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NTERIORSClare Nolan

THERE MUST BE SOME MIX-UPStay aay from contrived themes and trust your instincts hen it comes to combining patterns, paints, trinkets and treasures, says interiors guru Samantha Todhunterords RCHEL LEEDHM Photographs RCHEL SMITH

his project was all about creating a cosy

home for the three of us, says Samantha.

I didnt want it to be too designed the

last thing that the girls and I were looking

was to come home to a perfect set piece.

The basic bones of the property were fine, so

was a question of redecorating and giving the

hen and bathroom a face-lift. My approach was

y non-formulaic, but I wanted to make the walls

floors consistent, so I used a soft French grey on

walls throughout, with oak boards on the ground

or, and dark grey velvety carpet on the first and

ond floors.

The house we were moving from was much larger,

I kept many favourite pieces, including the 1960s

o lamp I grew up with as a child in Milan, and an

sofa and armchairs, which I re-covered. I also found

self with a collection of pictures I had amassed over

years. It made sense to group them together on

e wall they make much more of an impact.

I like the idea of busy spaces, which is why I have

oduced lots of pattern. As long as these designs are

anced with a simple canvas, it all works, and they

n a bland room into something more interesting.

Its still a work in progress; Im continually collecting

my inventory is always changing.

manthatodhunter.com

E LIVING ROOM The bold geometric rug (Key Shadow byanne Sharp for the Rug Company, therugcompany.com)floral tapestry cushions (Birdie Blossom by Paul Smith

the Rug Company) showcase Samanthas brave approach

mixing colour and pattern. Classic brass Hardwick tableps (vaughandesigns.com) sit on glossy yellow side tables,igned by Samantha, which add another injection of

h-voltage colour to the scheme. The original 1960s Platnere is still produced by Knoll (knoll.com)

THE FAMILY

Interior designer Samantha Todhunter shares her home

with her daughters Carla and Lucia (left) and king charles

spaniels Wellington and Boo. Samanthas previous career, as a

writer and design editor for magazines includingAustralia Vogue

Livingand House & Garden, has helped inform her innovative

approach to decorating.

THE HOME

A classic terraced Victorian workers cottage in West London,

with three bedrooms and a small courtyard garden. The house

was in good shape, but was in need of a decorative overhaul.

T

ABOVEI am vaguely obse

Samantha of her framed pby Australian fine art phot(leilajeffreys.com). The stowas smartened up with a by Little Greene (littlegreehandles. The armchair waSamanthas all-time favou

Textiles (olicana.co.uk)

MAKE AN EXHIBI

Originating in Paris

salon-style picture

to create maximum

collection of prints

In the living room,

Samanthas daught

her grandfather an

given to her by the

are all grouped tog

were laid out on th

moved around unt

looked right. Its lik

says Samantha. Ma

here are from the s

by Ikea (ikea.com).

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CARLA IN THE KITCHEN (above) Samantha gave

the kitchen a face-lift by sanding back the cupboardsand painting them white, and adding Carrara marbleworktops. For similar drawer handles, try Willow &Stone (willowandstone.co.uk). The metro tiles, fromCriterion Tiles (criteriontiles.co.uk), add an urbanedge that is softened with a zebra-print cowhide

from the French Bedroom Company(frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk)

WELLINGTON ANDBOO (right) keep

Samantha companyin her office. Theirbasket is from Oka(okadirect.com)

HE BATHROOM This was originallyvery bleak room it was all white,

with a hard, black tiled floor, saysamantha, who wallpapered three of

he walls in Squiggle by VivienneWestwood for Cole & Soncole-and-son.com). Its busy and ait mad, but I think that if you are goingo use wallpaper, you should go for it. It

turns an otherwise utilitarian spaceinto something chic and fabulous.

The fourth wall is mirrored to give themodest-sized room the illusion ofspace. The hexagonal mosaic floortiles are from Criterion Tiles(criteriontiles.co.uk); the shutters arefrom The New England Shutter Company(thenewenglandshuttercompany.com)

THE DINING ROOM (opposite)To make thisrelatively small space feel larger, Samantha panelled

the alcoves with mirrored glass. The mirrors weredrilled with holes prior to installation so that shecould hang favourite watercolours by Australianartist James Gordon (jamesgordon.com.au).The circular table (from thedormyhouse.com) iscovered with a tablecloth made from fadeddamask linen (Chimre by Metaphores, from

Abbott & Boyd, abbottandboyd.co.uk) and toppedwith glass. The Arco light is available from theConran Shop (conranshop.co.uk)

Matching everything has neverdone it for me; I tend to go ithmy gut instinct. Unexpectedcombinations dra younto a room and

give it an edge

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NIFTY SHADES OF GREY

Samantha used soft grey paint

French Grey by Little Greene

(littlegreene.com) for the walls, as

its less harsh than white. It comes

in three tones, so she used darker

shades for the woodwork and in

the bedroom to create a cosy feel.

For more greys in tonal shades, try

Paint Library (paintlibrary.co.uk).

THE MASTER BEDROOM (above and left)Samantha mixed cocooning grey walls and a

headboard covered in luxurious Tabularasacotton by Dedar (dedar.com). Chinese trunksfrom Oka (okadirect.com) are used as bedsidetables and double as clothes storage. Thecrystal ball pendant light is available fromHolloways of Ludlow (hollowaysofludlow.com)

CARLAS BEDROOM (right) Red lacquer shelvesfrom Ikea make a simple display area in thelight-filled room tucked beneath the eaves. Thesleigh bed is from Bump (bumpstuff.com) andthe leather pouffe from Graham and Green(grahamandgreen.co.uk)

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