Experiment with layout - the position of furniture can determine the success or failure of a room.
A room can be a mess, but you shove the furniture around a bit and it looks quite good.
Know when to stop.
You can kill the look of a house by adding too much stuff.
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Don’t be a sheep.
It’s both alluring and easy to look at magazines (sorry!), social media etc and to fall into following the prevailing zeitgeist. Be an individual. Find your own taste by exposing yourself to museums, galleries, art books, decoration books and as many houses both old and modern as you can get into – then express it. It doesn’t have to be what is regarded as ‘good taste’ .
I can't stand that beige, Oriental-fusion, hotel-anywhere look.
It makes me feel quite unwell.
Try to avoid clichés.
You have to be able to sit down and possibly you want a traditional interior but a sofa, two chairs, a club fender and a stool/coffee table can be improved upon by some imagination. Invest if you can in one or two design classics – they should keep their value and will sharpen up a look. Go to the antiques fairs and look at the stands of people like Foster & Gane – endless inspiration there for a new interior.
Be exacting on colour.
I adore 'Gustave' by Paint Library. Even though it's been discontinued, they'll mix a colour to match its exact shade of pale grey blue for you.
Take care when choosing fabric from swatches.
I once looked at a tiny piece of fabric that was the perfect colour in the hand, but when I had it made into a stool, it was so alarming I had it taken away before it hit the ground.
Nothing irritates me more than bad joinery.
You can't disguise it; it ruins everything.
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Choose something simple for the floor.
I love the purity of white stone; it isn't just for hot climates.
Take inspiration from art.
When it comes to colour, I find books of old icons inspiring.
Look at rooms at night.
That's the only way you'll get the light right.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
A day of advice from an expert can save hours of stress at the stage where you are faced with a million questions from the builder or even when you are doing the work yourself. It is so easy to overlook the necessary things like sockets where you need them. Where to sit down to dry your hair etc. Floor, worktop and wall finishes that don’t require constant attention.
Find beauty in unexpected places.
My favourite fabric is Le Manach's 'Mortefontaine'. The colours are so wonderfully ugly, it's horrid; I love it.
Go to really good antique shops
You may not be able to have it but something will inspire you. A boulle writing table, a Rothko painting and a large white sofa and you’re home and dry! Of course, this is rarely possible but the principle extends on a much simpler level. Look for antique textiles to be stretched as a wall panel, or group prints bought in an auction, antique or modern, simply framed. Buy very simple sofas which work in any interior. Try to find the odd quirky chair – you can cover bad legs with a simple skirt! My most treasured possession is a black Italian cartonnier on a stand – I bought it when I first came to Colefax and Fowler and it cost more than a year's salary at the time.
Spend your budget on structure, joinery and really doing the building beautifully.
That lasts. Never mind the tiddley pom, it'll come.
