Clearly, AI wasn’t cutting the mustard: I needed humans. I asked the interior designer Emily Fournette How would she advise on where to start with soft furnishings – and, after learning where I’d already gone wrong with my decorating (a conversation I now realize would have been very useful before I paid a small sum to a decorator) – she suggested going back to the beginning.
The first step, she says, is to think of adjectives that describe what you’re trying to create. This, again, will be helpful to consider before actually designing the room. She also suggests centering the design around a color or piece of furniture. ‘A starting point and a clear brief when you feel like there’s either overwhelming choice, or you’re lost, or you don’t know where to look,’ explains Emily, ‘you have to look at what inspires you and what you’re trying to achieve and that will keep you focused.’
Struggling for adjectives, I finally settled on modern and bright with a pop of color. Emily says this means I can reject geometric shapes and chintzy florals and instead continue to play with texture and colour.
For that, she recommends visiting the fabric shops at Design Center Chelsea Harbour. Pop-up showrooms can also be a good bet, she says. The Roost launched their inaugural temporary showroom in Borough Yards in April, offering a mix of contemporary and antiques; Dusk, one of the most algorithmically dominant online retailers, has also popped up at Battersea Power Station, Manchester’s Trafford Center and beyond.
Lauren Sakharet, interior designer with DecorBuddy, says some of her favorite design inspiration comes from shops such as Twenty Twenty One in Islington and Viaduct in Clerkenwell; wander around the Sunbury Antique Market; Or call in a favor HotelAlso memories for pictures, restaurants and ideas.
‘When online purchase Convenience offers, it can encourage people to buy individual pieces in isolation rather than considering how everything works together,’ she says. Her advice is to consider ‘a balance of shapes, materials and finishes’. ‘Are you drawn to soft curves or strong architectural lines? Do you prefer warm wood, stone, metal or natural fibers? Once that foundation is established, choosing individual pieces becomes much easier.’
Fabric swatches, wood finish and paint samples are essential, she says, because they are viewed from far and wide. ‘The most successful internal Rarely comes from buying everything from one retailer. Instead, they are layered with time, combining contemporary pieces with antiques, vintage finds and items that tell a personal story.’ Lauren also points me in the direction of the sculpted bed; I never considered the architectural or even wall-length headboards on offer, and now have my eye on pieces from Daals and Nero Living (her own favorite is Sophie Ashby).
