Hello, my colour-loving friends!
Well, what a few weeks it’s been! Between London Design Festival, Decorex and our fabulous Colour Collective visit to Voysey House, I feel like I've been on one enormous creative inspiration binge. And I have absolutely loved it!
One of the things I adore most about working in the creative industries is that there's always something new to discover. A delicious colour combination, a beautiful textile or a clever little detail that gets your imagination racing. And of course, one of the joys of this community is sharing these discoveries with people who get just as excited about wallpaper and fabric as I do!
I firmly believe we need to keep topping up our creative inspiration bank. Visiting exhibitions, exploring beautiful buildings and immersing ourselves in other people's creativity keeps our ideas fresh. But sometimes I come away with my head absolutely spinning. So many ideas! Suddenly I'm mentally redecorating rooms that, quite frankly, I was perfectly happy with last week. Does anyone else do this?!
Add Instagram, Pinterest and the endless stream of trends telling us what's in, what's out and what we should all be lusting after next, and it's enough to give even the most confident decorator a wobble. Which brings me to what I really want to chat about this week. How do we stay inspired by the design world without losing sight of our own individual style?
Trends are inspiration, not instructions
Now, you know I love a trend. I find it fascinating watching how the world of interiors evolves, how colours come in and out of favour and how fashion and culture influence the way we decorate.
Over the past few weeks, I've been sharing some of the ideas emerging for 2027. Earthy colours alongside joyful brights, romantic florals and a renewed appreciation for craftsmanship and those gorgeous, imperfect, handmade details that give interiors soul. But just because something is fashionable doesn't mean you need it in your home. Equally, just because something has fallen out of fashion doesn't mean you should get rid of it!
My approach is to take the bits that excite me and leave the rest. Perhaps you're loving earthy greens, but your living room is already a riot of pink. Brilliant! Try introducing some olive green accents. Or perhaps you've fallen in love with a bold chintz but live in a contemporary house. That contrast might be exactly what makes your scheme sing. You don't have to buy into an entire look and, in fact, I'd actively encourage you not to.
Your home is not a showroom
I've always believed the most interesting homes tell us something about the people who live in them. The art collected on holidays, the slightly battered armchair inherited from your grandmother, books piled beside the bed or an unusual colour combination that makes absolutely no sense on paper but brings enormous joy. These are the things that give a home personality. And personality isn't exclusive to maximalists like me. A beautifully pared-back interior can be every bit as individual. It's not about how much stuff you have, but choosing things that resonate with who you are.
When I come home after a busy few days in London, I love retreating into my own gloriously colourful world. My home feels like a great big hug. It's comforting, energising and full of things that make me smile yet of course, my taste evolves. I'm forever moving things around, discovering new colours and finding ways to combine things I already own because that's part of the fun! The underlying feeling I want from my home remains the same.
Your style can evolve without reinventing yourself every time a new trend comes along.
Finding your own creative voice
Something I've noticed over the years, especially when teaching interior design, is how often people have wonderful instincts about what they love but lack the confidence to trust them. They'll show me a collection of saved images, and I'll immediately spot a common thread. Perhaps it's saturated colour, vintage furniture or unusual pattern combinations. But then they'll say, "I'm not sure these things go together." And my response is usually, "Well, who says they have to?"
Some of the most magical interiors happen when we stop following the rules and start experimenting with things that genuinely excite us. Decorating doesn't need to be so serious! Not every decision needs to be permanent, expensive or perfect. Sometimes you just have to try something and see how it makes you feel.
Which brings me to what we'll be exploring in our next series of Design Notes. I want to help you discover and refine your individual decorating style, identify the colours you're naturally drawn to and develop your own authentic colour palette. We'll explore how to use your home as a creative playground, somewhere to experiment, express yourself and build confidence in your own taste. I want you to feel less influenced by everyone else's ideas and more excited about your own.
A little creative exercise for this week
Before we dive into all of that, I've got a small challenge for you. Look around your home and choose one thing that feels completely and utterly you. It might be a painting, a piece of furniture, a colour combination or something delightfully bonkers that nobody else quite understands.
Ask yourself what makes it special. Is it the colour, the memories, the shape or simply how it makes you feel? Now consider how you could bring a little more of that magic into your home. Perhaps rearrange a shelf, display something tucked away or experiment with a colour you've always loved. No shopping required!
And I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Do you enjoy following interior trends or find them overwhelming? Have you ever regretted buying into one? Or is there something in your home you'll love forever, fashionable or not? Share your thoughts and pictures if you fancy. Seeing how differently we express ourselves through our homes is what makes this community so inspiring.
Take inspiration from everywhere, but remember to listen to yourself. And as I always say, march to the beat of your own drum!
Until next time,
Sophie x
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