Interior Thoughts From Devon
When it comes to interiors there’s nothing more fascinating than walking into a home and discovering the owner’s personality infused into the decoration; the way colours, fabrics, loved pieces reflect a person’s journey through life, their ups and downs, travels, people met along the way, their passions, their family and friends, influences, encounters and experiences collected over a lifetime.
These are the things that bring a warmth and soul to a home – they are the very essence of what home should be. We can all recognise and appreciate stylish hotels, beautifully decorated, but would we want to turn our homes into such places? Wouldn’t they make for rather bland spaces in which to live, devoid of all those personal treasures that mean ‘this is home’?
One designer who puts it so well is Miv Watts, an interior designer who spent many years designing film and television sets:
‘Our homes give us the opportunity to express who we truly are in the stories of the things we surround ourselves with, the memories they trigger, the comfort they provide, the beauty in their very existence, the inspiration that comes from our collections, the knowing that these walls over time will witness every moment in the theatre of our lives and remain our closest confidante and our safest harbour for as long as we choose.’
Home is all about ‘layers’ and the layers to our individual lives. Her book, ‘The Maverick Soul’, is all about this, taking readers into the bohemian homes of ‘free spirits’, reflecting on the ‘wonderful, messy reality of life’.
It’s a reminder that our homes should be authentic, not contrived. We mustn’t be slaves to fashion or trends. Our homes should reflect who we are.
And how do we go about creating such a home? For me, it’s often about the starting point. It may be a scrap of material, a colour that transports you back to a special childhood memory, a cherished trinket or treasured collection; a spark from which everything follows and falls into place. The starting point for my bedroom was two ancient framed scraps of Indian fabrics I’ve had for years. While I can admire the clean lines of minimalism and the beauty in the skill required to create those lines I couldn’t live in such an environment – for starters I’d have to fill all those empty walls. I like colour, pattern and texture too much.
It’s all about being bold and having the confidence to create a home that expresses who we are.
