Decorating your first home (or your second or your third, for that matter) is something truly exciting. You get to mould a fresh new space into whatever you want: whether it be your alcove – your hideaway away from the world – or the place that you want to show off to all your friends. London has one of the most vibrant home design scenes in the whole world, but sometimes even that can be daunting. If you don’t have a clear concept of what you want, or you aren’t particularly good at envisioning how items will look when in front of you there is only an blank canvas… Well then you may be in need of some guidance. Lucky for us, there are sites such as Archijuice, that offer original articles from all over the world, on the “juiciest” news in architecture and interior design, so that you can put your plan into motion.
How to start
So you start your interior design journey by picking a concept. From eco-friendly and edgy designs to rustic comfortable feels, there is no better place for inspiration than London. It is the capital of the design house and the refurbished blocks. You can find anything from shabby chic and boho to ultra modern sleek designer fare. Do you fancy a Phillipe Starck? Or would you rather roam Portobello Road, looking for that unique and quirky piece that will change your room. If money is no object, than you could roam the Burlington Arcade or cross over Piccadilly to King’s Street and see the best that Christie’s has to offer. If your preferences are a little more quirky, or your pockets not as deep, then head over to Camden town, where you can find all sorts of 20th Century furniture, collectables and memorabilia, that might just add “your” spin on your home.
Budgets and Design Styles
London doesn’t only offer a whole array of price points and ranges of furniture of differing ages. Archijuice recently published an extremely interesting article: 100% Design London 2013: 3 ideas for restaurants. Although the article looked at interesting restaurant ideas, all of them where transferable into one’s home. This was a great source of bespoke furniture, whose clients include Harrods and Selfridge’s; for a bespoke lighting firm that creates one-of-a-kind vintage style fixtures that allows you to create a really innovative look; and best of all, for a great design company that helps build brands and interior concepts, highlighting the incredible vertical herb and salad garden that they created. This could easily be recreated, sans hydroponic lights, in most kitchens with a decent amount of light. And seeing that not all of us have a green thumb, the black-boarding underneath allows for the herbs to be substituted if some of us forget to water them…
Inspiration
But whether you are trolling the internet, or strolling along the Thames, London is the place to be. It is the place to hunt out a good bargain, the best young talent, and the most original looks. If you are looking for old fashioned interiors and you stumble upon an Aladdin’s cave or a exciting salvage yard, or if a vivid graffiti inspires you for an unexpected colour pallet. Whatever your preference may be, the inspiration is here.
