Painting is my life, livelihood, passion, and ultimate threat to my sanity ☺. I paint, because I love to, I talk about painting, because I want you to love it too. Well, welcome to the splattered, multi-colored world of painting.

This blog pertains to exterior and interior painting considerations, including all the latest tools and products.

I am the hugest fan of playing around with scale, we all know that right? It adds drama it adds intrigue and it propels a room from ordinary to extraordinary in very little time.

If you are a little flumoxed about what to super size how about considering the headboard. There are so many ways you could go when it comes to headboards. I’ve seen simple ones made from MDF, covered in foam and then upholstered, I’ve seen massive tufted velvet ones that literally reach the ceiling but sometimes it’s the unconventional ones that hold the most drama like these below:

How about a piece of super sized art? OK its not a headboard but it acts like one, grounds the room, gives it focus and makes all the items in the space feel dollhouse like.

Or how about a canvas, check out the super cool image below:

Leaving one’s comfort zone is not easy. Period! Take here for example deciding to change the whole colour palette throughout the house with each room a different hue has probably been one of the hardest decorating decisions I’ve made. Everything used to be grey – down pipe grey, except it kept bugging me and only looking cool at certain times of the day. Plus as I transitioned through the house I wanted it to feel cohesive but each space have a slightly different vibe. We’re not finished yet but the end is in sight thank God!

Its been challenging on so many levels not purely because of the colour change but also because accessories that I thought would work and could remain in each space have had to move; rugs, lights, flowers, their colours not quite right with the new palette. Luckily they’ve only moved rooms but its taken a while to get it right and its still not 100 per cent there.

All kids are different, and you may feel like you’ve got your work cut out for you when trying to find a room design that makes them happy. Add to this the fact that your child’s tastes will change as they get older, and you’ll see why it’s vital to get it just right if you don’t want to keep redecorating every couple of years!

The key to the perfect kid’s room is to choose a theme, but don’t overdo it. For instance, if they like skateboarding, why not buy some cheap skateboards and use them as shelves? Or if it’s horses, use silhouette wall stickers instead of wallpaper – they look cooler and can be peeled off if they’re no longer required! It’s usually best to paint walls with tough, wipeable emulsion rather than using wallpaper – as well as being more hard-wearing, it’s cheaper and gives you more design options.

As in any bedroom, the bed should be the centrepiece of the room...

With my new Decoding Design feature I’m planning on taking the mystery out of all those troublesome questions like – what are the coolest house plants around; how to mix ballsy egoistical hues next to quiet restrained ones; designer tricks that you can steal, 6 ways to wake up walls and so on. Seriously you can’t imagine the possibilities they are quite literally endless, and so exciting! Today to kick-start the feature I wanted to take a couple of pages out of my online class (amazing response by the way to everyone who has already reserved a place) and focus on one of the most neglected rooms in our homes the hallway!

If you have a small hallway, narrow, no natural light and not big enough to swing a cat in (not that I would recommend doing that btw) – high five to you. I love challenging rooms. The trick is to decorate them like you would the grandest room in your house. Cosy them...

Slap bang in the middle of Design School with a lovely bunch of people who are on lunch break so I’m sneaking out to spend a second on decoding living rooms.

Why do some work and some don’t? What’s the trick? How do you make them stylish, comfy and not at all museum like?

Let me tell.

From all my years in the biz I will try in a nutshell to break down the most memorable ones I have seen and why they work.

Now I mentioned this the morning but if you super size something in a room, say a painting, a lamp, a mirror it will automatically change the feel of the space and elevate it to a level you can hardly believe. It’s a game changer I promise you.

Pattern is key, pattern is like a herb every room needs pattern in small doses in big doses it doesn’t matter how much you add just add. Cushions, wallpaper, rugs, the odd vase whatever it takes.

Can you style your home like a pro even if you’re not one? Of course the biggest most important trick in the book is to tell a story with the stuff you’ve got. Stylists and designers tell a narrative with not just product selection but also arranging. Not a fake story mind – once working as a designer in America I had to source a vintage tea set which the client set out on a coffee table (year round) in the drawing room – even though they never drunk tea! Seriously – forget faking up some life you don’t ever live be authentic. My house looks like my house whether you bash on the door now or you come over for Design School, nothing gets brought out or put ‘especially away’. What’s the point?

So below some techniques we use as designers and stylists (pretty self explanatory actually) oh and I should mention have patience. You won’t always throw something together in a second it takes...

I have to be super quick this morn as off to a meeting the other side of town. Even though we are in the midst of winter – a very mild one in England I have to say, cozying up the house for the evening is one of my favourite pre supper things to do. Pj’s or loungey clothes on- check, music on check, candles to light indoors and out, a quick trip down the end of the garden to empty the food bin in the compost, feed the birds and gather firewood and then the fire to prepare.

The thing I hate most about the warmer months and don’t take this the wrong way I love the warmer months is no fire. No crackling, smouldering wood in the grate gently scenting the house with wood smoke – my most favourite ever smell. Sometimes I wait a little bit and not turn the music on so the only sound I here as I’m pottering around the kitchen is that of the fire (well in my dreams). The two M’s have crazy hour...

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The range, which includes saucepans and frying pans, is priced from only £5. The pans are made from aluminium, with non-stick inside, and a soft grip silicone handle. Great for students or first time home owners and renters.

House steel grey cookware

For oven to tableware for a contemporary kitchen, the House cookware range in steel grey ceramic is a striking addition for your home.

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