Woodchip off old block

My house has been a disaster zone for 15 months. I’ve been having major renovations done. By the time it came to painting skirting boards and picking hinges, I was ready to run off and live in a cave.

I’m delighted with the results but it made me realise how much my tastes have changed.

A recent survey on our most hated interior design features made me laugh, as my parents embraced all the top offenders.

Woodchip walls are enemy No1 now – but as a kid, I thought it was magic. Just pick at the paper and watch the wood fall out. I developed quite a habit and my walls ended up massacred. Other style trends we now hate include carpets in bathrooms and statement walls.

But I was surprised to learn “covering the sofa in plastic” didn’t make the cut.

Or was that just my family? Weird, maybe. But I tell you what, that sofa still looks new 40 years on.