There are so many ways to keep up-to-date with the latest interior trends at home without spending a fortune. Interior designer, style maven, retailer, author and blogger, Abigal Ahern, always makes sure she stocks the latest trends in her London emporium, which has been voted one of the coolest places to shop by Elle Decoration.
Here are Abigail’s five rules exclusively for Nectar’s Savvy Lifestyle campaign, to help you ‘adopt the style’ for less:
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1. Upcycle The trick with choosing furniture is to see past ugly finishes or problem patches, and look for a beautiful overall shape. One of my favourite pieces of furniture is a claw footed table I found at a flea market. It was really dated, had brown stains and was extremely cheap. I took it to my local car garage for a spray paint job and it’s given it the most incredible luxe lacquer look! Any piece of furniture can be given a new lease of life with just a little bit of love. |
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2. Go bold with colour Colour is the quickest, cheapest and most transformative thing you can possibly use on any space. Once you’ve found hues and colours you love, it will change your home and your life forever, and all for the cost of a can of paint! |
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You don’t need an eye wateringly expensive curated art collection. Anything beautiful is art – a page torn from a book, a cool rusty sign or a gorgeous rug hung on the wall. Think outside the box as much as possible and you can really transform a room. |
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I’ve found some amazing pieces at antique stalls, online auctions and flea markets, and some of my best purchases have been eBay finds. By mixing in a few vintage pieces with the rest of your furniture, not only do you get more bang for your buck, you’re also creating a story for the room. The most stylish interiors always deftly manage to mix the high and low, old and new. |
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This is the best savvy interiors tip, because it’s completely free! When you get bored with your furniture or think that a room could do with a bit of a lift, have a reshuffle before you run off and buy anything. This is something that I do all the time. I hardly ever get rid of anything, but move things around from room to room to give them a new lease of life. Clever styling or a fresh pair of eyes makes all the difference. |
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Abigail has recently lent her interior design expertise to judge the ‘Adopt the Style’ challenge for the Nectar Savvy Lifestyle competition.