We set a certain expectation the minute we open our front door to guests. Do you want them to think “wow I can’t wait to come in and see more” or “hmm, I’m not sure this home is going to wow me”?
I have made a considerable effort in my own home to be in the first category and I try to emulate this in my clients’ homes. Everyone wants a wow factor, there’s no getting away from that. One of the best ways to create this is with a statement stair runner, if you have stairs. Of course a floor runner can be equally effective in a single storey home. It draws the eye into your home and it can be complemented with lots of statement artwork. I’ve also used hats and bags as additional wow factor.
Once they are over the threshold, you need to ensure that all their needs are met. So many homes I enter expect me to remove my shoes yet provide nowhere to sit to take them off except the stairs. Sound familiar? Do you have a place to hang their coat and hat? Somewhere to put their handbag down and a mirror to check their appearance? All of these things help create a welcoming feeling for guests. Start the way you mean to go on, from the moment your guests cross that threshold.
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Every home needs to create an impact as soon as you open the front door, to draw the eye in and make you want to enter. It creates that feelgood factor that is so important when you open the front door.
Further to a previous blog post about the Clapham mews house, I’ve completed the work and the house is now on the market. Yesterday, Friday 10th May 2019, the property was featured in The Times as House of the Week ! Sadly I’m not mentioned in the article as the interior designer neither Shelley Hugh-Jones who I used to design the courtyard garden and terrace planting, but it’s great to see the house featured in the newspaper.
January started with a vengeance from a work perspective but I managed to squeeze in some outings. First up, a day of sourcing for clients started with a visit to the Decorative Fair in Battersea Park and then to one of my favourite haunts for client sourcing, Golborne Road.
From where to start, how to choose a brand and a colour, through to adding little pops of colour to a grey-themed room, here are my tips on how to lighten up.
This week has been action packed. I’m furiously trying to finish a two-bedroom flat which the owners want to put on the market asap (they are moving out of London and already put in an offer on a house).
Create the optimum look for your room, no matter which way it faces. Here are my tips for north-, south-, east- and west-facing rooms.
I’m delighted to announce that my home is featured in the latest issue of Homes & Antiques magazine’s Art Issue. The beautiful images were taken by the brilliant photographer Mark Bolton. His wife Sarah Bolton wrote the feature.
CLIENT PROFILE:
Large Edwardian family home in Tooting, South West London, with a well established bed & breakfast Parklands Bed & Breakfast.
I was contacted by the client to revamp the guest suites and communal areas with new colour schemes and to restyle each room with different accessories. In most instances I was able to recycle all the accessories in the property.
CLIENT PROFILE:
Single professional male; first home he has owned; South West London two bedroom ground floor Victorian apartment; east facing.
The client had no furniture when he moved in except a deck chair! The whole apartment needed to be painted, decorated and filled with furniture and accessories. His brief was for a stylish and comfortable design as his previous abode had been a real bachelor pad! And all on a very small budget.
It's so important to create an instant visual impact because people form an opinion of your home within the first 20 seconds of entering. Here's another beautiful stair runner I created.