About Me

The year was 1984 - I was 23 years old. A new direction in house decoration, begun by Jocasta Innes, caused the world of interiors to sit up and take notice. By presenting ideas which were both innovative and exciting, Innes came to be known as the name of the era.

My much older cousin Hilary - already an accomplished interior designer of 40 years - not only introduced me to the practical techniques developed by Innes; more importantly, she instilled into me the importance of ambiance.

‘Ambiance’ became an obsession for me - how the character and atmosphere of a room can invoke either feelings of happiness, contentment and comfort or, conversely, a sense of wanting to flee immediately! A well-designed room has the power to lift our mood instantly through a combination of decoration, colour and lighting.

Sometimes things come full circle and, after a career in property (housing and relocation), bringing up my girls (who now have lives of their own!), living and refurbishing properties in Scotland over the last 20 years, I’m now happily ensconced back in Cambridge taking up where things began, back in 1984.