Home decor is what turns furnished into lived in. Think of the rug under the coffee table, a few cushions, a throw on the arm of the sofa, a vase, a clock, a basket for the things that have nowhere else to go. Fewer, better pieces in natural materials and quiet colours usually work best.
Our first pieces are on their way. We are choosing them one by one from European workshops and makers. Tell me when they arrive.
Buying guide
Decorating goes faster and costs less when you work from the floor up and from large to small. Each layer narrows the choices for the next one, so you are never trying to match a cushion to a rug you have not bought yet.
The rug is the largest area of colour and texture after the walls and the sofa. It anchors the seating, softens sound and sets the palette for everything else. Choose it before any textiles, and size it to the furniture rather than the room.
Cushions and throws pick up one or two colours from the rug and bring them up to eye level. Mix textures, such as linen with wool or velvet with a waffle weave, and keep patterns to one scale per sofa so they do not fight.
Vases, candle holders, trays and frames are the final layer. Group them in odd numbers, vary the heights and leave some empty surface around each group. A tray on a coffee table or an ottoman turns three loose objects into one arrangement and makes them easy to move.
A wall clock, a mirror or a set of frames gives the eye somewhere to rest above the sofa or a sideboard. Hang the centre of a single piece at around 145 to 150 cm from the floor, a little lower above furniture.
Baskets and lidded boxes are part of the decor, not an afterthought. One large basket by the sofa for throws and one on a shelf for chargers and remotes keep surfaces clear without hiding everything away.
A room furnished in one go can feel like a showroom. Keep a few things with a story, such as a vintage frame, a bowl from a trip or a family clock, and let the new pieces sit around them. Good home decor leaves room for what you will find later.
Three colours plus a neutral is plenty for most rooms. Repeat each at least twice across the space, for example the rug, a cushion and a vase, so the room reads as one. Natural materials such as wool, linen, stoneware, oak and brass age well and sit easily together. Our first home decor pieces are arriving, chosen to go with the furniture and lighting on the site, with free delivery across the UK from €89.
Start with the largest item on the floor, usually the rug, then add textiles such as cushions and throws, then smaller objects and wall pieces.
Group objects in threes or fives with different heights, and leave clear space around each group so the surface does not look crowded.
Pick three colours and a neutral from the larger pieces in the room, then repeat each at least twice across rugs, cushions and accessories.
Rooms:Living roomBedroom