At home with: Livedin365

1. What’s your favourite area in your home and why?

My favourite area would have to be our knocked through kitchen and playroom.  We did the work ourselves about 3 years ago and although it was painful at the time it was well worth it.  We’re still working on it now as we didn’t have the funds to do everything we wanted at the time but I love the way it has come together slowly.  We spend so much time in there and it opens out onto the garden which is great for the warmer weather.

2. Describe your home...

Our house was built in the 1920s and I like the interior to reflect this era as it is also an era of interior design I love, particularly the art deco influences.  However, we have also always been a fan of 1960s/mid-century design and we wanted to incorporate this into the house so I describe it as 1920s with a 1960s update.  I love colour and pattern and I’m not afraid to use them!

3. Tell us about your living room

We have just recently decorated our living room for the first time since moving in about 5 years ago.  It was a white blank canvas which I actually liked for a long time as it was a good base for showing off some of our artwork and other accessories.  More recently we decided we wanted to give it a bit more character and warmth and so we decided to paint it Sage Green by Little Greene.  It’s a beautiful soft colour with a lot of depth.  It’s been more of a challenge to style the room with this backdrop but I feel like it looks more pulled together now and it’s a great place to retreat to in the evenings.

4. What makes a house a home?

I think that whatever paint or wallpaper you choose to decorate a room with, the space doesn’t really come to life until you start to add your accessories – art, lighting, candles, plants etc.  I think plants make a huge difference to how a space feels so I’m forever adding new ones but I love to accessorise with things that mean something to us – art that we have picked up on our travels, gifts from over the years, it all tells a story.

5. What inspires you?

So many things!  I find inspiration everywhere and there’s nothing quite like the thrill of seeing something that gives you a spark of an idea for your own home – sometimes it’s on Instagram, sometimes it’s in a product catalogue and often it’s when you’re out and about.  I drink in all of the inspiration from hotels and restaurants who can often be more daring with interior choices and particularly when you’re abroad and you’re seeing entirely new ideas.

6. Favourite Iconic Lights products

I love the Excee Matt Black floor lamp which you kindly left for us in our study!  I subscribe to the idea of having lots of different light sources in a room and this is such a great lamp for over an accent chair, the quality is great.  I also have the artichoke table lamp in wood which I’m going to use in my children’s bedroom, I love ply and this is a perfect finishing touch for them.

7. Top 3 Favourite Instagram accounts

Wow that’s a difficult one, there are so many!  I’m always inspired by @comedowntowoods with the combination of classic design and colour, @the_idle_hands has such a beautiful and inspiring home and I also love @thefrugality for the combination of interiors, fashion (and babies recently).