EMMA’S STYLE
O“Supporting local shops is important for me,
especially the local furniture scheme Reviive
(reviive.co.uk), where I buy pieces to upcycle.”
O“I like to mix upcycled furniture with
items from larger high street chains, including
Ikea and Dunelm.”
O“It’s important to have an open mind when
devising a scheme. Running through your
ideas with others can prompt a new direction.”
O“I whitewash a room before decorating, then
postpone any colour decisions for six months.”
O“Stick to your guns with builders! Don’t let
them change your mind.”in her work as an interior designer. Her company, Décor
Etc, specialises in domestic projects and she sells some
of her hand-made pieces on her website.
A HOME FROM A HOUSE
Emma and Paul came across the house when they were
looking for more room for their family, specifically five
bedrooms. “Our previous house was bursting at the
seams and had an unusual layout. It took us a while to
find somewhere we could make our own.”
What they found was a Victorian house that had been
used as a medical business and was divided into a
surgery with a separate waiting room. Seeing its
potential as a family home, they spent over a year
shaping it to suit their needs.
To achieve this, they had to move the stairs, knock
down an additional stairwell, replace ceilings, join the
kitchen and dining room together by adding an
extension and split one of the bedrooms in order to
create an extra bathroom.
The result is a multi-functional space that works as a
family home, a space to entertain, and a showcase for
Emma’s work. “We didn’t want the house to be totally
open-pla n like our prev ious one, so a lt hough it f lows
from one room to the next on the ground f loor, there are
lot s of rooms leading into each ot her. We a lso wa nted
plenty of windows and bi-folding doors at the back of the
house to let in light.”
To respect the history of the house, Emma added
cornices and chose tiled anaglypta wallpaper.
“In the past I’ve done retro and I’ve done modern,”
she says. “This time I wanted to do modern with a
traditional twist.” Which she has done with a
considerable amount of maximalist aplomb.
decoretc .co.uk. Follow Emma on In stag ram:
@decoretc_emmaIn the couple’s en-suite
bathroom, Emma
chose an Orla Kiely print
wallpaper with a tiled
design. “It’s a lot easier
to put up than tiles
though,” she says. The
couple picked up the
headboard in their
bedroom in a local
florist; it looks striking
against the dark wallNEST (^) | HOME TOUR