I suppose it is a bit like the food programmes, you see it being done, you know the recipe, but doing it yourself and making it work is another thing all together, it is exactly the same for the home.
I met a friend at the weekend who has just bought a house in a beautiful village in Hampshire. They were at ours for a birthday party and waxed lyrical about the finish and detail we had achieved at our cottage. Their comment was “well anyone can do-up a house”. Well of course they can, just like anyone can paint a picture. In fact anyone can have a go at just about anything – possibly not surgery unless you are totally bonkers!
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| Stephanie's Cottage in Dorset |
The thing I find so difficult to understand is that you would allow your biggest personal investment to be “sort of done”!! Why on earth are people happy to pay for a solicitor to create their will, or for a hairdresser to cut their hair, and all of these are no more than hundreds of pounds and can be redone; whereas if you build a rubbish extension or decorate your house in awful colours it will cost you thousands to be redone, or worse, you are unable to sell your house for the amount you feel you should get.
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| Cottage Proposed Floor Plan |
Surely to spend a fee to a professional designer to advise them on the redecoration/ redesign/ extension of their home is without question the obvious route, thereby negating mistakes and affording the owner a planned and structured schedule of work. However this does not seem to have filtered down into the psyche of the majority of home owners in this country.
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| Scheme Board |
Ok whinge over – Christmas is the time for entertaining. Many of us do not have a dedicated dining room and use our kitchen table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To make it special for that Christmas meal I recommend the following:
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| Table Setting |
• Tablecloths are a must – this will create something a little grand with minimal effort and cost.
• Floral arrangements – Take 1 to 3 Oasis blocks 17 x 17 x 17cms wedge a candle in the centre, a colour would be great. Begin with foliage first, using bulkier leaves for the base to create the shape - Laurel or Ivy are good for this and in abundance in Winter gardens. If you keep the lengths at around 12 cms per stem, you should get a good shape by placing an even spread around the Oasis. Add your flowers at the end, say 6 roses per arrangement.
• Layering your crockery creates a really sumptuous look for your table. Place large plates to the bottom with a smaller plate on top, finished off with the obligatory cracker.
• Finally, there really is no substitute for the festivity of candlelight. Plenty of tea lights sprinkled around make for a sparking table.
Good luck, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at Stephanie Dunning Interior Design!
