Hot Off the Press: Interior Designer Interview

It's that transition time of year whether you're stalking the shops for a new winter coat or updating your interiors with cosy cushions and thicker throws. I do enjoy this time of year but the darker and colder mornings make it that bit harder to get out of bed. I'm one of those people who has to get up and out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off. None of this having several alarms going off at scheduled times apart. Oh no, bite the bullet and get out of bed before my body knows what it's doing. 

I know I've been in a blogging hiatus recently and for that I do apologise. I can't promise that I will fully get back into the swing of things but I will try my best to post as and when I have something useful to say. I definitely want to share our garden as after all the hard work over the summer it is looking rather splendid, even if I do say so myself. 

Anyway, first up I wanted to share a professional interiors insight with you. The work of Anna Palmer a professional interior designer recently caught my attention as she's teamed up with Bathroom Heaven and you might remember that our small bathroom is next on my hit list. So when the opportunity arose to interview Anna I jumped at the chance. Here's what we discussed...

Q. What are the upcoming colour trends that we should be looking out for?
A. Copper, with its rich, warm and inviting feel is very much in at the moment. It works particularly well in kitchens and bathrooms and can create a stunning focal point in an otherwise plain interior. Copper has found its way as a feature with a plethora of accessories, making it even easier to use this beautifully hued metal as an accent colour.

Grey is the new neutral these days and works well with pops of colour alongside. I have seen some wonderful grey interiors with accents of yellow.

Via Decor8 Photo from Angelica Gonzalez

Q. How would you go about decorating a small bathroom?
A. Any space will feel larger if it’s lighter and brighter so start off with choosing the colour of your tiles and paint wisely; anything too dark will absorb light and make the room appear smaller. Consider putting in a wall hung WC which ‘floats’ above the floor. Lighting can help create height and depth in a space. Achieve this by adding an LED lightstrip underneath a wall hung vanity sink unit and Illuminating above the sink and in the shower area with task lighting. Include a large mirror or mirrored cabinet to bounce light around the room and lights either side to create the appearance of more space in the room.

Melissa Davis 

Q. What are your top tips for injecting personality into a space?
A. I saw a painting at the entrance of a flea market I went to years ago with my sister. It really caught my eye but was a bit on the expensive side plus I didn’t want to be carrying it around for the next few hours so decided against purchasing it. On my way out it was still there but reduced to half price! I bought it and every time I look at it, even now, it gives me great pleasure and reminds me of the fun I had on that day with my sister. The things we put in our space should have a positive effect on us – buy what makes you feel good. It’s hard to explain sometimes why something makes us feel the way we do but it’s all linked the our personality.

Kiitos Marimeko

Use a side table to display unusual objects, your favourite coffee-table book or a beautiful ornament/bust. It adds a depth and wonderful interest to a room and gives a glimpse of you and what you like. Add a light behind to illuminate and help showcase your life. I have a friend who has a wall dedicated to displaying all his many books he’s collected over the years. He says he’ll never get rid of them because every time he needs inspiration he’ll look at a book and remember what he’s read, where he read it and how it made him feel. It’s a personal thing but one which give him great pleasure and is a link to his past.

Erika Brechtel

Q. What are your favourite resources for inspiration?
A. Google is great for sourcing images and I use Pinterest to collect them and store on one of my many boards I have created. It’s also important to see products, if possible, before buying so I find myself in many a department store which are great places for inspiration. I travel by push-bike in London and I find myself stopping far too often to look into large window displays! It’s all very tempting…

Great tips! A big thank you to Anna for answering my questions and being a part of my blog. I hope you all found what she had to say helpful. 

Claire x