Linda’s top tips for interior design success

If you want your new home to look like a show home - then interior design guru Linda McGuire has lots of specialist advice and innovative ideas on how to make your new home look like a spectacular show home.

East Kilbride based Linda, is the woman behind the interior design concepts of many of Barratt West Scotland’s show homes.

With the interior design of so many show homes under her belt over the years, Linda is happy to give the benefit of her experience to new home buyers and advises them to follow the some tried and tested rules.

Says Linda: “My Top Ten Tips are simple; The first rule is to use colour, as neutrals are not in vogue. Be bold, use strong colours in small doses, alongside softer colours. To add a bit of vibrancy try this years colours of lime green, pink and aubergine.

- Use several different designs i.e. mix stripes, checks, florals, but keep continuity by choosing the same base colours for a more interesting look.
- If starting from scratch always choose large pieces of furniture i.e. sofa chairs, dining tables, beds, first as these could be more limiting in colour. Use these as a starting point for your colour scheme.
- Remember size is very important, always measure both the area your placing furniture into and the furniture itself before purchasing as these items look relatively small in large open plan showrooms but will look much larger when in your home.
- Wallpaper is back - big style! With lots of rich opulent colours and large designs it’s easy to create a focal point in any room by using on just one wall, or just on fireplace walls, behind beds, or in alcoves.
- Never underestimate the importance of good lighting. Overhead lighting is essential together with floor stands, table lamps and recess lighting. It can transform any dingy looking room to cozy inviting room with the flick of a switch.
- Lamps are more than just a source of lighting with today’s curvy and sculptural shapes, large shades and glamorous colours they are interesting objects in their own rights.
- Mirrors, adding mirrors in a small area is a must. Hung opposite a window it will reflect light making a room brighter looking, hung on a dead wall at the end of a corridor it will open up the area. In a small bathroom a fitted wall to wall mirror can make it feel double the size. Try using 2 or 3 unframed contemporary mirrors in a row above a sofa on a plain wall, or use mirror in place of artwork on a busy wallpaper to reflect the rest of the room.
- In a hallway with lots of rooms of it try to keep the continuity of colour flowing between the rooms and hallway. Do this by starting with a base colour and add to this different colours in each room by way of accessories or artwork, then if all doors are opened at the same time you will not get conflicting colours.
- Budget carefully before you start to shop around, you may well be able to buy a similar if not exactly the same item from a high street store than the designer piece which will eat into your budget.
- If selecting expensive wallpaper, unless you are well experienced, engage a decorator to hang it properly, but save by doing all the preparation and painting yourself.
- Accessorising is essential to complete a room. Even in minimalist rooms, a well chosen piece of art or vase in a vibrant color will add interest. In traditional rooms add beaded trims to cushions and along the bottom of blinds. Add touchy feely fabrics in any room, such as suede, leather, velvets, cords and cashmere for throws, cushions or to cover small pieces of furniture like footstools to turn your house into your home.”

You can see examples of Linda’s great ideas at any one of Barratt’s show homes at eight developments throughout West Central Scotland.