Ashley James: “I wanted my home to represent my passions”

The former Made In Chelsea star gives us a sneak peek into her newly-decorated London flat…

Imoved into this flat in September last year and started decorating straight

away. People can’t believe how quickly I’ve made it feel like home. There’s still quite a lot to do, but I’m really happy with how it all looks so far – it definitely feels nice and cosy. I didn’t spend too much time researching decor ideas beforehand, but I definitely looked at sites like Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration. They are great places for discovering upcoming home brands, too. I don’t follow interior trends, though – they come and go very quickly – so I stick to what I like. There’s a lot going on, designwise, but I think it works. Some

people feel I’ve gone OTT on prints, but I wanted to represent my passions. I love art and I love travelling, so I’ve taken influences from my favourite places. I really like going on safari, so there’s lots of animal inspiration in pretty much & every room. You really don’t have to spend a fortune to decorate – I love

bargains. The high street is amazing – I particularly like H&M Home, Debenhams and John Lewis. My favourite place to shop is Audenza – half of my stuff is from there! They do amazingly quirky designs and lots of fun pieces. My favourite room is my living room – it’s quite unique yet still feels like a cosy and calm place to chill out. It’s quite a statement and I feel super proud of it – it feels like me.

❛ MY LIVING ROOM IS QUITE A STATEMENT – I’M SUPER PROUD OF IT AND IT FEELS LIKE ME ❜

wall of frame “I love having photos and prints around my home. This wall of pictures is filled with some of my happiest memories.”

sofa so good “I really wanted a pink velvet sofa and I found this one by Rose & Grey. It’s exactly what was hoping for.” art lover “I’m really interested in art, and this piece by The Connor Brothers is one of my favourites. I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic – and this made me smile.” animal magic “This wallpaper and lamp design is by Emma J Shipley – it’s quite bold but it works!” picture perfect “I’ve bought a couple of pieces from Jay Rutland (Tamara Ecclestone’s husband) at The Maddox Gallery – he’s so nice! He knew that splashing out on art was a big deal for me, so to help me celebrate buying my new place, he sent me this amazing print of myself! I love it – it fits perfectly with my DJ station.”

“This Mickey Mouse fridge is a limited edition from SMEG. I absolutely love it!”