Very often it is associated with a coastal theme with the blue and white palette of the ocean a backdrop to interior design. In our rather darker and damper climate this look is harder to achieve and needs also to reference the older style houses of the Puritan settlers who used wood and woven upholstery to bring warmth and decorative craftsmanship to their houses.

The combination of navy and cream is a sophisticated starting point to decorate a living space. To bring some texture to the room, a cherry wood or oak floor can balance this stark palette. A carefully placed wing backed Colonial style chair covered in a blue and white fabric with a strong motif with a checked throw of softest wool again balances the blue and white theme. This works in a contemporary space as the addition of large areas and glass doors as often seen in a modern setting will enhance the brightness of this look. Rugs and candlesticks with a few paintings will complete the style and bring more varied colour and depth to the room.

The sea which brought the settlers to the shore and their ability to build, sew and create are threads of this style. By weaving them together we can bring New England to Old England in a modern way.

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The peacock feather was one of the main designs of the aesthetic movement. The most famous usage of this motif is on a printed cotton designed by Arthur Silver. The upholstery fabric Hera feather is a development of this design for the modern world.

One of the most enduring patterns that we still see today is Ianthe Tana lawn cotton. This was created for Liberty by R. Beauclair in 1900 and is still sold today. It’s very recognisable and graces many windows today.

Other influences on the designs of fabrics for liberty were from the adaptation of Persian and Indian images featuring dragons and floral motifs with swirling leaves and trees. If you are seeking this look today, the Marquess Garden offers a modern floral take with a 1970s feel thrown in.

The classic nature of the liberty print looks great when set against a contemporary space. One chair or a bundle of velvet cushions can add a timely reminder that good taste never goes out of fashion.

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Most notably fabric and wallpaper have taken the image of the bird in many variations to produce lovely colourful options for your room.

Whether is a gentle dove or a dramatic peacock there will be something to suit your taste.

The whimsical Chimney Swallows by Designers Guild is fabric with a strong image of the bird in flight . In the blue colourway is a gorgeous addition to a bedroom for curtains.

Birds aren’t always such a dominant feature in a fabric. The subtler usage of storks is used in the gentle Moss Bayou by Raoul textiles. This watery cotton linen has a faded feel reminiscent of French window dressings. A perfect choice for a sophisticated living area.

A bolder take can be illustrated in the indigo colour-way of Pheasant by Christopher Moore. This is very clipped with the static bird resplendent in clear foliage. Good in a kitchen this fabric is traditional but timeless.

Almost any room can be adorned by these avarian creatures. Once you look you will discover your inner bird watcher .

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As the bed tends to be the focal point in the bedroom, particularly the master bedroom, it’s important to get the style right. That being said, it should not dominate and be the only thing you notice in the room with other pieces of furniture dwarfed. A dramatic headboard is one way of introducing some character and individual style to the bed, as the look of the basic shape and and size of the bed tends to be generic. By choosing a fabric that reflects the colours in the room or blends in with the curtains, you can choose a wide variety of options. A plain velvet button backed headboard is a classic, or you might want to use a gentle pattern and match it with the coverlet or throw at the end of the bed as well as some cushions. To go for a more country look, choose a linen in pastel tones to give a restful feel.

There are bolder headboards – ones made of wood or an urban metal look. A current look is the rattan headboard which often comes as a half moon shape and is an organic, peaceful addition to the bedroom.

An oversized headboard that rises above you is reminiscent of the hotel look. Sometimes these are useful and lighting can be installed for reading. Oka have a stylish large headboard – King Palmette – handmade from mango wood, it is tall and painted in a subtle grey/green finish, guaranteed to be an eye catching piece in the room. For upholstered headboards you can get bespoke made to the size and height you want or Loaf and John Lewis have a good selection.

The bedroom should always be a haven and a space where rest and calm are paramount. Use the bed as a central part of your design. Make it both unique and let it lead the look you are aiming for in the room. The headboard is the easiest way to bring new elements into the room so start dreaming of a new look.

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Taking the bath as the first point of the design of a bathroom, there are many choices on offer. The Water Monopoly has a lovely selection of retro bath styles that are both practical and spectacular. All of their beautiful baths are faithful reproductions of French chic, the Paris Collection or the thirties deco era in the Rockwell collection. They also restore antique pieces to a very high standard. All of their baths will grace a central point in the bathrooms whether you choose the bateau lit or the antique copper high sided tub.

Another company also provides the most dramatic of bath styles and that is Drummonds. A free standing bath from here will make your bathroom look fabulous. If you want a truly antique bath look at Chadder and Co as they refurbish old baths. However, these are almost always cast iron and heavy. You will need to check that your floor joists will take the weight whatever you choose since the bath and the weight of water will take some bearing on the floor and the ceiling below.

There are some schools of thought which feel a shower is all you might need in a bathroom. I do not agree. Try to find a space for a wonderful bath. It will enhance the room and be a source of pleasure for years to come.

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As an exterior paint it has long been associated with Suffolk and many lovely properties in this county are proudly painted Suffolk Pink. Properties ranging from little cottages to moated halls and boutique hotels are decorated in this dyed lime wash throughout the countryside.

In historic houses, strong pink has been much used to show off the paintings and collections to best advantage. A good example of this is Beaulieu in the New Forest. The paintings are hung against a deep pink with a complementary dark pink oriental carpet sporting many shades of pink.

In the normal domestic setting, there are many shades of pink to choose from to suit any room, from a pale blush to a deep cerise. One of the most subtle and flexible pinks is Farrow and Ball Setting Plaster. This brown pink will bring warmth and depth to your walls, especially when teamed with the right ceiling and wood work colour. I would suggest using an off white such as Pointing, again by Farrow and Ball, to offset this pink to make it flow better. If you want to go dramatic, Benjamin Moore’s Paradise Pink is a strong statement that would work well in a dining room or study. This colour can be dressed with a beautiful French style gold mirror to add glamour at night. Dark antiqued furniture would sit well in this colour scheme as anything too white would look harsh and tacky. Light and dark shades are complimented by the more yellowy pinks leaning towards a coral tone. Here look at the colour chart of Paint and Paper Library and try Shrimp. It’s as chirpy as its namesake bringing humour light and charm to any living space.

The colour of the year 2019 was pink and for good reason as this colour is bright and cheerful, bold and sophisticated. Move away from the Pepper Pig in the girlie bedroom and try some smart shades of pink in every room in your house.

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Embroidery is a traditional way of decorating fabric and has been practised since before medieval times. This craft was commissioned by the court and wealthy nobles to decorate their clothing and wallhangings. It was also used extensively for the church in vestments and altar cloths. This skill was mostly the work of women and done by hand. Today most of the fabrics we buy that have this craft as a part of the design is done by machinery rather than by hand. It still will be an enduring three dimensional element whether used in curtains or in upholstery.

The designs are often taken from the natural world which can bring flora and fauna into a more minimal space.

One of the most enduring designs is the art of crewel work: weaving patterns of surface embroidery using wool. Often linen is the base fabric and the wool can be colourful and create lovely animal and floral images. Quirky insects crawl up these Jacobean style fabrics which work equally well in a modern and historic setting. A very plain room in a cream or off white can be vibrant and warm using a crewel work fabric as curtains. Chelsea Textiles use a wide range of these motifs in their lovely fabric selection.

Needlepoint is a familiar use of embroidery. This cross stitch is used in samplers and tapestries. A cushion or two with this on can spice up a plain sofa. Some have flowers or indeed small dogs such as pugs as a design. Again Chelsea Textiles have a range of lovely needlepoint cushions.

Silk is often embroidered using a more refined technique. The detail is stitched or appliquéd in complimentary threads giving depth and texture to the fabric. James Hare have a wide range of silk fabrics that have traditional trailing floral patterns such as the silk wood silk spindle and the Elizabeth. Embroidery can also take on a distinctly modern look in voiles and sheers. The fabrics of Dedar boast a number of modern embroidered fabrics that would grace a modern living dining room billowing out onto the garden. What these details add to the room is interest without being dominant. The subtle interplay of design and classic fabric bring a decorative element that goes back into the past whilst being firmly planted in the contemporary.

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These hard surfaces though are cold and unsympathetic to anything dropped on them. Stone is an attractive floor but this often gets very messy especially in the grouting. A flagstone irregular floor does look nice and the imperfections and a bit of wear and tear gives the room a sense of timelessness. These solid hard floors mainly work best with underfloor heating – either electric mats or wet plumbed heating. I have had plenty of success with actual wood flooring, both weathered planks and parquet. If they are laid well they function very effectively and give a nice ambience to the room as generally this can be continued into other parts of the house. However you may need to sand them down every four years and re varnish as they will be scratched and dirty over time.

Another option is good vinyl flooring. Once this was a very limited type of flooring but now Karndean and Amtico do pretty good imitation wood and stone flooring that will surprise you. Not cheap, they are very washable and almost indestructible so you will get a lifetime of wear from them. Again they do many different colours and textures with a wide variety of textures.

Keep things simple as regards the floor as you may change the units and you probably will re decorate but the floor – well thats just not going away.

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Bring this sense of infinity and continuous energy to a room using circular coffee tables and side tables. OKA has a good selection of these shapes as do West Elm. Porada also do a round side table.

An interesting half moon sofa that curves its way into a living room which is especially warming and cosy is the Ipanema sofa by Lignet Roset.

With more linear sofas bring this shape in with round cushions and pouffes scattered around the room.

In fabrics, the spot is a favourite motif for many fabric designs.

A fabulous circular fabric in Dedar’s Mezzaluna which looks amazing in all colurways It look fabulous on mid century chairs. The rounded arms os the seats are perfectly complimented by the curved upholstery Another spectacular fabric for curtains is Manuel Canovas’ Castillon. These designs curtains in your room will bring vibrancy and dynamism to the straight lines of the windows and walls they are set against.

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An almost endless variation of shade means that this colour can be used anywhere and everywhere whether in wallpaper, fabrics or paint. But there is a caveat. For most homes, red at Its grandest and most vivid can be too much.

For this reason let’s look at the more manageable tones of red and the ways they can add power and impact to your design without dominating.

Firstly red can be broken up in a pattern, floral, geometric or striped. This means a second, calmer colour can be introduced to offset the vibrant red. Red can be teamed with gentle almond and linen tones.

Fabrics like Marine Coral by Thibaut show a red spiked coral motif against an off white background. Jim Thompson’s Design Turkaman achieves the same subtlety by invoking a diamond shape using both cream and green with the scarlet to add perspective.

Painting a room red is a bold move but can be a great way to display artwork and other accessories that sit against it. Colours like Farrow and Ball Lake Red make a great back cloth to framed pictures and mirrors. To go darker and into a browner tone, Incarnadine is a powerful shade that looks amazing in evening lamplight.

Marry this with accessories in a contrasting orange or pink then your room will be dramatic and a statement.

Try scarlet, burgundy, vermillion, ruby, cherry and carmine – there will be a simply red to suit you.

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