Episode 8 - House Clinic Q&A - Part 1

Don't let too much anaylsis lead to paralysis - we're here in this special House Clinic Q& A session to guide you by the hand and give you the answers to your questions! We tackle a variety of questions from how to begin to plan room projects, get lighting right, select the perfect colours, to window treatments to stop nosy neighbours, the latest trends and more!  We also have 3 amazing Makeover Memo's to share that you can achieve results in hours with!  Join us for part 1 of this special edition!

Takeaways

Interior design is a personal journey; trust your instincts.
Planning is crucial; start with the basics and assess your space.
Lighting should be layered and considered from the beginning.
Use lighter colors and mirrors to create the illusion of space.
Timeless design choices are preferable to fleeting trends.
Natural textures and materials are increasingly popular in design.
Upcycling furniture can add character and sustainability to your home.
Gallery walls should reflect personality, not perfection.
Window treatments can provide privacy without sacrificing light.
Understanding color undertones is essential for creating a warm atmosphere.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Interior Design Q&A
02:06 Starting Your Room Project
12:11 Achieving Perfect Lighting
16:13 Making Small Spaces Feel Bigger
23:40 Choosing Paint Colors for Small Rooms
25:40 Choosing Calming Colors for Workspaces
30:01 Current Interior Design Trends in the UK
36:01 The Importance of Built-In Storage
40:05 Understanding Color Undertones
44:01 Embracing Maximalism in Design
46:59 Sustainable and Upcycled Design Choices
47:57 Window Treatments for Privacy and Light
51:10 Maximizing Natural Light in Dark Spaces
51:16 The Power of Cushions in Interior Design
51:43 Hanging Artwork Without Drilling
55:17 Innovative Wall Lighting Solutions
58:47 New Chapter

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Transcript

Welcome to episode eight of All About Design and this week, Debs and I are here to do a Q and A on all things to do with interior design. So a House Clinic 

Thanks so much for sending your questions in. Taking that first step is hard. We understand that, but too much analysis can lead to paralysis. So we hope that today with a few words of encouragement, we'll give you the confidence to go forward. Defining your own style is important. And we talked about this in depth in episode six. So go back and check that one out. But one thing is for sure, or two things actually, the first is trust yourself. Would you agree, Debs? And the second thing is, if you don't like it, you can change it. You want timeless, not TikTok. So don't follow the trends, listen to what you really want and follow your intuition. Interior design is a Superpower that you can make work for you. 

Absolutely, yeah. 

and is linked to everything that's unique about you So we don't do a one size fits all approach. Life's better when you create spaces that nurture you and your time off when you're at home You have to surround yourself with an authentic interior. So as I say, in Part1ofthis special Q &A session today, we aim to answer your questions fully Mm. 

So, thank 

We're drawing on all our years of experience and combine this knowledge with practical common sense. Debs and I are here to help you understand and distill your style and then install it. So without further ado, let's start on hello Debs. How are you? I'm okay. I'm in sunny Spain. 

soon. How are you? 

and you're in. 

very very miserly drizzly West Midlands. 

nevermind. Actually, it's not been that hot here. it's nice. Okay. Yes. So it's all good. It's all good. Without further ado, I'm going to jump into question one. And this is how do I start to plan my room project from Alison in Devon? 

But it is what it is, but I would swap. There we go. 

Well, Alison, thanks for the question. It's one that we get asked quite a lot, actually, isn't it? Because that's where we usually come in. But the hot tips I would say is get the basics right. And with any room, check for damage. Check what needs to be sorted. You know, if you've got water leaks or if you've got crumbly walls or uneven surfaces, you won't get the finish you want and you won't get the finish that lasts. So check that first. Get the foundations right. 

Anything that needs to be fixed, it will be worth it tenfold in the future because you get the best results and also hassle free room to live in. 

definitely. 

And I think, the first thing I would then do is measure everything completely. Do yourself a site survey. Measure absolutely everything. Ceiling height, height of your skirting boards, where the light points are, and do your layout because you need make sure everything you either have to go in it already or if you're going to go out and buy something new. 

make sure it fits. It's nothing worse than seeing some beautiful furniture, especially like a sofa, and then it won't go through the door. And I actually did do that before I was an interior designer in London. I ordered a sofa and it wouldn't go in the front door. It was an apartment and I had to take the sash window out. It happens a lot. Space planning, floor plan. That's critical. 

Then obviously you talk about colour, you get to the fun bit. Now with colour, it's one of those things you to understand what makes you tick, And we've talked about Pinterest before, or magazines, whatever, which way you like to, research. 

Yeah. 

but Pinterest is great because then you can actually create and you see maybe colours that you keep coming back to. check is Is it north-facing, south-facing, which we'll talk about, but I think a bit further on. But it's about making sure that you use the right colours in that room. 

So, Pinterest would be a fantastic way to slim down and pinpoint what your style is. 

Yeah, zero in exactly on what you like. So, what your mood board, whether you start getting some little samples together as well. And actually, the first thing really is thinking about who's going to use that room and when, and what its purpose is And so with your mood board and your space planning, you will be able to start zeroing in. Maybe think of, you know, five or 10 images, 

Mmm. 

start off with a lot and then whittle them down until you get the very essence of what it is you want to do. And then, if you're not very confident with colour you can start doing the 60, 30, 10 rule where you have 60 % of the room in one colour, 30 % in maybe an accent, and then 10 % in a pop, of colour in your accessories. 

Yeah, I was just gonna add one little bit in. also think about what windows you're working with. What are the features in your home? If you're lucky enough to have historic features, how can I celebrate them a bit better? You know, so what am I working and what would I like to add in? Just a little tip there. lighting is everything. 

it makes such a difference. like cornice lighting, lighting in all different parts of the room. Does it need to have mood lighting? Does it need task lighting? Do I want to have a range of lighting? 

I think you're right. Lighting is key and it shouldn't be an afterthought, which often happens, which leads me very nicely into question number two, which is from Sophie. How do you achieve perfect lighting in a big space? And I believe she's talking about a recent project we've worked together on, was making a small kitchen into a large kitchen family room. 

with an adjoining snug And there are so many areas within this space. And my initial answer, if it's okay for me to jump in first, would be because it is such a large space, but there's a kitchen area in it, there's a dining area in it, there's a snug area in it, is you need to layer the lighting. So there used to be, 

so many spotlights, downlights on the ceiling. But actually, if you think about the times that they're used, it's not very often, and it ends up looking like a giant spaceship with all its lights too bright. It's not comfortable. considering 

task lighting over the kitchen island, maybe a beautiful pendant light that managed to sort of drop in and hover over your dining table is lovely. If you have a credenza, you could have a couple of table lamps on there. 

there might be space for a floor light in one area, which also is a nice welcoming glow when you come home at night, if it's on a timer. So I'd say layering of lighting is really key. And obviously in kitchen areas, the specialist will often build in lots of LED lighting and little sort of strips of lighting around the floor. So I think that's the way I'd approach it. 

I think you're absolutely right, layering different modes of lighting. So mood lighting, task lighting, like you said, practical lighting, but then also in a big area, it's a zoning tool. Like you said, with a pendant over a table, suddenly that becomes with a rug, an area. So really concentrate on that. that, not just blanket a ceiling, 

zone the lighting to the area especially in a larger space and again I talk about concealed lighting in things like coving that works so well because you can adjust it you can make it work for different  times of the day which I think is another key which I use personally I have different lighting in my kitchen in the evenings it can be much more soft much more relaxing 

Yeah, that's key, isn't it? Having the versatility to have everything on different, switches so that you can set your mood lighting. if it's a system where it's all integrated into the home technology, 

Thank 

you can set the scene to whichever one you like really. So brilliant. Yeah. 

And also another thing Sue is I 

have the Philips Hue lighting system at home and that's really good because it's a plug-in system so it's good for retrofit but it you know illuminates it can have natural light you can have any light you like and it's all by your phone so if you haven't got the ability to you know wire in you can actually and they do bulbs as well for lamps so you can actually put in 

Okay. 

any kind of lighting you could put in colours of crocus and it would lighten up so it gives you that you know flexibility I mean they had a carnival one as well I was like this is going crazy 

Yeah. 

Boom. 

but it's about if you need to retrofit you can actually put in lighting over units and things like that in your kitchen if you don't have it existing and it's not too expensive and it's not permanent and it's not you know going to have to need a professional to come and do it. 

Yeah, that's very true. 

That's brilliant, yeah, thank you. Okay, question number three, how can I make a small space feel bigger without knocking down walls? This is from Spencer and Kelly, they've just moved into their first home, so obviously they're saving up to do some bigger work, but they need to make it work for now. 

Okay, so great question again. These are all really good questions actually. One of the things I would say is if you are changing your flooring or you've got the budget, 

try and put in underfloor heating because then it eliminates the need for radiators and then you can actually free up valuable wall space for other things like sofas because a lot of the time you're restricted aren't you because there's radiators in the way. So that might be one of my hot tips. 

Okay, so free up walls, space. I think to make the space feel physically bigger, You need to make it feel open, calm, and remove barriers, really. So go for lighter colours on walls and floors. darker colours come towards you, and sometimes that's what you want in a room. But if you're trying to make it feel 

airy and spacious, then lighter tones, neutral tones will work. And we want to make reflection and light coming into the room, bounce around as much as possible. So using mirrors is such a great thing. You know, you can have a wall that's got two or three different mirrors on it, or, the same mirror in repeat, that always looks really, really stylish. 

depending on what the room is, course. Avoid, items that will just suck up all the light in the room. So sometimes dark suede and leathers and so on look a bit too blocky, don't they? And it doesn't just have to be a mirror that reflects light. You you might have a glass tabletop or a marble tabletop. Even a black marble tabletop will still reflect and bounce light, won't it? 

Mm. 

Exactly and I think you're right with the furniture really consider what you're putting into the room makes such a difference especially in smaller rooms have legs legs on everything so once you can see to the corner of a room it makes it feel naturally bigger so that would be a very hot tip I think in the way of keeping it light off the floor and you know as much as you can you know smaller arms on furniture 

things that, or even slipper chair, the lovely slipper chair. That's a great one that you can still be really comfortable for occasional furniture. 

Yeah, avoid heavy dark curtains. want sort of sheers if you can, even if have to layer the window treatments, you know, keep everything light and fresh and soft and airy, and that will really help with the space. Like I said, choose furniture that hasn't got high bulky arms. You want the light to travel around the room as much as possible. Slim silhouettes, multifunctional pieces, like you said, with ottomans with storage. And if you can see more of the floor, the room... 

Mm. 

Hmm. 

Yeah. 

feels bigger, doesn't it? 

Absolutely. And if you have a new floor going down, think about something that's not got too many lines in it. And especially if that room is a bathroom, for your argument's sake, the less grout lines, the bigger it feels. And also a lot of hallways now, people are putting tile in. Again, you don't have to go the small tile. You can go larger tiles or larger planks, which is quite in vogue as well, that kind of back to the kind of old style planks. 

The other thing is to draw the eye up to go taller. So if you have a window, if it was a Roman blind, making it look like it's going right from the ceiling. Or if you've got curtains, hang the pole nearly at the top because your eye will follow it up and it will just feel like it's a bigger space. And you can also have built-in furniture that goes... 

Yeah. 

higher up, can't use this taller. Instead of going wider, go taller. So you get just as much storage, but it's not taking up as much wall space. 

Yeah, think of the vertical space because if you have high ceilings like an older property, just use it. Don't waste the space. 

and 

And I think in a room that's quite small, you want to keep it harmonious. I'm a huge fan of using colour in a room, but in a very small space, keep a tight palette of quite light, fresh colours, and you really can't go wrong And one of the big things is declutter, because bits and pieces all over the place will just drive you to distraction. So declutter. 

Hmm. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. 

bring in storage, close storage, then you've got clutter free surfaces, helps you breathe, 

A lot of people push their furniture up to the walls, that actually doesn't make it feel bigger. If you pull it in, zone it on a rug, have some pathways around it, it does make it feel bigger. And you can actually sometimes get away with putting in like a larger coffee table, but if it's low down, again, it's that kind of fooling of a scale. 

Lovely. 

Hmm. 

but everything else around it complements it. So, you know, think about that as well when you're doing your space planning. 

Mm. 

Yeah. 

I think one of the final things is, you know, use transparent or lightweight materials. those ghost chairs used to be massively in a few years ago that were made of acrylic. And I'm not saying, Philip Stark did start it, but obviously, Ikea did a wonderful version. And I'm not saying let's dig those out. They're a little bit 80s, 90s maybe, but you know, that sort of idea, if you've got a lamp, maybe it could be a glass base on it. What was that? 

Mmm. 

Yeah. Was it Philip Starck? 

Yeah 

Bye. 

It wasn't a wasp, it's okay. So light, things that allow the light to still flow in and around them are great. So that's a great question. 

This 

this is question four. How do I choose the right colour paint for a small north facing room? This is from Amy, Amy in Malvern She says it's for a home office and occasionally used as a guest bedroom. Do you want to jump in on that one? 

Right, so North Facing, it's about the undertones and the colour really. That is a dark light that's coming in, so it's like those blues and greys undertones are just not going to work, it's just going to drag you down 

So just look out for those warmer tones. So you can 

Hmm. 

still use dark colours and such like that, but it has to have that warmth, otherwise it will just suck the warmth out of the room. 

yeah. And I think it's gonna be used as an office and you need a colour that's gonna be quite neutral without being on top of you. So, you know, greens are a great colour. Yeah, you love green, yeah. Perhaps some pale buttery yellows are also good. I say bring that warmth in. You don't want it to be bland, but if it's going to be somewhere that you need to be able to work in, I'd say you've got to have a really calming colour scheme in there. 

MMM 

And also this is a guest bedroom from time to time. So you go for your warm undertones, a nice calming colour, but with that inherent warmth built in. 

You know, this colour drenching, perhaps it's not the place to do it in a home office, but if it's the right colour green, you could do that. And then bring in some lovely rich, warm colours alongside that. So terracottas, ochres, know, cinnamons. I'd say that the greens are lovely, kind of a muted olive or mossy green. You could go for a navy. You know, there's no... 

rules as far as what you're really drawn to and this is where it's all about what you love but stay away from stark white, stay away from cold blues in a north-facing room and you can't go wrong 

And. 

No, I think you're absolutely right. I mean, I am a fan of green, but it is a great calming, but also reviving colour. So in an office, it will work really well. And you touched on, you if you did colour drench, if it is an office, if you have, you know, the chance to put in some storage, bookshelves, you could 

consider just a little pop of colour, just to give it a bit of joy and lightness again. It's almost like a little glowing ember in the room. Like I always think oranges with, you know, greens and things like that. It just makes it smile. 

Mm. 

Yeah. 

definitely. Yeah. So in a north-facing room, you're not chasing light, you're chasing, creating warmth, aren't you? And it's not wanting the light in terms of brightness because you will get that in a north-facing room, but you're chasing more of the atmosphere and creating a balanced, neutral, healthy environment that you can work in and that someone wants to stay in as a guest

And this is actually a really good opportunity for the Phillips Hue lighting because in their repertoire of colours they have concentrating, have reading, they have lights set up to help you. So you can ping those on for the different occasion the room is actually working for. So that would be something very much to consider in that environment. No, not yet! 

I won. 

Yeah, are you on commission with Philips by the way? You should be. 

It sounds amazing. Yeah. 

But I do, do rate it because 

it's flexibility Sue That's what we're talking about when a room is dual function. We always talk about what is the function of the room? It has to function. But I think having flexibility with function just means that it is just a bit more freeing. So yeah, that was my hot tip there. 

Hot tip, hot tip. Right, question five. What are the top interior design trends in the UK right now? A few people asking these sorts of questions. So we do say aim for timeless let's not TikTok, Trends are very fleeting Sometimes they last a few months or years, sometimes they're gone next week. So unless you really love it, you know, it's not authentic really. But there's a few that are sort of been around for a little while. 

Mmm. 

Shall I, I'll start with, colour drenching, as we mentioned previously, it is lovely to create a cocoon-like effect, but it has to be the right room. So, if it's a room that you need to feel light and fresh and airy, colour drenching it in a dark Navy, for example, might just feel a little bit too claustrophobic. But if it's a room that's a snug for an evening, 

Yeah. 

and you know that it's going to be used probably most of the time later on in the day, then absolutely go ahead and do it. But really think about it before you do, but it has an amazing effect. So don't be scared to do it. I know it costs a little bit of time and money to change things if you really don't like it, but unless you try, you'll never know. So life's too short really to wonder, isn't it? Just jump in and have a go. 

I think absolutely, think interior design is like fashion. You have the basics right and then you can just pop things in like they're talking about trends. You want it to work for you so if you like a trend that's fine but it doesn't have to be everything in your interior. It can just be a little accent or a little table or a little piece of something so that the core is right. Like jeans on the top, you can dress it up. 

you can dress it down. And that's something else to consider. You know, if you have a room that you need to function at one thing during the day, but then you dress it up for the night with different lighting. That's something we keep coming back to. So multifunctional make it work for you. But natural textures, that's been something that's been taking off a bit more in trends. And I don't mind backing that trend because that's talking about, you know, really nice quality wood pieces and such like that. And to get that. 

Hmm. Hmm. 

Yeah. 

again I'm going to go on to my second hand. You know can get proper real wood pieces that will bring those textures into your home. You know rather than getting the, I don't want to say flat pack, not real wood, you know let's bring real wood into the home and that will give you that kind of warm cozy element and another texture so that's something to consider. 

Absolutely. Yeah. 

Mm. 

And I think, it part of trying to feel connected with nature, trying to feel, post-COVID, I know it's a few years back, but there's still that element of we were inside quite a lot. And, now we're appreciating almost like homemade, homespun things like lime wash walls, the boucle fabrics, the rugs, the linen, the raw woods, things that are sort of of the earth, of nature, terracottas. 

I'm going go. 

And then. 

Yeah. 

And these work, you can make a special feature of them they're tactile, where you're just going to relax and appreciate nature, really. 

)

we've learned that it's not about how it looks 100%, it's how it feels and that's the thing. And that comes down to emotionally and tactile. So, you know, take those elements into it. That means the textures, you don't have to have loads of colours but you can have loads of textures and that makes an interior just as fabulous. That's where, you know, if you do, like we've talked about, you know, the lighter interior, look, boucle or silks. 

Mm. 

mix them all in together. Suddenly you've got this canvas of texture which just makes everything feel elevated 

Another trend, which actually has been around for a while, but this time it's a little bit imperfect, which is what makes it nice, is the gallery wall. And I really like this, I haven't done one yet, probably because I don't have enough nice photographs of me. I mean, I'm the one that takes everyone else's photographs, and I'm not in any pictures. You'd think I'd never been on a holiday for the last 10 years, but... 

Hmm. 

And... 

When you do get a collection of lovely photographs together, doesn't all have to be people in them, could be beautiful place you've been, but create that gallery wall, but it doesn't have to be lined up to an inch of its life, all one above the other. It can just be this meandering story of your life and of the special times you've had. And actually in this week's Makeover Memo's, we talk about how effective these flexible hanging systems are now so you don't actually have to keep drilling into the wall. 

No. 

and 

Mmm. 

to change things around. know, it's not going to stay, it's going to evolve like all your interiors, but gallery walls with personality, not perfection, are a current and hopefully ongoing trend, I think. 

and brilliant in a hallway. Brilliant because it's like a gallery effect. You you can walk along, it's probably one of the areas that you can't really put too much in because you again clear pathways experience and I think that's lovely. 

That's 

okay. So another big trend and one that again, we totally back is built-ins and I've experienced this because I live in an older home. There's no storage built-ins change your life. Practical storage creates calm. That's the way I look at it. Because the minute you can put things away, it just makes everything function much better. So I would definitely back that. That's never going to go out of fashion. 

Yes. 

because it's adding value to your home, it's adding calm, and who wouldn't ask for more really? So that would be something I'd definitely invest in. 

I think finding places, that are a little bit unexpected, like you could have a window seat That doesn't have to be solid, you know, they could lift the lid and put all sorts of things in there to hide them away. But, you know, built in either side of the alcove, wonderful thing to do. 

doesn't 

always make things feel smaller like you said about alcoves, building in by the alcoves you don't have to build above you can just put open shelving it doesn't make things feel smaller but because you've got less clutter it feels better and bigger yeah. 

Yeah, 

What I'm really pleased to see, and I think it's been for a while actually, is neutrals over colder greys. And also I think in the UK, I know this hopefully podcast gets listened to everywhere, but in the UK we have pretty rubbish weather for many months of the year and grey inside as well as out is not going to make anyone feel very happy. So 

Okay. 

The grey tones, the grey-beige tones are lovely It's just a very clever colour, it's a chameleon colour, it just works with whatever you bring in around it, it's a fantastic linking colour as well. 

They make your house feel cosy and they work well with soft lighting and natural textures of course but they're also great to then throw in your hot terracottas or your, greens, purples, everything will go with these greige colours. So it's a funny name but it's a good colour. 

Absolutely agree. It's a warm colour. Let's just keep the warmth going. You still have those moments of dark side, And people don't realise, they'll be like, but why do I like this grey and I don't like that grey? Because they're actually different colours. They've got different base colours. Look at them and you go, that's got green in it. That's got, you know, and that's when you start to understand that, you're like, okay, I can see what I'm looking for now. 

Yeah. 

and keep away because grey is not grey. You know, every colour has an undertone, so just be careful. 

No. Yeah. 

Susan@novointeriors.co.uk (38:56.472), very true. Actually there's something I've seen on the new Farrow & Ball colour card. It's really helpful. On the back of there it'll tell you because obviously there's quite a few neutral colours, which ones have got the grey tones, the lilac tones, the undertones. And also, of course, Dulux. I recently spoke to Marianna Shillingford from Dulux and she was incredibly helpful and they have so many wonderful tools on their website as well. 

another one that I love is heritage maximalism. And I must say I'm one for that kind of style. But I think that's again the freedom. think you're right. I think since COVID, everyone's like, I just want to do what I want to do. I want to feel my home is my home. 

And, you know, some people don't want it to be perfect and balanced. They want it to be filled with colour and, you know, it affects us differently. So that's the style. It's eccentric. the eclectic, like I have a cupboard and it's got curiosities in it, because of what I knew when I was younger. And I think that's it. We kind of hark back to sometimes what we've seen and we've liked. 

a little bit eccentric as well. 

Mm. 

So I definitely think that's a great vibe. And also it's quite freeing, isn't it? Because it's not like you have to have it in a certain way. It's whatever takes you on board. It's quite brave in lots of ways and not everyone will like it, but I think that's something great. know, lots of wallpapers, wallpapers on ceilings. This is happening again, which is amazing. And sometimes like in small rooms like cloakrooms, it's really lovely. It just gives you that kind of cocoon feel you're talking about. 

Yeah. 

Mmm. Mmm. 

And that's an opportunity, if you're not into maximalism and you don't want your whole house like that, you can still do it a little bit and have it in like smaller rooms. And it doesn't even have to be colorful. It could be just that you decide on a neutral wallpaper and it has a pattern and you take it up to the ceiling. You you can have a kind of watered down version, but that's still quite a trend. And I think it's quite a lovely trend that hopefully will stick around. 

Mm. 

Yeah. 

Yeah, 

I think you're right. And actually recently, one of my clients, I suggested a William Morris print, but it's on a rug and the scale is so huge that it takes it from being, you could say, dated, it's not, obviously it's William Morris, to something that is actually quite contemporary, but you've still got that sort of museum feel of, you'll recognise it as being a pattern from the past, but it's used in the colours. 

are true to the original, but oh my goodness, it's gorgeous. So this is exactly what you're saying. It could look a little bit eccentric, it's not to everyone's taste, but it's beautiful. And if that's showing your personality, then do it 100%. So yeah, bringing in bit of colour if you're not sure, there's other ways, aren't there, to bring in that sort of curated museum-y style feel, know, paint your skirting boards or your... 

Mmm. 

your coving, your cornices, your architraves in a different colour. So everything isn't just sort of showhouse beige or magnolia, you know, you've just got your personality starting to shine through. It's brilliant. 

Absolutely, be confident in yourself. I think once you start, you won't stop. 

Yeah. 

This is it. But yeah, why stop? Why? Yeah, it's good fun. And that's the thing, you should put a smile on your face and everyone who comes to see you. you know, there are rooms for being serious in, aren't there? And there are rooms that you need to live in. 

No, don't stop, keep going! 

I 

It's, and if you balance all the tones of the colour, they work. That's the other thing. It comes back to, you kind of think, how can people put all these patterns together? Because the hues work, the colours are of the same family, but maybe they're different, but they've got the same undertones, so they have a link. So just be careful with it. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. And another big trend we're still seeing is the sustainable, secondhand upcycled as we've been big champions on from actually episode two, I think it was finding treasure. We talked about the amazing things you can go and find in charity shops, auction houses for a fraction of the price. They've got history, they've got style and they're well-made. 

Anyway. 

Mm. 

bring them into your home, upcycle them if you need to, it's far better to change the seat pad with a fabric upholstery that you love and still bring it into your home yeah, huge fans of that. Obviously sustainable. A lot of paints and wallpapers now are made from different materials that are, eco 

Water-based paints are everywhere, even for things like painting MDF units, it's now water-based acrylics instead of oil-based. So, it's much, much easier for us as a generation to embrace sustainable, isn't it? 

I think so, used to be quite hippie to be like, thinking about the environment, but I think now it's, and it's also more acceptable. I think there is, there was a bit of a thing, why are buying auction furniture? Why are you buying stuff from charity shops? Well, that has kind of gone out the window. You've seen it especially with fashion as well, coming back to fashion, it's always a trickle effect, isn't it, with interiors. And now it's, 

You 

Mmm. 

It has, I mean, it's a really good thing. It's created this buzz about how can I, you know, source special things. it's about finding unique things And that's really exciting. And that comes back to identifying your own character and finding things that are unique to you and make you go, oh, I love that. And as you said, I do love a good auction, but once 

if it's furniture like chairs and such like that, if you upholster them yourself, you I think, yeah, it makes that difference between it's something I bought that was secondhand to I claimed it for me. So, you good way to find your own identity in pieces that are unique and also so much better made 

Mm. 

But also, like we said, you can find sort of much more contemporary pieces out there as well, because this whole cycle of auction has just opened up even more. 

yeah. 

Mm. 

There's pieces for all styles out there. 

Right. Question six. What window treatments work best for privacy without losing natural light? This lady, Helen in Ealing, my front lounge window is not far from a busy pavement that has a lot of people walking past. I don't want to the curtains drawn, obviously. I will keep the lights off at night, because obviously I know what she means. Everyone can sort of see through. 

bit like a goldfish bowl. So how can we help this lady? 

Well, yeah, first hand information growing up in London, I know exactly what you're talking about and you know Sue from living in London as well. Helen that you do get and also you're quite close to the street a lot of the time, aren't you? So it's quite a hard one, but you don't want to block the light. Well, there's a few options that I've seen in action. 

Mmm. 

Mm. 

There is obviously the film that you can put onto the windows. That's the first way to do it, which is a cheaper way, which kind of opaques it. So you can do it just on the lower part. 

Mm. 

if she's got sash windows. The other thing you can do is you can actually replace the glass in the window and have it tinted so that it's one way vision, which a lot of people I've seen have in London. So you can look out where they can't look in, which is like a bit like in the office buildings, they use it, but now it's kind of filtered down to housing. And the third is you can actually get windows made with the flick system. they opaque but like, you know what's happening in bathrooms? 

Okay. 

Hmm. Wow. 

yeah. 

They're doing that in slash windows now. 

)

that's quite an expensive option. I think it's amazing, My initial response would be to have lots of layered options. 

Yeah. 

They do this really well in America I've seen and sort of some of the older homes but you know they might have a lovely sheer voile curtain around the outside and then you could have a an opaque blind that's on a roller so the top part of it is hidden away so you can't see it because obviously roller blinds are not pretty to look at but you could have that so you can pull that as a first line of defense against prying eyes at certain times of day if you want to. 

you could have a secondary blind within that which might have some sort of blackout or lining that people can't see through is a Roman blind. So you've got different ways of having the curtains open, semi-open, all the way down, blocked out. Obviously it needs to look pretty at the end of the day giving yourself options, obviously. 

Okay. 

you. 

We don't want to shut the light out. So layering translucence in there with the ability to have a total, I'm shutting this window out, this dark night out have that ability as well is a good thing to do. you might be that you feel comfortable with the lower level shutters, for example. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. 

and people can't see in from buildings over the road. you can do something along those lines. 

Yeah, because shutters, the one that you said about, they work really well because you can have tier on tier. I have them here, you can open up the top during the day, but still have the privacy at the bottom and then close up, mechanism can be changed to suit what your window needs. So definitely a hot tip 

So we're just going to talk about our three makeover memos this week, which we've touched on one already, but for hanging artwork or other things, objets that are lightweight, you might have like you've got a lovely collection of hats in your entrance vestibule, haven't you? But they're really nice and it shows the sort of slightly eccentric sort of house you're going into. 

Yes. 

you 

You know when we see things in shops, there's always a collection of them and we always get very attracted to them and then we take them home and we think why doesn't that work? It's because it hasn't got any friends and that's what you're saying, know, that eclectic mix can be something that they all have a little bit of something in common but they work together to make a mass feel so that's something like my hats, they have a connection. 

Yeah. Yeah. 

but they're not all the same. there is a thread through them and I think that's what you're talking about there. And it is that kind of thing of taking something home and then you put it in its own. It doesn't have the same impact. know, multiples always work well together. 

No. 

Yeah, so, you on a wall, can easily hang them these days with these special hanging hooks. So you don't have to drill into the space either. But like you say, if you find something that's a collection of, I don't know, it could be old records or guitars. We've seen hung on walls before. But some things are going to be too heavy 

Turn. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. 

but often you can just like a collection of little mirrors for example. So like you say, something that's got a relationship to the other things that it's hung with, but it gives sort of a hint to your personality, very easy to create. Don't have to get the drill out, just get these amazing wall hanging fixes. So 3M do them, you can get them from B &Q, places like that very easily. But then you just create almost an art installation in a few hours. Yeah, easy to do. 

Yeah. 

Absolutely. 

Second thing, I was very skeptical about these, but I've seen a few recently, don't know if you have, Deb, these self-adhesive wall tiles. 

after. 

Yeah, because I don't know, I think of really tacky materials but it's changed, hasn't it? It's changed. Yeah. 

They've come on leaps and bounds. So I saw an 

example of somebody who'd installed a wall in a bath area of the herringbone tiles and it looked like the real thing. And also she'd come back to look at them after they'd been up for three months when sometimes you get maybe like saggy edges or things peeling off and they were as good as new. So I think if it's properly installed and you've got a good quality. 

Mmm. 

Yeah. 

product within this range. It's a 

bit like AI. I didn't want to like it because it feels like you're cheating, but actually for the right reasons why not use it? It might be you're saving up for a bathroom refurb, but it might just be something you install now and it's still there in two years time because it actually looks great. 

Absolutely, I think, you know, 

Budget is key as well in interiors and if the budget isn't there to do everything but you need to fix it there are options out there that can give you that fix you know so until you can change it 

That's 

And the third and final one this week is wall lights are making a big comeback actually, aren't they? And that's a good thing to see. But another thing, if you don't want to commit to drilling into or chasing the wiring through, getting electrician in, you can now have these wireless rechargeable wall lights. And about 

Two years ago they first sort came in and they looked a bit naff and it's a bit like the wall tiles now they look amazing. So if you've got a lovely piece of artwork and you want to have an art light above it then they're again magnetic sort of the holder on the wall and pop your light on and off you go. But there's some really pretty designs these days. 

Yes. 

Absolutely, and even that extends into lamps. So if you haven't got a socket, because that's the other thing, you know how it's annoying that you've got cables running over it, you can get the same fittings for lamps you know what, it's come along in leaps and bounds, what you can do quite easily, problem solvers. all for it, definitely. And you can... 

)

Yeah, 

know, wall lights, like sconces that's becoming all back in vogue But you can do it in a contemporary or a classic way. I know I'm looking into sconces at the moment, but it's a case of, you know, it can work and you don't have to commit. So then you're more likely to go ahead with it. 

Yeah. 

which is quite freeing, isn't it really? You don't have to get the expense from the electrician in plaster and all the things that happen, you know, when you start messing around with walls, it's a kind of, hey, just go for it. Yeah. 

Mm. 

Exactly. And even people like Pooky do it, you can find them on B &Q, Wayfair, Pretty much everyone now is offering some lovely wall light sconces, as you say, ideas and models. So not expensive. And also, as you say, rechargeable lighting in general now, even just not for the garden, but for in the home, if you haven't got a plug socket, fantastic, something to go for. So that's... 

and 

room 

Yeah 

That's it. We have reached the end of this Q &A session, which we have actually divided into two episodes. But thank you so much for joining me Deb from a gloomy day in Great Britain. 

Well, thanks to everyone for the great questions. I mean, they really have made me think 

And it's all so personal, isn't it? but it's all about how it's unique for you. if you have any further questions, 

please do email us at contact at allaboutdesign.online and we'll be back very, soon. So have a good day, take care.