Pay more attention to visual balance than to symmetry.
You don't always need to have a pair of lamps or a pair of bedside tables. You might have different needs on either side of the bed.
I like a curved sofa.
Its shape allows you to place it almost anywhere in a room without it looking out of place, and it puts people in a more natural position to speak to each other.
Avoid fabrics dyed with synthetic colours.
They don't have the depth or character of natural dyes, because they don't vary in tone.
Mixing furniture from different periods can work well as long as they are great examples of their type.
What doesn't work is having an authentic eighteenth-century piece next to a cheap reproduction. It does not have the same integrity.
Don't spend a fortune on wood or stone floors.
Natural, raw materials should allow you the pleasure of seeing them age gracefully, not the worry of stepping on them. Personally I hate protective finishes, although there are ways of preparing floors when they first get laid to allow them to settle in. Natural stone and wood will gradually build up their own protection, so just be careful at first.
Don’t leave the carpet to last.
The perfect antique (or modern) can be difficult to find once you’ve furnished and chosen fabrics. It should be the first thing and inform the colour scheme and tone of your room.
Don't let the aesthetics of a design overpower its use and function.
The most expensive sofa that I ever sat on was also the least comfortable. Comfort and function are primary. Hopefully aesthetics will follow naturally especially when choosing a sofa. Be aware that a good traditionally made sofa, like a pair of shoes, will take time to reach its best.
Create your own colour references instead of relying on paint charts.
Trend forecasting is a vacuous expression of fashion.When we choose colours for our fabrics and leather, we use flowers, berries, vegetables and minerals as inspiration, even the effect of oxidation and decay, like rusting iron or a sun dried pomegranate I’ve brought back from my farm in Sicily.
A room doesn't need to be 'finished'.
I think it is lovely to have the possibility of ongoing change.
Don’t think that every piece needs to be special to be effective.
Sometimes the most unassuming and inexpensive pieces can have the greatest impact on a room, both in terms of comfort and complimenting the more precious or glamorous pieces. You are not living in a gallery
Don’t waste space on a piece of furniture that isn’t utterly useful or incredibly chic.
(Not to paraphrase William Morris).
Do create a pantry/larder/scullery where possible.
Don’t amalgamate these spaces with your kitchen as these days they can be overheated, kitchens can be too warm and our fridges too cold to store a majority of our food. Having a larder allows you to store most of your food at a cool temperature and if possible a scullery gives you somewhere for the more unsightly aspects, allowing you to make your kitchen look beautiful, unimpeded by having to serve too many different roles. Typically these days, the kitchen is the centre of entertainment and living spaces, the heart of the home. So why not use proper furniture like a dresser and even a sofa, not hard, clinical surfaces everywhere. All too often I hear stories of kitchen companies persuading people to have granite worktops that won’t stain or mark, how ridiculous. What has happened to soft white marble tops or scrubbed timber tables?
Don’t hide away the existence of your life and family
Get out your family pics and school photographs, cover the walls, it always looks great. Guests find it interesting (hopefully).
Do collect antique textiles.
They can be an inspirational starting point to give character, and then by all means add modern to the mix, they can set each other off.
Do find a space to use as a dressing room.
Dressing rooms can be very stylish in themselves but essentially they allow your bedroom to remain uncluttered, as a scullery does for your kitchen. A dressing room can be cleverly incorporated into a small home, but if that is not possible make sure you allow ample wardrobe space even if it reduces the size of your bedroom. Personally in my London home, I am not spoilt for space, I have a small spare bedroom but primarily it is my dressing room . Why have a guest bedroom doing nothing for most of the time?
Sometimes consider painting a cluttered ceiling dark, almost black, it will bring your focus down
Having several low lights, table and floor standing lamps will calm the mood, soften the room with lampshades perhaps, and create nicer shadows. The choice of functional and ambient light is important.
Embrace wear and tear, and the patina of age.
But don't buy anything deliberately distressed, it will just look fake.
Look through books for inspiration.
I have recently sorted out all of my books that were stored away in boxes and they provide so much unique and interesting information. Don’t ever be told it’s all on the internet!
