Earn your stripes A luxe look without the high-end price tag

Interior designer Sallie Chater has worked hard to create a luxe look, without the high-end price tag, in her elegant Bedford semi

Every piece in your home should tell a story about you,’ says Sallie Chater, who lives in a five-bedroom semi-detached Victorian house in a picturesque area of Bedford, with partner Duncan and children, Coco, seven and Bay, five. As founder and director of Interiorsat58, and having spent many years working in publishing as a creative project manager and advertising director on magazines, Sallie has a shrewd eye for good design. ‘If you see something and it means something personal to you, just go for it – it will work,’ she says.

Sallie’s home is testament to this philosophy: silk scarves by one of her favourite artists, Richard Weston, have been stretched, framed and hung as statement pieces in the living room. The scarves, which portray magnified photographic images of mineral rocks, serve as bespoke artwork but at a fraction of the price. ‘Style can look high-end and still be affordable,’ says Sallie.

Similarly, two large gold frames in the dining area feature a baroque-style gold and duck-egg-blue wallpaper – a beautiful and low-cost alternative to papering an

entire wall. ‘It’s about being inventive; investing in the big things and mixing and matching the rest,’ explains Sallie. Kartell table lamps sit alongside pieces from stores such as Dunelm and Ikea, and there’s a juxtaposition of influences, from vintage Parisian to modern Scandinavian, throughout the property.

When the couple moved in six years ago, the house was cold and old-fashioned. Sallie removed the dated carpets before lime-waxing and whitewashing the floorboards to complement the cool, calm colour palette. Stairs – which originally led from the kitchen up to a corridor dividing Bay’s bedroom and a spare room – were removed and the dividing wall was knocked down to create a more spacious area for Bay to play in.

Original features from the Victorian building – such as bell pulls, which now frame the fireplace – remain intact: ‘We kept the pillar in Bay’s bedroom; he loves racing toy cars around it,’ says Sallie. It was this passion for design, combined with her creative background in the media, that led to the birth of Interiorsat58. Sallie realised that there was a gap in the market for an interior design company offering a high-end look without the price tag. ‘I view interiors the same way as fashion: you can dress beautifully without having to spend a fortune,’ says Sallie.

Her ethos struck a chord and what began as a few low-key projects soon became a full-time business. ‘I started this company on a small scale, advising friends and colleagues on designing and decorating properties,’ says Sallie. ‘I never dreamed it would take off in this way and that I’d be able to build on something that makes me so happy.’

‘I view interiors the same way as fashion: you can dress beautifully without having to spend a fortune,’ SAYS SALLIE

CHIC CORNER Parisian influences are peppered throughout the house. A Kartell lamp adds a contemporary feel to the ornate dresser. The polar bear side table is from The French Bedroom Company

ROOM FOR TWO A small sofa in the kitchen allows guests to chat to Sallie while she’s cooking. The pictures are from a world map series and the frames from Ikea

LIVING ROOM Duncan’s collection of original Star Wars lobby cards enlivens the wall above the original fireplace

LIVING ROOM ‘This is our sanctuary so we wanted it to feel relaxing,’ says Sallie. The walls are painted in Craig & Rose’s soothing Hemp Beige

MAIN BEDROOM ‘In our room, I wanted to keep the walls simple and let the prints by Tim Knifton, who photographs derelict locations, be the hero pieces,’ explains Sallie. For a similar geometric rug, try Plantation Rug Company

BAY’S BEDROOM ‘Bay wants to be a racing driver when he grows up. He’s always playing with cars and a lot of his clothes feature car prints,’ says Sallie. The racetrack rug is from Little Helper. For a similar bunk bed, try Cuckooland