Sight
This seems obvious when talking about interior design as it is mainly thought of as a visual art. But our sight is so complex and has many different considerations from the perception to the interpretation of what is around us.  Our vision as humans is dependant on light and the quality and intensity of it changes how we see everything. Our eyes help us see colour and our bi-occular vision (two eyes) gives us 3D appreciation of a space. All of this is processed in our brain and this is why people can be seeing the same colour, and depending on their situation, light intensity and mood, they will describe it differently and have various emotional responses to it.
Keeping this in mind when designing a space really helps focus the thought on light and colour. What is the orientation of the room in relation to the sun? Where is the light source coming from? When will this room be used and for what purpose? Lots of light is generally thought of as a good thing, it wakes us up and energises us, so it's great when your room has large windows that flood the room with light. It is also important to consider appropriate task lighting, such as a mirror with a backlight (check out the video) or your worktop/space having good lighting.
Next consideration is mood lighting, so when creating an intimate or relaxing space choose a softer lighting mode. An ingenious mode of lighting for night time which keeps us in our natural circadian rhythms is navigation lighting, which is a very low glow from the objects that we want to use or need to interact with at night time to allow us to not disrupt your natural wake/sleep patterns. The Geberit orientation lights which can either be under the WC or incorporated into the flush plate emanate a soft glow that allow the body to not fully wake up when using the space at night time, and therefore allowing you to drift back off to sleep easily afterwards.

Sound
With all the hard surfaces in a bathroom, they can sometimes become an echoic chamber and that is the opposite of a relaxing sensory space. So to tackle this, I advise upping the soft textures as much as possible, be it with open shelves displaying beautiful towels, lovely woven floor rugs and even lush planting to soften the space and create a better acoustic space. The sound of flowing water when running a bath or having a shower is another relaxing sound that we are drawn to. We associate it with freshness and cleanliness and imagine ourselves being under a beautiful waterfall, bathing ourselves (you have the visual now I'm sure).  Maximising the positive sounds in a bathroom is great, so I always recommend playing some relaxing jazz or soul music when having a bath, it allows the mind to distract itself from our thoughts and just be in the moment, with the water and the music. Geberit have thought of this element too in reducing sound transmission from the waste pipes in your home and even the way the toilet flushes. They are real sticklers for the detail - they even have a sound lab in Switzerland! They use three unique ways to test sound. First is to have their entire flushing and drainage system on a pre-wall including having a wall hung toilet, this reduces the vibration and hence sound going through the walls of the house. Secondly they have silent drainage pipes, that dampen the sounds of the water going through them. Last but not least, their rimless Turboflush WCs have the most silent flushes I have EVER heard - or not heard... You get what I mean.

​Colour: A blend of different neutral colours will help balance off the space. Make sure that there are colour variations through the space and that it is not just all "brilliant white". It is important to introduce warmth though the colours by going for softer sandy toned whites. Despite it being a warm climate I would avoid any bluish whites or cool whites as they can seem quite flat and sterile. Carry your neutrals through all the elements of the design including wall colours, lighting and soft furnishings. You can consider adding one or two complimentary accent colours in the space, but remember that these will scream for attention against the neutrals. So be smart, use colours found in nature, deep blues, and greyed greens are excellent starting points. 

​Texture: This cannot be emphasised enough. Go big on texture. Exposed stone,  lightly oiled wood, linen and other woven fabrics are great here. The trulli have oodles of texture in their stone, in fact plastering only part of the wall up can help to highlight the more beautiful features and draw the eye up to the vaulted ceilings. The floors are usually bare stone, each slab with its own natural colouring and texture. 

Art: The Puglian people are very humble and modest. Art is usually found in the form of ceramics (you can use ceramics also for your lighting), so get your hands on some gorgeous bowls, pots and urns. Trulli are quite simple places so that is usually all the decoration you might find in a typical Puglian space. The bigger Masserias (fortified farm buildings) were the properties of wealthier land owners. These were decorated in a more elaborate way and one can also find frescoes. Now, were not used to frescoes in the UK but basically it entails painting directly onto wet plaster, this can sounds like a bit of a faff, but  you can consider possibly adding a simple trompe-l'oeil on a bare wall to create a panelled look if you are that artistically inclined or using some gorgeous wallpaper murals such as those below.

So a few weeks ago I was down in London visiting a clients project and one of the days I happened to have a spare few hours so I hopped on a tube to Chelsea Harbour to visit the design centre. I had never been there before and I was so overwhelmed by the vastness of the space and the array of phenomenal brands represented there. This was 2 days before the London design week opened and most of the showrooms were in frenzy sorting out their displays and latest collections, but even just viewing the stunning windows I was impressed by the sheer beauty and vastness of services one can get from a place. As a designer based outside of London, it made me want to move to Chelsea just to be near such great sourcing and inspiration all under one roof! I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the space but I just took this from outside to show you how phenomenal it truly is!

​From there I thought I would walk as the weather wasn't too bad and I needed to stretch my legs. So off I went down Lots road, past the infamous Lots Road Auction house - I just had to go in and have a look around. Some phenomenally well priced pieces of beautiful furniture was at my fingertips! 

Lots road on its own was one phenomenal designer after another and trade only showrooms and antique warehouses. A phenomenal road where inspiration and design energy is literally vibrating in the air. I headed right down Kings road heading north eastwards where I stumbled across the glorious showroom of Dimitri Stefanov - Rock Crystal Chandeliers! What a sexy showroom that is! If you love crystals and chandeliers as much as I do, here is a must do, even if you just stand and watch the pair of 6ft crystal chandeliers in the showroom window suspended over a large mirror and drool a little just like I did - its worth it!

​Plodding on a bit I passed Bretz (the Istanbul and London based luxury interior design studio) and the road curves slightly and a little further down the road on the right is the insanely beautiful showroom of Timothy Oulton. I cant begin to describe it apart form absolutely bonkers and stunning at the same time. Have a look at these photos! There was a wall full of blue and white chinoiserie dinnerware, a toy train going around the store (Half of it looked like a traditional Victorian steam train, the other half was graffitied to look like a New York subway train. The collection of design ideas and alternative use of simple every day objects to create a phenomenal display was so expertly executed. If you are ever in this area please spare a moment and drop in, its phenomenal. 

I persevered, literally wanting to carry everything in there with me... I dragged myself out onto Kings road and off I was again. Down the road to Osbourne and Little and the Designers Guild, both with their infamous collection of wallpaper and fabrics. I don't know how long I spent in here, I looked at each and every single fabric and wallpaper sample they had out. For a designer this is basically brain food! And I was lapping it up!

​Most homes take a lot of time and dedication to work just right for a family. Each room serves for more than one function usually and takes time for the family to get harmony in a space. But sometimes despite time, many trials of different layouts and schemes, the home just doesn't feel like it is functioning to its best ability.

​Everyone has areas in their home which don't quite work, this may be an office or a spare bedroom, or even a dining room. Sometimes these areas can extend and take over the whole house. Be it because of changing family circumstances and needs, or just not having had the brain space to properly focus on and tackle the space. 

​These areas can be really tricky to deal with and this is when you should call in help. You may feel overwhelmed with the thought of starting a project, because of time constraints, lack of inspiration or lack of knowledge on process.

This is the time to engage with your friendly interior designer. We can help you visualise the space from a fresh perspective. We can help deliver solutions for your most pressing problems, be it storage, or flow within your space making it more usable and valuable to you. We can also help you avoid costly mistakes such as buying the wrong sofa, installing the wrong tile in a bathroom, or putting the kitchen in the wrong space. 

But just when is the best time to hire an interior designer? The short answer, is as early as possible. I've been involved with clients from their property search phase where I helped give them vision and ideas for the properties that we short listed. It is important as this allows you to visualise the space in its final state, sometimes this can be very difficult to think about at the viewing stage. It encouraged them to go for a property that needed a bit of work, but all properties will need some work, even if it is just aesthetic, so why not invest in somewhere that can truly be spectacular. 

​Another client hired me prior to embarking on an extension to their townhouse. This allowed the space to be design led, and not just functional but also beautiful. We worked with the architect and building team to develop a scheme that was considered and beautiful, delivering the kind of space that was practical but also had its aesthetics planned. This would included the lines of sight that one would achieve inside the property and the views in and out of the space.  Everything down to the positioning of lamps in the living room and the phone chargers in the kitchen was considered. 

So in short, ask for help in creating your beautiful dream home as early as possible. This will give you the best outcome and avoid any costly mistakes.  Head to our contact page now to book your free initial consultation. 

Bare Brick: I adore this look, its quite easy to come by this in industrial buildings or in older houses. They add great amounts of texture and colour to a space. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that your brick wall will be pretty as it depends on how the wall was built. even in the picture here you can see there are some bricks put in a different orientation to the others. But overall this can add to the character of the space. You can leave this bare (just make sure you seal the exposed bricks), or you can paint it with masonry paint if you wanted to mute down the colours or create something more artistic. 

Cons: Need to really think about insulation if this is an external wall.

​Photo: Cape Cod Collegiate 

Bare Plaster: This is another high texture finish for internal walls. The plaster usually dries in a soft pink finish with beautiful natural variations in the colour intensity and finish. I was very tempted to leave bare plaster in one of our bedrooms as it was he perfect colour of soft pink that I wanted! This surface can be sealed and left bare. It reflects a warm light off it into the space.

Cons: Any marks in the plaster will forever be on show, so be sure that the plasterer does good work quickly as any joint lines can affect the look. 

​Photo: VOGUE Australia 

Painted walls: This the easiest way and is a default for most people. I wont discuss colour choices as that is for a different blog but I encourage you to look at painting walls and their features from a different perspective.

• Does the whole wall need to be the same colour?
• What about the skirting?
• What about the picture rail?
• What about the coving or corncing? 
• How about horizontal dividing line along the wall?
• Why not a diagonal line?
• Can you zone an area of a room or a corner with a different colour?
• How does this colour relate to the floors and the ceiling?
• Does the paint need to be matt? What would a glossy or satin finish wall look like?

Cons: if you have an old house, plaster can move and crack and show up in your paintwork. 
Photo: Domino

Wallpapers and Wall Murals: Now this is where things can get really exciting. There is a gigantic selection of wall papers on the market, from subtle to more out there designs, like this stunning example from De Gournay . Its a super quick way of updating the feel of a space. Its important to consider scale, colour and finish with wallpapers. Here are some pointers:

• Get samples before you put in your order, sometimes metallic finishes aren't well translated though online purchases.
• Make sure its from the same batch, as there is a strong possibility of having a completely different colour if you get a different batch. This mightn't sit well with the original wallpaper.
• If you are matching paints to the paper, wait until you get your paper in, as the batch from the sample might be different. 
• In high traffic areas consider a matt varnish on top to protect them.

​Cons: More costly than paint, and can be tricky to hang properly

Panelling: This is a beautiful way to add structural interest to your walls. It can be formal and elegant like shown here on the side, more rustic with a tongue and groove look, or individual and artistic with a Hex wall like used by KarenAnita. It is relatively uncomplicated to do simple patterns yourself. For more complex patterns and details I would involve the professionals. Some points to remember

• Always use a spirit level
• Make sure your walls are straight
• Consider the height of your furniture
• Caulk is your friend

Cons: Can be very expensive if you don't DIY.

​Photo: Modernfloorlamps.net

Vinyl: These are a lot more resilient than standard wall paper and paint. You are more likely to see these in commercial spaces but they have become a lot more exciting than they sound. They can be pure vinyl with printed patterns, or vinyl backed paper or fabric. The choice in these is growing daily and the example on the side by  Textura shows their beautiful "Endo" collection which has a stone underlay with a crackle finish above.

Keep this option in mind if you have a high traffic area that you want something more robust for.

Fabric: Now I hear you say, What on earth! but yes you can use beautiful fabrics to cover your walls There are many methods that can be considered. 

• If you are using a light weight fabric you can use starch to apply it to the wall. Its also a great solution for renters as it comes off super easy.
• If you are using a heavier fabric, you can drape it like a curtain or use it to create fabric over panels that cover the whole wall. Create one big panel or many smaller ones with the same or various different fabrics to mix up the look.

Some of you might be thinking that this will be very expensve to do, but in reality, some light weight fabrics can be a lot cheaper than high end wallpaper. 
Here is a blog post on Apartment Therapy about how to starch a light weight fabric to the wall as shown with the beautifully colourful fabric here. 

Cons: Can be a bit messy and tricky to get it all aligned. I would advise to stay away from very structured patterns on the fabric if its your first time.