels and looking up new and interesting companies. But living in London is what really inspires me, from ideas to steal in commercial settings (I’m often taking mental notes over coffee in cafes) to the amazing architecture all around, great styling in shop windows, the colours people are putting together and wearing on my tube journey, inspiration is everywhere!
My name is Emma, and I run a London-based lifestyle blog. I’ve been living in London for 4 years, but I have also spent time living and studying in both Tokyo and Paris. I love travelling, eating and learning about different cultures.
Even as a child I told my parents about the colour scheme I envisioned for my bedroom. I guess it all came from wanting to be creative, and leave my mark on the space I “lived in”. When you’re spending so much time somewhere, you may as well may it look good. Because if something looks good, you feel good.
It’s very open and airy, with large floor-to-ceiling windows. Lighting is so important, and when we moved into our current apartment it was the number one thing on our list. Next was space. We looked for somewhere spacious and open – as opposed to somewhere with just lots of rooms.
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Probably my sofa. It’s super comfortable and big enough to stretch out on. It’s definitely where we go to relax. There’s nothing better than curling up on it with a glass of wine (or hot chocolate on a school night), in front of a good movie.
My favourite room is the lounge. It gets the best light in the house, and we have awesome views from our balcony.
A minimalist lifestyle. It works well with both mine and my fiancé’s aesthetics and personalities. Which means we don’t clash when it comes to buying new furniture or accessories for the house. We both believe in buying quality products that stand the test of time.
Hi I’m Natalia, Mum and wife of an architect. After a decade-long career in brand marketing, I’m finally making the move into interiors. I started my blog over three years ago and it’s really given me the confidence to pursue my dream career as an interior designer. So I’ve signed up to do a diploma at KLC and hoping I’ll never look back!
I’ve had a keen interest in interiors for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was constantly rearranging furniture and adjusting my feature wall of Take That posters. Moving into my home several years ago, really allowed me to experiment and embrace my interior style.
What I love most is that above all, it’s a real family home. I have a 4 year old and another on the way and so it’s really important for me to have that balance between having a beautiful but functional home. Last year our house was a building site as we were extending and so it’s still a work in progress.
I wish I had one! None of the furniture in our house has any sentimental value, but when we’re in the position to invest in key pieces – it’ll definitely be chairs. I love beautifully designed chairs and have been keeping an eye out for Ercol pieces.
I do love our living room, it’s small but very cosy with a woodburner, panelled walls and a double sash window. If I sit on the sofa, I can see right through the kitchen to the snug/playroom at the back and keep an eye on my little one!
I do love reading interior magazines, but you do tend to see the same things regularly. For me, pinterest and instagram are much more inspiring as you get a view into real homes rather than styled shoots. I also find hotels a great source of inspiration – and my husband says his clients are often inspired by hotels they’ve stayed at around the world too.
I’m a DIY, interiors and lifestyle blogger who enjoys making and styling. I live in in Essex with the hubby and white GSD pup called Casper.
Truthfully, I fell into it. Working in the industry meant I spent a lot of my time looking at beautiful interiors which eventually became an obsession and here we are!
I love my wallpaper. I stuck fabric onto the leaves pattern on my wall to match my blind. Although it took me months and a very long time, I absolutely love the personalisation and adore my small bathroom’s finished look.
It’s actually a writing bureau that I upcycled. It was a lot of fun to paint and upstyle with leftover wallpaper and then the final finished furniture was worth the effort. My favourite area of the table would probably have to be the spiral legs.
That’s a tough question. A few of the quirky things that I’ve added, such as the fabric on the wallpaper, are from the Living Etc House Tours that the magazine runs every year. Apart from that it’s Pinterest, other blogs, interiors magazines and other people’s houses.
I am an interior designer, with a background in contemporary art, and founder of the award winning design blog FLAT 15.
I find inspiration for my design and interior projects from travelling abroad, high and emerging fashion, artwork and daily strolls around my colourful Notting Hill neighbourhood. I love to document anything that celebrates original style and happy living daily on FLAT 15.
. I realised that this is something I should be doing more full time and that is when I started the blog Flat 15 and transitioned into doing freelance interior design.</p>
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I have always loved design and interiors since I was young. I used to do little projects on the weekends to help out friends and family with their interior spaces (because I loved it so much). I realised that this is something I should be doing more full time and that is when I started the blog Flat 15 and transitioned into doing freelance interior design.
I love the abundance of natural light that I get in my living room. Living in London we face a lot of grey days and so having that bright natural light in my home really makes me happy.
I really love the rugs in my flat. I stumbled across them during a trip to Morocco and had them shipped to London. That trip in particular was a very inspiring trip design wise and I just love that I was able to bring home such amazing pieces for my home.
I love my living room and the gallery wall that I created behind my sofa. It took me a few months to collect and frame everything and I was so happy with the outcome. It has become such a feature wall in my home.
I find inspiration everywhere! I get very inspired through travel as well as visiting commercial spaces such as hotels, restaurants and retail shops, as I find they are usually on the cutting edge of design.
I’m from Croydon in South London, I live with my husband Jason and I’m a mum to my daughter Marley who’s nearly four and is obsessed with My Little Pony! I work as an interiors blogger and stylist, plus I also have my own tech startup, the No Bull Blog School, which runs online courses where I teach people how to start successful blogs and make a living doing what they love.
I remember loving it even as a child, decorating bedrooms and helping out with the wallpapering and that kind of thing. Trips to Ikea were always the height of joy! As an adult I’ve always been involved in creative fields one way or another from music to makeup, so I just enjoy seeing beautiful things come together really. I’m a real homebody so as I’ve got older I think my creative streak that used to be explored via music etc. is now explored at home.
. It keeps evolving and changing over time which is really fun. It’s super eclectic so I love that I can display all of my random vintage or charity shop finds alongside modern pieces and it seems to work. I’m most happy when people come to my flat and say ‘this is so you’.</p>
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Oooh tough question… like anyone probably being all snuggled up in my bed, haha! Seriously though, I love the way it’s really a canvas for our ideas (I say ‘our’ but I don’t think Jason gets much of a word in to be honest). It keeps evolving and changing over time which is really fun. It’s super eclectic so I love that I can display all of my random vintage or charity shop finds alongside modern pieces and it seems to work. I’m most happy when people come to my flat and say ‘this is so you’.
I bought a set of 70s cantilever brass dining chairs that are upholstered in this crazy 90s floral fabric. They were an absolute bargain and since getting them we keep saying we will reupholster them but I never seem to get round to it. Somehow though they just seem to work!
I love the living room as it’s probably the most complete of all of my ideas. It has the right amount of vintage and modern and it’s got the best pieces of furniture. However my little cupboard turned office is pretty cute too. It looked quite neat before but now I have post-its all over the wall detailing my plans for 2017!
Movies. Weird I know as an interior stylist, most people say architecture or art, but I’ve always been obsessed with super stylised movie sets from the likes of Hitchcock, Wes Anderson and Tarantino. I think my whole aesthetic is pretty influenced by the iconic Baz Luhrman version of Romeo and Juliet. I was about 11 when that came out so it was a heady mix of hormones, Leo DiCaprio and neon signs. Brilliant!
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I have lived in South-West London since 2003. I trained as a Lawyer and work in the financial services industry in the City. I started working on my interiors blog two years ago having followed other blogs for a while. I loved the idea of having my own blog where I could write about anything and express my creativity. Presentation was as important as the content so I decided to build a whole website about interiors. This is where I document my decorating adventures while my husband and young son look on (sometimes helplessly).
In 2007 we bought a flat in up and coming Sands End area of Fulham. While the contracts were being drafted and I was thinking about decorating the place, I became hooked on Pinterest and started following other interior blogs. Then in 2014 we bought a detached house in the South of London and in preparation for the move to the suburbs I decided to make some changes in the place. The time was right to start recording these more formally through a blog as well. Most interiors bloggers start out with a project like this.
The space is a big plus. The new place has extra guest rooms and space for two separate home-offices as well as easy to maintain landscaped garden which is perfect for our busy schedule.
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I have a few antique pieces that I have inherited but I am not very sentimental about them; on the other hand I love the art we have around the house and a couple of limited edition “street art” prints that have seen their value multiply over the years. I really enjoy them and would recommend to everyone to invest in a piece of art – not as something to re-sell but as something they will keep and cherish for years to come (forever is a very long time).
 and installed a linen texture wall mural of a tree. The result is beautiful and the room feels cosy and inspiring. I have joined up two separate desks to create enough work space for my computer and drawings.</p>
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This is my home office. I have used a very dark colour on two walls (Farrow & Ball ‘Railings’) and installed a linen texture wall mural of a tree. The result is beautiful and the room feels cosy and inspiring. I have joined up two separate desks to create enough work space for my computer and drawings.
I like to check what is trending and attend a lot of design exhibitions especially during London Design Festival. But I also have my own sense of style which is eclectic. When I get stuck for inspiration, Pinterest and Instagram are always handy.
I’m Phoebe Oldrey an Interior Designer and Interiors Blogger. I run my own company Smartstyle Interiors to create beautiful spaces that my clients love.
I don’t really remember a time when I wasn’t. I remember even my dolls had the best designed living quarters! I think I inherited the passion for design from my mother. It was always her dream to be an Interior Designer but she never pursued it. That could possibly be the reason I didn’t do it straight away and originally followed a career in acting. It was about 16 years ago when I decided I wanted a change. It was while I was having coffee with my husband that I decided to retrain as an Interior Designer. Though it seemed like a very overnight decision, when I looked back it was something I was building towards for a lifetime.
When we walked in the door we fell in love with the space. We just didn’t think we would have this much space. The ability to fill it with people for Sunday roasts and children’s birthday parties means that we get to have the lifestyle that suits us! Even 4 years later I still can’t get over it.
Don’t make me pick just one!! So much of my house is full of cherished pieces, it’s what makes it home to me. If you really made me choose one it would have to be this huge Chinese wedding cabinet which was calling to me from a great shop in Tunbridge Wells.
This home was all about bringing together all the stuff that means so much to us and creating a calm, sophisticated space. The colours all came from the painting by Emma Green that hangs in the lounge. The alcove space above the fire was created to fit it, so it really is the heart of the design for our home.
I love the window space in my bedroom. It feels so bright and cheerful as well as being a small space that is just my own. That’s maybe while there is a hint of pink in it!
I was born in Holland, raised in the Caribbean and Italy, and have been living in London the past ten years, trying a variety of different career paths – from art auctioneer to wedding planner, and from celebrity assistant to interiors PR and finally interiors journalist. It’s been a long ride but I feel that I’ve finally settled!
 has featured in interiors magazines. I’ve always been surrounded by beauty in the home, and have always aspired to create something beautiful myself. Interior inspiration has become an addiction and obsession for me!</p>
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My mother is an interior designer and interior design teacher, and every home we’ve ever lived in (we moved house 12 times) has featured in interiors magazines. I’ve always been surrounded by beauty in the home, and have always aspired to create something beautiful myself. Interior inspiration has become an addiction and obsession for me!
 tropical birds! Already our home looks unrecognizable since our housewarming four months ago.</p>
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It’s my first ever home and it feels great to have been able to put my own stamp on it. Equally it’s still a work-in-progress, and I love constantly changing and updating rooms. Updating paintings and wall art, or the coffee table books and decorative objects on the shelves are quick and easy ways to update a room, as well as plants and cushions. But every now and then I like to try something bolder – last night I painted our entryway canary yellow, and created a yellow DIY birdcage table lamp which is covered in (artificial) tropical birds! Already our home looks unrecognizable since our housewarming four months ago.
 artist and has her pieces in museums all over the world, so it feels great to have one of her pieces in our home – especially as she lives all the way in Amsterdam! It means a lot to me. Secondly, I recently bought a papier mache giraffe bust from the States and I’m totally in love with it! It’s given our home a much needed sense of fun and humour.</p>
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My most cherished is definitely the big blue hanging sculpture in the sitting room, as my mother made it for us as a housewarming gift. She’s a very talented (and famous) artist and has her pieces in museums all over the world, so it feels great to have one of her pieces in our home – especially as she lives all the way in Amsterdam! It means a lot to me. Secondly, I recently bought a papier mache giraffe bust from the States and I’m totally in love with it! It’s given our home a much needed sense of fun and humour.
 and glass desk, and have attempted to create a gallery wall! Aside from the hanging giraffe it also has felt budgie birds on the wall – so quite a quirky and colourful room, which I love.</p>
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My favourite room is my study / home office where I often work from home. I love my Philip Starck inspired chair (a bargain I found online at Cult Furniture) and glass desk, and have attempted to create a gallery wall! Aside from the hanging giraffe it also has felt budgie birds on the wall – so quite a quirky and colourful room, which I love.
, One Kings Lane (shop), Emily Henderson (designer), Kelly Wearstler (designer) and Becki Owens (designer). I love their colourful and eclectic approach to chic and elegant interiors.</p>
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The internet. Every time I go onto Pinterest or Instagram I’ll find so much inspiration – I follow a lot of American designers and shops online as I love their style, in particular Lulu & Georgia (shop), One Kings Lane (shop), Emily Henderson (designer), Kelly Wearstler (designer) and Becki Owens (designer). I love their colourful and eclectic approach to chic and elegant interiors.
