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24 May 17

RHS Chelsea Flower show

Sophie at Chelsea Flower show

So on Monday I was lucky enough to be invited to the press day of the RHS Chelsea Flower show. It’s very privilaged ticket for two reasons. You get to look around the show with only a small amount of people so you really do get to stand back and view the gardens in all their splendour. And splendid they are! Next you get to see LOADS of famous people. They are everywhere it’s a real hoot spotting them. Especially if you’re with Daniel Hopwood as he seems to fail to recognise anyone. He’s way to cool for that. But I think its hilarious fun to see the people we see in TV in the 3D. Curiously most people are much smaller in real life. Joan Collins looked absolutely incredible. So immaculately turned out. What an old school diva.

Interior designers Sophie Robinson and Daniel Hopwwood, at RHS Chelsea Flower show 2017

With my TV hubby Daniel Hopwood smelling the roses

Anyway back to the flowers and I found the whole trip really inspiring and uplifting. Also in part as I’d just spent the whole weekend mowing and weeding the garden and feeling rather desperate about the task in hand. The theme at Chelsea this year was for quite wild style planting, loose and natural, which really appeals to my sensibilities. I got that tingly feeling that I’m about to embark on a new and fulfilling journey. To begin with the mountain felt far too high to climb but I bumped into garden designer Sean Murray, winner of the 2015 Great Chelsea Garden Challenge. While he had great admiration for The Great Interior Design Challenge it was gardening that hogged our conversation and having him explain the design theories about the garden we were stood by opened up a whole new door for me. One of my take aways was to always buy plants in fives, never just buy one plant. He says he got the inspiration from Nigel Slater who said you only need 5 ingredients to make a delicious meal. I wonder if I could apply the same theory to interiors?

The Morgan Stanley garden designed by CHris Beardshaw at the RHS CHelsea Flower Show 2017.

The Morgan Stanley garden designed by Chris Beardshaw. A luscious mix of flowers and foliage along a curving path lead from a woodland setting across an open terrace into a sunny space. From majestic trees to low-growing perennials this design has everything you would expect to see in a typical British garden

Morgan Stanley garden at RHS Chelsea Flower show 2017 designed by CHris Beardshaw

A pathway winds under low lying ferns and trees and that gave this garden a magical spell like feel

Breaking Ground garden at RHS CHelsea Flower show, designed by Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam

Breaking Ground garden designed by Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam. A colourful meadow area contains waves of purple salvias and umbels signify sudden thoughts and ideas. I love the wild meadow like quality against the sculpture

Packed with 'take home' ideas this garden is a living encyclopedia of solutions to bring horticulture to any urban environment. A combined private and communal space it blends ornamental horticulture with edible planting in an inspiring setting. Designed by Professor Nigel Dunnett

Packed with ‘take home’ ideas this garden is a living encyclopedia of solutions to bring horticulture to any urban environment. A combined private and communal space it blends ornamental horticulture with edible planting in an inspiring setting. Designed by Professor Nigel Dunnett

Bug hotel at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

I loved the look of these bug hotels. It’s an idea I’ll be nicking for sure.

Interior designers Daniel Hopwwod, Sophie Robinson with Dulux Creative director Marianne Shillingford and artist Jo Peel.

Dan and I with Dulux Creative director Marianne Shillingford and artist Jo Peel, who collaborated with Dulux to create the striking urban mural in the background

The Cutting garden at RHS CHelsea Flower show was this winsome design by garden designer Sarah Raven. She used Tricia Guilds love of colour to inspire the design

My favourite garden for me was this winsome cutting garden designed by Sarah Raven. She used Tricia Guilds love of colour to inspire the design and I just wanted to pick the whole lot up and take it home. Wouldn’t we all want a little tin roofed bolt hole to escape too?

The CHris Evans Taste garden at RHS CHelsea Flower show 2017,was an allotment design by Jon Wheatley. I love it that a vegetable patch could make it to Chelsea, and in the words of Mary Berry, it was pure perfection!

The Chris Evans Taste garden was an allotment design by Jon Wheatley. I love it that a vegetable patch could make it to Chelsea, and in the words of Mary Berry, it was pure perfection!

We are in the process of designing and building a tree house for Arthur this summer. This should give my husband some ideas! This one is by Blue Forest the finest luxury tree houses

We are in the process of designing and building a tree house for Arthur this summer. This should give my husband some ideas! This one is by Blue Forest the finest luxury tree houses

 

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Before and after! This room took me on a real jour Before and after! This room took me on a real journey.
At first, I thought I needed a calm, blank space to focus… so I painted it all white. I know - can you believe it?! I told myself it was for clarity and creativity, but the truth is, I hated it. I felt flat and totally uninspired.

So, I ripped up the rulebook and went back to what I know works for me: bold colour and big pattern. I painted the whole space in my favourite cobalt blue (Lazuli by @zoffanyfw) and installed the ‘In the Woods’ mural from my @Harlequinfw collection - and now it’s everything I wanted and more.

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It was such an honour to guest judge the Interior Design Masters final alongside the fabulous @michelleogundehin and wow, what a finale it was!

The setting? The magical village of Portmeirion.
The challenge? Transform a bland holiday cottage.
The winner? The brilliant @john_cooper_design and what a winning design it was! 

John’s scheme was a glorious celebration of colour and perfect  storytelling. I loved how  he used bold Mediterranean hues and motifs from room to room which cleverly held this maximalist vision together. It felt like being whisked away to a land far far away. And thereby perfectly capturing the spirit of Portmerion. Honestly, it felt magical to be there!

I’ve unpacked all Johns clever ideas and design takeaways over on the blog (link in bio) — but I’d LOVE to hear what you thought.

Was John your winner?
What design moment caught your eye?
Could you stay in a house like this?

Tell me in the comments 👇

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EXCLUSIVE Live with the WINNER of @interiordesignm EXCLUSIVE Live with the WINNER of @interiordesignmasters ! 

Thankyou @john_cooper_design for a beautiful LIVE taking a deeper look into your amazing experience being on the this most loved show. We all loved watching you grow and develop as a designer and your collection with @johnlewis is an absolute triumph! Cannot wait to see what you do next 🙌
All the Finale feels ✨ What a joy was filming t All the Finale feels ✨
What a joy was filming this series of @interiordesignmasters with @michelleogundehin , @chattyman , not mention this year’s insanely talented finalists @john_cooper_design 💙 @ritamillat ❤️ There is a lot of love and positive energy that goes into making this show.

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Beware of listening to the ‘experts’! I get i Beware of listening to the ‘experts’!
I get it though, designing a house is hard, especially if your taste leans towards the 
maximalist style. There is every chance you’ll feel overwhelmed or stressed about getting it wrong with the end result one hot mess. However here are some of those common ‘design rules’ that I absolutely disagree with! Would love to know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Ready to step into your best life? Start with the Ready to step into your best life? Start with the place that holds it all. Your home.

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