Interiors

It is so difficult to pass by those demonstrators who present how to create carrot flowers in 20 different ways! My husband and I have the usual kitchen gadgets but add a mushroom brush, parsley grater, butter curler and the recent but useful spirali tool and you get the picture. So - yes we could list chef knives, boards, spatulas but I am talking about serious appliances that come in modern, vintage reproduction, different colours and all to add style to a kitchen, even if you are renting.   Key Kitchen Gadgets Here are some that won't be relegated

I wait to see a room in its final stages when reviewing ambient lighting. In our past Berlin apartment we were lucky as we faced the morning sun and it was one of the key reasons we bought the apartment. In the winter, there was enough light even on a classic grey and dower day. In the summer, we were surrounded by silver birches and the soft glittery light is wonderful! Light the Way I love lamps as they highlight an area and can offer a wow factor to a room and even a corner. There are stand-alone lamps

When buying a bed, I happily fling myself on it to see if it is too soft, has enough space, and feels right. I spend as much as I can on a decent bed and I like a firm mattress. We have had two American queen size beds and we love them; however, a Feng Shui tip for relationships - make sure they are not so big that you are separate from each other!     How to Select a Bed Dimensions - consider how big a bed you can fit in or how much space you are willing

Tables are a surface where we leave the flotsam of the day's life - keys, change, earrings and pieces of paper. They are often the centre of a room, be it a dining table, desk or a place to put a lamp and a book. Let's talk tables! The Dining Table Call me old fashioned but I love a big dining table. Don't be afraid of the size. We bought a French nineteenth century, fruit-wood farmhouse table that has had a bit of wear and tear and has one slightly wobbly leg! Check out the size of your dining

I used to say that we have had the same, four original arm chairs for the past ten years! I bought the first pair separately in a Swiss brocante in Nyon. Everyone was buying modern decor and I found by chance, a male and a female Louis XVI chair at different sellers. I got them cheaply and spent more having them refurbished but love them still. They are still in good shape in spite of two cats using the arms as a scratching post! Fast forward several years, we still have two of them. What Is It For? Is

Cushions I don't want to count the number of cushion covers in the past that I have bought, used and sometimes sold. Cushions or throw pillows as some call them, are a great accessory in any space particularly if you are renting. They can add colour, texture and pattern to change the look and feel of furniture and a room. Remember the colour code, 60% the main colour, 30% secondary colour and 10% a touch or shade to add. If you are feeling brave, you can add a fourth colour to offer additional colour or texture. For example, I

The first thing I look for when buying a place is a sense of light and air which usually comes from the windows. Curtains and blinds are often an investment so you need to choose wisely for each room for length, pattern, texture and practicality. Blinds I am a blinds person - curtains to me are often fussy, dusty and old-fashioned. However, I have seen some mistakes when selecting the right blind. First, work out how much light you want in and want to block out and if you want pattern or plain. Pay as much as you can

I am a bit embarrassed to say that over the past 30 years, I have bought and sold too many sofas and chairs due to size, fit and often colour or style. As we learnt, choose a sofa that has the right back for the support you want, don't get swayed by sales, and measure carefully if moving.     Sofas we have known and loved: Floral sofa-bed in a tiny Australian cottage in case of visitors and grey modular lounge in the living area; A big mistake of two lemon coloured Habitat sofas - we didn't sit on

We bought the apartment partially because it had a big balcony surrounded by silver birch trees giving the effect of a treehouse. The balcony was like an extra room and can be a restful place to read and relax. It was also great for cocktails! The main balcony needed major work as it was fifteen years old with wooden boards that were rotten. We were unable to paint the wrought iron as it was a whole building process so we did the best we could. We also had two small balconies which we didn't really used but still decorated.

We chose to use the office area for the main bedroom. It was larger and faced the balcony with lovely dappled sun pouring in during the warmer months. We ripped up the old carpet to discover concrete, we filled in hundreds of small pin pricks where photos had been displayed and had an interesting panel of glass that looks in to the spare room! 8 Key decorating tips: Don't be afraid of large furniture in a small space, if the room is small, it is small - so make it have a presence Try to add a wow factor