How To Decorate A New Home To Give An Established Look

We featured Interior Decorator Lynda Myles Till’s home in a recent edition of The English Home. Here she shares her know-how on ways to decorate a new home to add character and a more established mood. Lynda has moved six times in ten years and has worked with dozens of clients to create homes, which reflect their style and personality. Here she reveals the decorating ideas she employed when downsizing from her twenty-six bedroom house to a three-bedroom 1970’s bungalow which she has extended and transformed.

How do you build on the shell of a newly built or renovated space?
A classic flooring such as a parquet can lay the foundation for a traditional look in a modern setting, this teamed with square panelling aptly sets the scene for antique furnishings. Pay special attention to the style and design of mouldings and cornices and ensure that they are in keeping with the overall aesthetic of the building. Even if your project is a modern box, draw ideas from other periods to determine the sizing of your skirtings and mouldings.

How do you create a suitable focal point?
A new stone fireplace in a classic design creates an ideal focus styled with a collection of antique accessories. If you have nowhere for a fireplace find a quirky piece or object and base your seating around it. (see sitting room photograph at top)

How can you create a serene restful atmosphere?
Wall colours should take a great deal of application to get the feel of a room just right. Working with pale colours is a lot more difficult, as the effects can change subtly but so effectively. Soft neutral greys, taupe and shades of white, keep the attention on rich architectural details and show off ornate furniture and accessories to full effect whilst creating a calm ambience.