My Interior Picks...

I think creating a space that reflects your style and truly makes you happy to be at home, in a place where you belong, surrounded by statements and details that represent your uniqueness, is crucial to feeling grounded and settled.

When we first moved to Qatar we lived in a fully furnished company house. Everything was brand new and modern looking, with sleek lines and lots of black furniture. It had a very heavy, masculine feel. Added to this, the windows were darkened, minimising the amount of light coming into the house, and the rooms were separated, so the spaces felt sombre and confined.

After we had our twins, we began to look for a house of our own to move into, and as soon as I saw our villa I knew it was the one for us. In total contrast to the house we were living in, this one was open plan, with two sets of patio doors leading to a covered outdoor entertaining area and the pool and garden beyond. It was spacious, light and airy, and I couldn’t wait to move in. I was so excited to have a huge empty space to make our own; a blank canvas to design in our very own way, a fulfilling, happy haven that truly emulated the feel of our family.

I find it difficult to describe the style of my interior décor choices as I do tend to mix things up quite a bit, but I always feel that it comes together well. Just through being guided by bits and pieces that I’m naturally drawn to, the overall look and tone of our home feels pleasing to me and gives me a sense of contentment.

I do like a predominantly rustic feel to my house, I find it warm and comforting, but I often like to balance this by combining natural wood with chrome, for a contemporary edge.

I remember when I was backpacking in Mexico many years ago, I was so taken by the style of their interiors, with beautiful bright designs, that I bought a sweet little wooden cabinet, filled with ceramic jars painted with sunflowers, and carried it around with me for the rest of my travels! There’s been a Mexican thread to my style choices ever since, and the hefty pieces of Mexican carved wooden furniture that fill our sitting room perfectly set the tone for the overall look. Their size is ideal for the large space, anything smaller would look lost, and while they are heavy and imposing in their own way, they’re also light coloured and incorporate delicate designs, so they don’t feel overwhelming.

I’m always drawn to unique furniture pieces made from reclaimed timber and particularly love our industrial, recycled, old railway timber cart, which makes for an ideal tv stand in the corner of the sitting room, off-setting the feel of a big modern flat screen with character-filled, organic contrast.

The middle space in this room is taken up by a large, L-shaped, deep seated sofa which we had made to order. It’s the bulkiest furniture item in our home, so I wanted to limit its impact by keeping it light, in a sand coloured linen/cotton blend fabric, in keeping with the earthy, neutral tones in the rest of our home. I brighten it with big, vibrant scatter cushions, providing happy bursts of colour which also compliment the surrounding wooden tones. I have a huge weakness for unique, embroidered, colourful cushions and I’m always on the lookout for more!

I like to incorporate a range of light, natural woods into my home decor choices, including French country furniture, which tends to lend an elegant, romantic feel.

The desk in our study area was handmade out of salvaged wood by a Norwegian carpenter who’d been using it as a family kitchen table. I bought it when he was leaving the country, and even though it had the odd pen mark on it, I felt that it showed how well loved and well used it was, which only added to its character!

I love accent chairs and am particularly drawn to button tufted armchairs with a nail head trim. I have one in the corner of the study area, which makes for a perfect reading spot. I also have lots of woven, natural fibre baskets scattered around the house, which are great for storing blankets, wires, and anything else that needs to be tucked away.

I’m drawn to mirrors in ornate frames, which amplify spaces and reflect natural light, and I have a penchant for large, Moroccan style, silver light shades, which grace my living room, dining room and outdoor entertaining space.

Once the basic theme is set I like to personalize my home with pieces that are especially meaningful to me. I have lots of vintage photo frames filled with pictures of the family and I also like to create photo collages using a variety of silver frames.

I love picking up bits and pieces on my travels, with beautifully carved elephants and Buddhas taking pride of place on sideboards and shelves, each with a story to tell, while the walls are decorated with paintings that have sentimental value, as well as vintage posters and contemporary word art pieces.

Overall, I like to keep things light with a serene tone, but I also consider my home style to be rich and textured, with a warm and welcoming ambience. I took a few photos from around our house to try and convey the general look and feel but I intend to give more detail about specific pieces in future blog posts, so stay tuned!