Create a superior interior
You now own a new house; time to make it into your home. Some people love this part, others dread making an expensive mistake. Here are a few ideas to ponder.
DO
Always remember William Morris’ advice: ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’ He gave interior design its Rossetta stone back in Victorian times; as true today as ever.
Take your time. If you can’t find what you want, then wait. A successful look can take years to complete and evolves to suit your needs at the time.
Try to choose the fabrics first for a room, you will find that every other decision then falls into place.
Use the connecting colours technique: a main colour from your living room flows into others - a rug in the hall, or cushions or chair covers, even storage jars in the kitchen, bringing the whole house together.
Decide on your big-ticket items. Is it going to be an investment, quality piece that can be re upholstered, repaired or reconditioned time and again? If so don’t be afraid to spend.
DON’T
Buy it just because it is the height of fashion, unless you really love it. Let all those avocado-green bathroom suites and tiles of the 1970s be a warning to you.
Go for patterns that are all the same size, people will get dizzy. The safest advice is one big and a couple of smaller ones in a room.
Rush and feel pressured into buying because of a sale price or special offer; some of the biggest mistakes are made that way.
Don’t forget that everyone in the family will be living here, right down to the family pets and even some members who haven’t been born yet. That delicate, dry-clean-only fabric could be a big mistake a few years from now.
Don’t always buy ready-made in a big store. Scotland has an army of craftsmen and women who work wonders with fabrics and furniture makers and designers creating unique pieces.