That's why for many of us, hiring an interior designer is the best way forward. But what if you could use their knowledge and expertise to do it yourself? Inevitably, the visitor salutes the sheer courage and bravado of patron and designer in their use of colour. Julie Hodgess also aims at dramatic effects in her own flat. There, too, she uses mauve, contending that even in a small bedsitter it is a colour easy to live with. Mauve acts as a catalyst,' she says. 'It's a medium. It's soothing when lit by candles or sunlight, quite different when lit by small student lamps. It's a theatrical colour, but as I see things, once outside your front door, you find most people are playing a part, consciously or not. So, crossing your own threshold it's just a question of choosing a suitable role for yourself. At Biba's, Barbara has created a definite fashion role for lots and lots of people.' Mix textures and materials in your home to create depth and contrast. For example, using materials like wood against metallics can be easily done on a budget and look fantastic. Wallpaper is perfect for bringing in new textures and finishes too – elegant geometric prints, in understated neutral hues and monochromes, really help bring a space to life and add that designer touch.

Your home should showcase your personality, so don't be afraid to put a stamp on it. Most interior designers will start by getting to know you, what you like and then help you to display this throughout your home – but no one knows you better than yourself. The gaiety continues in the connected drawing-room. The old parquet floor has been stripped and sealed with polyurethane finish. In both these ground-floor rooms the window curtains are of dark dress-weight velvet falling in lush folds to the floor. She continues her exposition whilst moving upstairs to the bathroom dressing-room which adjoins her bedroom. 'We've planned the rooms to be as adaptable as possible. Fitz and I do a lot of our office work in here before breakfast. I also do some designs then. Once we get to our official office there's so much happening we can't talk ideas together. She looks round the room and says: ‘Like the rest of the house I admit this is a bit stagey, but we enjoy a sense of theatre. Dressing-rooms always appealed to me for their efficiency and glamour. We put glass into old maple frames for mirrors and you can certainly see yourself with twelve of them around. I'm not keen on cupboards, but I'm afraid this felt curtain alternative hasn't worked. It untidies easily. I'm always tweaking the folds straight. This bath with its funny feet was in the basement when we arrived, so we had its chrome taps stripped down to the brass. Much softer-looking, don't you think? When it comes to colour, be mindful of the shades you use if you want to achieve that high-end look. If you like magenta, add a pop of the colour here and there, don't paint the whole house with it! Unsure what to pair with your feature wallpaper? We have the choice of over 400 Paint Colors or if wallpaper is more your style try our Plain and Textured

Heriot-Watt University News: Summer 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2016. As specialists in wallpaper retailing we are more than happy to advise you on required quantities and all hanging instructions.

Barbara FitzSimon's interest in Art Nouveau is the key to the whole mood of her home. 'It's a stimulating period of design to surround oneself with—in clothes and in interior design,' she says. 'And although it's now vulgarized all over the place, it can never become banal to me. I like its sensual feeling, untarnished and not a bit blousy. For me Art Nouveau is never still, always convoluted, unlikely to be boring. Indoors, the elements of the style can produce real warmth and nostalgia, which I find bewitching, and, of course, it's all a trifle decadent. All in all, it's a fashion it's possible to explore and exploit without spending a lot of money. And it's certainly got glamour. Of what other styles can you say all that?'Here, too, the scene is set with stagey lighting, aspidistras in baroque jardinières and a ready-steady supply of mirrors. Here, too, the colourful results derive from a lively collaboration between Barbara FitzSimon and artist-designer, Julie Hodgess. Adding a touch of luxury to each room is my number one tip when it comes to getting that designer look. Glitters and metallics add a little bling and work well in smaller rooms as features will reflect off them, giving the illusion of a bigger space. a b c d e f g Elizabeth Lomas; Archive of Art and Design (Great Britain) (2001). Guide to the Archive of Art and Design, Victoria & Albert Museum. Taylor & Francis. p.142. ISBN 978-1-57958-315-6.