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Sophie Robinson
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11 Jun 19

Why you need to be your own interior designer

Be your own interior designer is the online course launched by Sophie Robinson in which she shares her creative deisgn process so you can design rooms with confidence

Since the turn of the last century, people have become more and more passionate about the space they live in and decorating them in a style that makes them feel good, and I think our love of interior design might just be reaching fever pitch! Last weeks post, about the new research on home happiness,  confirmed what I have been saying all along. That having a home you love, that is a reflection of your style and your identity, is the ultimate goal in design.

However, for this, you have to stick your neck out and dare to be different. While the magazines and famous Instagram accounts can inspire you, you can’t just copy them. (Well you can, but that it always looks shallow and feels disappointing, wouldn’t you agree?). You need to put the work in for yourself. What do you like, what lifts you up? And then find out how to make it work in your home!

Online nterior design course helps you learn how to complete a room design using Sophie Robinsons creative design process

Last week saw the launch of my first ever interior design online course, Be Your Own Interior Designer, and it was pretty monumental! The number of sign-ups I had on launch completely blew me away and exceeded my expectations. But it also cemented what I knew, that people need a structure, a process to follow when pulling a room scheme together. Designing a room, let alone a whole house is a huge undertaking and a feeling of overwhelm can soon kick the fun out of it.

be your own interior deisgner is the online course by Sophie robinson taking you through the interior design process which includes using pinterest and instagram to curate your image library

And it should be fun! I see designing our homes as a fabulous opportunity for a creative outlet. You get to play with colours, fabrics and textures. It’s satisfying hunting out the perfect pieces for your new scheme or recovering, painting or upcycling your existing pieces. And the sense of satisfaction and achievement when it all comes together is just one of the best feelings in the world. But also the feeling of getting it wrong can weigh heavy. One of my pieces of decorating advice has always been to feel the fear and just go for it. This is because I think if you don’t follow your heart you will always be left with that dull feeling of disappointment. The room will never feel as bold or unique as you hoped it would from the onset.

But decorating is expensive and there is quite rightly a lot of concern about getting it right. Through my online course and my Ban the Beige workshop, my mission is to help people uncover their sense of style and their own unique colour palette. Not one merely lifted off Pinterest or Instagram but one that suits your tastes, your home and your lifestyle. Colour is massively emotive and a huge topic in its own right. But when you discover the nuances it can really help you make a house feel like home. You can discover your own sense of colour in lots of ways. Through examining the pictures you collect on Pinterest or your favourite Instagram accounts, you can analyse the clothes you love to wear or the décor of your favourite spaces like cafes and hotels. A big part of being your own interior designer is thinking like one and constantly immersing yourself in design. You don’t need to go to fancy design shows to do this. Colour and design inspiration is everywhere. It’s in nature, in our public spaces and in our wardrobes. Seeing, clocking and then recording our ideas and inspiration is where being your own interior designer really starts.

With all this taken into consideration, you really are the best person qualified to know what your home should look like. My interior design online course gives you the process to work from. It keeps you on track, keeps your focused and makes it fun along the way. If by the end of it you feel a qualified designer would be a wise investment, after all, you’ve at least done the groundwork in order to brief them fully, so they can do the best design that’s a fit for you. After all, it’s your home, and when you get it right it’s just the best place to be!

Five tips to keeping your design project on track

1. Get your eye in

Document what you love across design, fashion and art and build up a portfolio of images either on your phone or using an app like Instagram or Pinterest. This way you get to discover your own unique sense of style

2. Write your brief

This is the foundation for any project and will help you stay on track as you refer back to it again and again. Identify how you want the room to feel, to look and any practical considerations.

3. Get into mood boarding

Use these images to produce considered and curated mood boards. I do mine in an A3 sketchbook and they only take me about half an hour. Keeping a sketchbook of ideas on the boil is a great way to document your design journey and identify your ideas; what works and what doesn’t work for you

4. Do a measured plan

A measured plan of your room allows you to work out the furniture layout which then goes on to determine the electrical layout, lighting and joinery. It also gets you clear on what you can bring back into the room or identify what you need to source. A well-planned room should feel spacious and organised.

5. Draw up a product list and budget

Once you have your room plan you can write up a product list. This is a list of all the elements that need to go into that room from wall coverings to furniture to accessories. You can also use this list to manage your budget.

6. Sanity check

Before you press go on ordering anything, call in as many swatches of fabrics, paints and furnishings and make sure they all sit next to each other happily. And refer back to your brief and mood board and make sure the vision of your room is being realised in the choices you have made.

My interior design online course, Be Your Own Interior Designer- The Creative Process is available to own here. You can complete it in your own time from any country and it’s yours to keep for life. There is a special launch promotion on for the month of June, so you can enjoy £50 off until July 1st 2019.

interior design online course taking you through the creative deisgn process with interior designer Sophie Robinson

A special thanks to Alun Callender for the photography

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DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the paintbrush out! Giving old and unappreciated brown furniture of coat of colour is not just easy but quick too and you get ooodles of satisfaction giving something a new lease of life. Since the sun is starting to poke it’s head out it’s the perfect opportunity to fling open the windows, roll out the dust sheet, and calm your senses with the therapeutic strokes of a paint brush. I transformed these battered old Ercol chairs that I found at a car boot sale with an undercoat of Zinsser and a top coat of eggshell so they really can withstand the knocks. ( here’s a tip, use a sag brush for spindly furniture) I love how the pink legs pick up on the pink in the wallpaper. I’ve got a couple of pots of chalk paint waiting in the wings. This just might be the weekend to tackle the bedside tables at last! Have a wonderful weekend  and I hope the sun shines on you wherever you are! 

CREDITS Reclaimed terracotta tiles @ca_pietra_  Borastapeter Rubarber wallpaper @wallpaperdirect Clock @newgateclocks Doors painted in Rose Ash Light @sanderson1860 Everything else is vintage 

#easywininteriors #kitchen #countrykitchen #upcycle #upcycledfurniture #countryliving #countrylivingmodernrustic #countrykitchen #greenkitchen #greenandpink #interiorinspo #interiordesign
DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do with what you’ve got and making it work. For most of us, decorating our home and choosing all the things we want to go with it is a long if not a life time journey and there are plenty of compromises along the way. One of the ways I make do with things I’m less happy about is with distraction. You can use colour to draw the eye and highlight the bits you do like and similarly blend away the areas that need to fade into the back ground. For me joinery, radiators and my unattractive windows all get painted in the same colour so they fall to the background and then the cushions and artwork can come to the fore and catch your eye. I painted these lovely old solid wood doors bright yellow on a whim with some left over paint. It was a quick and easy way to inject a burst of  colour joy. So don’t discount doors and architraves as a fun way to play with colour, but only if you have nice ones. 
On the PODCAST today @mad_about_the_house and I discuss more ways you can make do. I interview leading interior designer and queen of colour and pattern @nicolahardingandco who has amazing insights on how to go about planning your schemes, conjure mouthwatering colour palettes and work with what you’ve got. And our style surgery is from Callum who finds himself stuck with a shiny blue green sofa which he doesn’t love and doesn’t know what to put with. Obviously cover it with cushions and distract the eye with A bright yellow door Callum! 

If you have a question for our style surgery do please send it in as we are lining them up for the next series and we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email to thegreatindoorspod@gmail.com.You can here all our ramblings and insights on today’s show The Great Indoors and thankyou to @katetaylorldn for producing the show. 

#thegreatindoors #bluesofa #yellowdoor #banthebeige #interiorspodcast #podcast #interiordesign #interiorinspo
DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling th DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling the benefits of an occasional chair. I’ve always loved occasional chairs primarily for their decorative function. I’m a patterned fabric addict and so an occasional chair I’d another opportunity to add more pattern, more colour and another cushion to boot! But during these extended periods of lock down and staying at home I’ve appreciated the quiet little corners they offer. I’m lucky enough to find a space for one here on my landing but they can also find a home in a bedroom, a home office, under the stairs or indeed #lifegoals in the bathroom. So rather than playing second fiddle to THE SOFA put your occasional chair in pride of place and grab yourself 5 minutes solitude! Most of mine are junk shop funds bought back to live with my hoarded stash of remnant fabrics. So it’s time to raid grannies attic and  create a seat that makes you smile . 🥰  use the hashtags #easywininteriors to share your favourite corners of escape.

#easywininteriors #vintagearmchair #armchair #occassionalchair #colourlover #banthebiege
DAY 15 of #easywininteriors and I’m having a re DAY 15 of #easywininteriors  and I’m having a reshuffle on the bookcase to celebrate the happy Back To School vibes! 🙌 YES! This one is a work in progress because sorting your books as to the spine colour can be really meditative! I’m excited for you guys to share your colour coded bookcases using the hashtag #easywininteriors because I’ve seen some amazing examples on here! This idea can also include colour coding your ornaments or glassware collection too. Somehow grouping them in blocks  just intensifies the colour and I love the 🌈 effect. Happy faffing! 

#interiorinspo #interiorstyling #colourlover #banthebeige #faffthegaff #bookshelf #shelfie #shelfiestyling #rainbow #rainbowstyle #mycolourfulinterior #colourfulhomevibe
DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are o DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are often the day I get the house in order before the week starts again. It’s laundry day, the on-line shop gets done and if I can be bothered I might do some batch cooking. 💪 But the garden is also pulling our attention at this time of year and I spent yesterday picking up twigs that have littered the garden after the high winds and piled it all up for kindling. Satisfying! I’m not a naturally tidy or organised person  but I do feel like I’m winning at life once chores have been done and everything is in it’s place. And here lies the easy win. If you have systems in place it makes it so much easier! This shoe storage was game changing. Before the hall was littered with shoes and bags that I was always tripping over. So planning your storage and then using it is key to creating order and an element of calm. And once the storage is fit to bursting, it’s time to have a declutter. How do you keep the house feeling orderly and calm and do you use Sunday as a Sort It day too? #sortitsunday 

CREDITS walls in Lazuli and woodwork in Perfect white @zoffanyfw . Havana Bauta cement Tiles @claybrookstudio . Fabrics are vintage and @thestripescompany . Stair runner @roger_oates 

#easywininteriors #colourlover #banthebeige #hallwaydecor #hallway #interiorinspo #declutter #storageideas #shoestorage
DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the bedroom and enjoying a well earned lie in this morning! My morning routine has been really important to me during lock down. In  his brilliant book ‘think like a monk’ @jayshetty talks about how a positive morning ritual sets you up for the day. Similarly a good night time ritual sets you up for a good nights sleep. Styling up your bedroom  to support these ideas really helps! I’ve taken to setting my wake up alarm an hour before the rest of the house so I can enjoy some quiet solitude before the day gets going. I make my coffee in my favourite mug and spend a while reading or exercising. But no phone scrolling! My bedside is laid out with everything I need including a big pile of books and a dish for my watch and specs. I charge my phone in the kitchen to keep it away from temptation! Admittedly I’ve never had a problem sleeping but I was hardly what you’d call a morning person. Now it’s my favourite time of the day! Have a gorgeous lazy weekend folks x

CREDITS wallpaper @mollymahonblockprinting bedside table is vintage. Lamp @pookylights Vases and dishes all vintage. Pillows and duvet @cocoandwolf Flat sheet and bedthrow @societyofwanderers 

#easywininteriors #bedroomdecor #countrybedroom #colourfiedhomes #colourstylehome #colourlover #banthebeige #patternclash #interiorstyling #interiordesign #interiorinspo #faffthegaff
DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half w DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half way there! Whoop whoop, March is  just nine short days away! And I can feel the Spring vibes! It’s getting lighter, the bluebells are coming and the birds are singing! But back to it, we’ve got work to do! Today I’m sharing how I switch my home from working day to home time, without leaving the house. It’s so important for our mental health that we can make that transition. I’ve worked from home for years so I’ve always done this, but I find it essential to tidy my desk/kitchen table at the end of everyday and get it out of sight. This often means piling up all my paper work, laptop, pen pot and putting it all into a tray. And if you don’t have a deep tray a cardboard box does the job. Then hide it in the cupboard, pop it on a shelf or slide it under the table. The key is that you can’t see it and it doesn’t encroach on your non-work life. Out of sight out of mind kind of thing. 
And you might notice in the back of this shot is my 2021 vision board. I keep this in my view everyday as it helps keep me focused, uplifted and motivated. Im hosting a live webinar next Tuesday on how and why I create vision boards for every aspect of my life, including my interiors. If you’d like to join me it’s 7pm 23/02/21 and I can promise a fun, creative and enlightening evening! Link to book is up in my bio if you fancy getting a boost of inspiration towards creating your dream home. 

Happy Friday and have a lovely weekend 😍

#workingfromhome #myhomeoffice #interiorstyling #visionboard #interiorinspo #interiorinspiration #homeoffice #creativeworkspace #colourlover #colourcolorlovers #banthebeige
DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make it super easy after yesterday’s kitchen cupboard love, which I’ll be honest, felt a bit strenuous! So today is all about creating as simple but effective styling moment; a trio of vases. Three seems to be the magic number when it comes to styling your objects and I have a few tips . I like to make sure there is a mixture of sizes, colour and textures but all held together with a theme. These three work because they’re  all vintage, Picked up from various car boot sales over the years! You can create little trios all over your home from the sideboards, book shelves, worktops, bathrooms and side tables. Push the tall one to the back and bring the small one to the fore but it’s the lack of symmetry that makes it pleasing. And you don’t have to stop with just vases, a trio of objects works with picture frames, ornaments and candle sticks too. 

#easywininteriors #vintagestyle #howivintage #myvintagehome #interiorstyling #interiorstyle #interiorinspo #colourlover #banthebeige
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