{"id":27353,"date":"2023-07-13T12:24:04","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T11:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/?p=27353"},"modified":"2024-04-23T11:01:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T10:01:47","slug":"qa-with-interior-designer-charlotte-luxford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/general\/qa-with-interior-designer-charlotte-luxford\/","title":{"rendered":"\u200b\u200bOn the sofa with interior designer Charlotte Luxford"},"content":{"rendered":"

We chat with interior designer and editor Charlotte Luxford of Luxford Interiors and Nest Magazine, who shares her knowledge of creating practical and stylish family-friendly homes, whatever your budget. Grab yourself a coffee and read on to find tips and tricks for your latest home decor projects.<\/p>\n

Can you tell us a bit about your interiors background?<\/h2>\n

\"Wrought<\/p>\n

First and foremost, I\u2019ve forged my career as an interiors writer and editor, having written for magazines for more than a decade. It was only when I started helping friends and family informally with their design projects that I realised how much I enjoyed the creative aspect of designing.<\/p>\n

It was a pleasure to put into practice all the knowledge I\u2019d accumulated over the years working for newsstand magazines. I completed a diploma in interior design in 2017 to further my knowledge, launching my interior design business Luxford Interiors in 2018. I regularly work on interior design projects alongside my journalism \u2013 I love the variety both professions bring.<\/p>\n

How would you describe your style?<\/h2>\n

\"Beautiful<\/p>\n

Eclectic, characterful, yet modern. I love to blend old and new styles, but I\u2019m always drawn to the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Deco period. I enjoy playing with colour and pattern and love a pink and green combo!<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best way to approach a room makeover?<\/h2>\n

\""Eclectic\"<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s essential to have a starting point to inspire your scheme \u2013 art is great for this, or perhaps a treasured object, or wallpaper you\u2019ve always loved. Whatever it is, it needs to be something that excites you. It makes it much easier to create a scheme when it\u2019s based on something meaningful.<\/p>\n

Extrapolate the colours from your chosen object to start to form your scheme, with a base colour, a complementary colour and then a bold accent shade \u2013 to be used sparingly for effect. It\u2019s all about layers; consider using different textures to stop it from looking flat: metallics, glass, matt, gloss, painted, raw rood, velvets, linens, sheers etc.<\/p>\n

The same goes for patterns \u2013 choose a geometric, floral, stripe and plain as a rough rule of thumb, and ensure you mix large-scale and small-scale print for interest.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also about taking the time to let the interiors evolve and to include personal things that bring you joy \u2013 it\u2019s easy to be trend-led, but at the end of the day it needs to feel like your home. Interior designer Billy Baldwin famously said: \u201cBe faithful to your own taste, because nothing you really like is ever out of style.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you create a stylish home on a budget?<\/h2>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

With the current state of the world, I think it\u2019s more important than ever to reuse and rehome wherever possible. Facebook Marketplace can be a real treasure trove; I\u2019ve picked up brand-new designer tiles, vintage furniture, art, lighting and all sorts there.<\/p>\n

Same for charity shops and antique markets; plus, shopping this way almost automatically ensures your interior is interesting to look at and bespoke. Upcycling existing pieces is also a great way to give something a fresh look \u2013 it\u2019s amazing what a lick of paint or new handles will do.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your advice for creating an aesthetically pleasing yet practical family home?<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

Storage, storage and more storage. Look for opportunities to integrate it wherever you can \u2013 I\u2019ve got a huge L-shaped bench seat at home with lift-up lids where I stash the majority of the kids\u2019 toys, plus it saves space and you can get more people around the dining table. Look at dresser units<\/a> or half-glazed bookcases where you can style the top half with beautiful pieces that stay out of reach of little hands, while the clutter can be concealed behind closed doors on the bottom half.<\/p>\n

What are the easiest ways to transform a space?<\/h2>\n

\"Downstairs<\/p>\n

Painting is totally transformative, easy and inexpensive. And get creative with it too \u2013 explore ideas such as painting skirting and doors in a bold accent shade, upcycle furniture, or zone spaces with it. Wallpaper is also great; you could add it to the back of a bookcase to make it feel more bespoke, create a feature wall or even paper the ceiling. Adding a focal point, such as a gallery wall, a large statement poster or a mirror<\/a> can also add the wow factor without much effort.<\/p>\n

Getting your lighting right is also super important and can change the vibe of a room completely and make it feel more expensive \u2013 layer practical lighting with mood and accent lighting, highlighting features in the room, and place lights at different levels i.e. floor, ceiling and wall lighting for interest. There are now a lot of portable and battery-operated designs on the market that enable you to add lights without expensive rewiring.<\/p>\n

Can you tell us about your new magazine, Nest? What\u2019s the concept behind it?<\/h2>\n

\"Founders<\/p>\n

Charlotte Luxford and Sophie Vening<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve recently launched @nest_magazine<\/a> with a friend and fellow journalist Sophie Vening. We wanted to offer an interiors magazine that focuses very specifically on family-friendly homes, architecture and design, with all the crumbs, mud and spillages that go with having children.<\/p>\n

Nest isn\u2019t your traditional print magazine either \u2013 it\u2019s an Instazine. We felt the format works best for time-poor parents, offering readers quick, easy-to-read features on the go, with stunning inspirational photography.<\/p>\n

\"Laptop<\/p>\n

Nest showcases a mix of family-friendly homes, ideas for kid-friendly spaces, smart shopping edits, sustainable design solutions, home hacks and expert advice. For lengthier features, including interviews and in-depth guides, we\u2019ve also set up a free weekly newsletter on Substack<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What makes designing kids\u2019 spaces so fun?<\/h2>\n

\"Children's<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the perfect opportunity to be playful and brave with colour. Plus, you can dare to be more thematic than in other spaces, as it\u2019s likely they\u2019ll get updated more frequently as the child grows.<\/p>\n

Things like decals that can easily peel off are a great way to add patterns without going for full-blown wallpaper. Colour blocking or painting shapes on the wall to zone spaces are other ways of adding a splash of colour that you can easily paint over later.<\/p>\n

How can you create a dedicated area for little ones in a living room or kitchen?<\/h2>\n

\"Eclectic<\/p>\n

Zoning the space with paint, a rug or even a stylish play mat can help. Utilise the walls as best as you can with storage such as book racks, a fold-down desk, or wall-hung storage. A blackboard wall is another great solution, allowing the kids to get creative while you cook, or utilise the end of the island, whether that\u2019s adding a small desk that can double up as a table for mealtimes, or even a play kitchen of their own.<\/p>\n

How can you design a room that adapts with a child as they grow up?<\/h2>\n

\"Children's<\/p>\n

Go for a neutral base and invest in good-quality furniture that won\u2019t date, but is also robust enough to deal with wear and tear. Solid timber pieces that can be re-sanded and painted again and again are a good bet.<\/p>\n

Which Oak Furnitureland products do you think would work well in a kids\u2019 bedroom or family-friendly spaces?<\/h2>\n

\"Neutral<\/p>\n

Parquet chest of drawers<\/a> | @hoptroffhome<\/a><\/p>\n

I think for kids\u2019 rooms, especially nurseries that end up being the box room or on the smaller side, a tallboy like the Hove<\/a> or the Parquet<\/a> with plenty of smaller drawers for separating things like vests, sleepsuits, tops and bottoms, is a great alternative to a conventional three-drawer chest, taking up less precious floor space.<\/p>\n

Equally, a smart hallway storage solution such as the St. Ives unit<\/a> keeps family coats and shoes neatly stowed away and keeps this high-traffic area clear from clutter.<\/p>\n

To find out more about Charlotte, visit her website at luxfordinteriors.com<\/a> and follow her on Instagram @luxfordinteriors<\/a>. For more on Nest Magazine<\/em>, follow @nest_magazine<\/a> and visit nestmagazine.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Images: \u00a9 David Merreweather<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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