“
I
’mamaximalist,”saysEmmaAllman-
Shuttleworthofherinteriorstyle.“Idon’t
alwaysfollowtherules.”Thisisobviousassoon
asyoustepthroughthefrontdoorofthehome
sheshareswithherhusbandPaulandtheirfour
children in Shrewsbury. No white walls or
restrainedbeechfurniturehere:thisisahomepacked
withcolour,patternandplentyofstuff.Thefirstthing
younoticeisthatmostofthewalls,windowframesand
eventheceilingsarepaintedinvaryingshadesofblack.
“IusedalltheshadesofNightJewelsbyDulux,fromthe
almostblacktothepalegrey,”shesays.“Itgivesthe
houseacohesivefeel.”Againstthissombrebackdrop,
Emma added splashes of surprising colour including
zingylime-green,orangeandacidyellow.“Iloveaccents
of punchy colour,” she says. “Green is my go-to accent, so
thereareshadesofgreenineveryroom,exceptfora
couple of the kids’ bedrooms.”
PERSONAL TOUCHES
Intothisworldoflightanddark,Emmaintroduced
paintedfurniture,fauxplantsandhighlypatterned
wallpaperandrugs.Manypieces,includingcupboards,
pictureframesandthediningtable,shepaintedherself.
The lavish, luxurious result belies the fact that much of
thefurniturewassourcedeitherfromsecond-hand
shopsorfromthehighstreet.“IloveabargainandIlove
tomakethingsmyself,sotherearelotsofpersonal
touches,” she says.
OneoftheseistheVictoriandiningtable,whichshe
foundinahouseclearanceshop,paintedthelegs,then
sourcedreplicasofVernerPantonchairstotuckin
alongside.Shealsomadeseveralofthelampshades,
includingthefringedoneinGerta’sbedroom,created
artwork and hand-painted velvet cushions.
Emma’s inventiveness and bold approach to interiors
hasbecomehersignaturestyle,andisputtogooduse »Wonder walls: in the
living room, Turner Tile
Anaglypta wallpaper
from wallpaperdirect.
com, painted in Night
Jewels 1 emulsion by
Dulux gives a darkly
textured backdrop.
Acid colours contrast
with deep, dark shades
as you look through
the dining area. In the
raised seating space,
Starflower paper from
Little Greene on the
chimney breast brings
bold pattern. In
contrast, artificial plants
hung from Bygel rails
from Ikea create a
(faux) living wallEMMA ALLMAN-
SHUTTLEWORTH
is an interior designer and
owns decoretc.co.uk. She
lives in Shrewsbury,
Shropshire, with husband
Paul, and children, Charlie,
15, Greta, 14, Rae, 11, and
Lois, 10.NEST (^) | HOME TOUR