At Home designer sale boosts animal charity

Sometimes, having a jolly good clear out can have far-reaching results. I've collected many off-cuts, samples, fabric books and other interior design bits and pieces over the years, all of which were cluttering up the At Home studio. So I decided to put them to good use, and support a charity which is close to my heart.

With the help of a few friends, At Home staged a designer fabric sale at the very beautiful Dales Country House Hotel, near my home in Sheringham, Norfolk.

At 10am there was a surge of 'fabric junkies', keen to snap up some of the beautiful fabrics from Zoffany, Coles, Designers Guild and many others. Most were just a few metres, but perfect for bedspreads, cushions, recovering chairs and many other home and craft projects.

They made short work of it, and by 11am we had a room full of empty tables! It was lovely meeting fellow interior design lovers, answering their questions and hearing about their planned projects.

We raised £400 for Hillside Animal Sanctuary, an amazing organisation at West Runton in Norfolk. I think that will buy quite a few bales of hay for the hundreds of abused and neglected farm animals they look after. They also rehome dogs - as the owner of a rescue dog myself, I would urge anyone looking for a pet to contact Hillside.

So thanks again to all of you who came to support our charity event - and for helping to declutter the At Home studio! 

Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home Interiors.

We really do feel like Superheros!

We did it! Still on a high from completing last week's Norfolk Superhero Challenge. A huge thank you to everyone who sponsored us – it’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done but feeling very proud that my team mate Sue Allen and I finished this arduous course.

Photo courtesy www.dennispederson.com

Our times weren’t bad and I’m pretty sure I was first swimmer home in the ‘Zimmer’ category with a time of 24.17 minutes. Sue is really fit and was second lady home, beating me by more than three minutes.

As well as the mile-long swim from Gun Hill to the quay at Burnham Overy Staithe, we kayaked four miles (my time 42.51 mins), cycled 45 miles (3.26 hours) through north Norfolk's most scenic roads then ran eight miles (2.22 hours) across tracks, sand, mud and marsh. My time was just over seven hours in total; they won’t be chasing me for the Olympics, but at least I wasn't last!

The swim was hard, with a strong wind creating lots of ‘chop’. The kayaking was great fun – a bit like dodgems at first - with friendly jostling for position. We cycled into what felt like cyclone winds and all was going well until mile 26 when cramp hit me – first one leg, then the other. This is the first time I’ve ever experienced it, so it chose a great time to hit.  The highlight had to be running along Holkham Beach with the tide far out and the sun shining. Our legs got sand-blasted, but it was worth it.

And then there were those kit changes; getting your foot stuck in your wetsuit can cost you precious minutes, so we made sure we practiced beforehand.

Sue was a fantastic team mate and got me through my various bouts of cramp, with amazing encouragement and her homemade flapjacks – rather difficult to chew with a dry mouth but ok when washed down with litres of Isotonic water.

The fabulous Pink Lady marshalls, the relaxed ‘no rules’ policy and the wonderful feeling of camaraderie among competitors, whether they were an elite athlete, semi pro or complete amateurs like us, made it a brilliant event.

Hugh and training buddy, Mocha

And of course, I couldn’t have done it without my faithful training buddy Mocha, whose four legged company saw me through many a dark, cold morning when I really didn’t feel like getting my kit on.

Will I be back next year to do it all again? You bet I will.

• So far Sue Allen and I have raised around £1,900 for Wells Lifeboat, which is manned by volunteer crews. We hope to get our total up to £3000! If you would like to donate, please visit our page on Just Giving.

A return to interiors that make you smile...

Pared-back Scandi-neutral has been the design norm for some years, so I am excited to see a return to eclecticism and colour - and no-one does this better than hotelier and designer Kit Kemp.

Kit co-owns the chic Firmdale group of boutique hotels in London and New York, including The Soho Hotel. Kit's home, pictured, has all the style and charm we've come to expect - she has a fantastic eye for the unusual, with wonderful artifacts that draw the eye in.

Kit said: ‘My style is carefree and colourful – colour always makes me smile – but this is balanced with neutrals because I need it to feel calm too. I want to be able to come in, shut the door, and for my home to feel magical."

Kit also uses many handcrafted details such as appliqué and needlepoint which make an interior feel more human and tell the owner's story. To me, this is the designer's greatest skill - to create an interior that the owner feels instantly at home in, that looks as if it has been created by their hand, though they may not have have the skill, time or confidence to achieve it themselves.

Photo courtesy www.dailymail.co.uk

www.athome-interiors.com

firmdalehotels.com

My four-legged training buddy keeps me focused!

Hugh Jamieson and Mocha, his training buddy

Hours before I arrive at the At Home design studio, I'm up with the larks to run a five mile circuit around beautiful Sheringham Park, near my Norfolk home.

I've signed up for the Norfolk Superhero Challenge next month to raise cash for RNLI Wells Lifeboat. It's a grueling course, but I have a devoted training buddy to keep me focused – my dog, Mocha.

I rescued Mocha 10 years ago from the Greek island of Naxos, and I confess, without his company on my morning run, training would be hard-going. Mocha is so enthusiastic and probably runs four times as far as I do, in his endless quest to find rabbits!

The Norfolk Superhero Challenge takes place on Saturday 6th June and the route meanders round the most beautiful parts of north Norfolk. Teams swim one mile from Gun Hill to the quay at Burnham Overy Staithe with the incoming tide,  kayak a four mile course through creeks, cycle a 45 mile circular route on north Norfolk's most scenic roads then run eight miles across tracks, sand, mud and marsh. 

With my team mate, Sue Allen, we hope to £3000 for Wells Lifeboat which is manned entirely by volunteer crews. We'd love your support, so if you'd like to donate, please visit  www.justgiving.com/NorfolkSuperHero112

I, and Mocha, would be very grateful!

Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home Interiors, Norwich and Cambridge.

For more information please contact Hugh Jamieson 01603 520535

Why clients should have a Love Interest...

'Hugh, I have fallen in love,' declared my client. 'Oh good...' I responded, a little uncertainly; this was not my usual Tuesday morning client/designer phone call. 

'Yes,' she continued, 'Page 21 of April's Homes & Gardens. I simply have to have that wallpaper!

Great interiors are a mix of good practical design and considered aesthetics - but also those elements that come from the heart to give a space warmth and personality.

In this case, passion came in the form of a Christian Lacroix wallpaper from Designers Guild, featured in the Hot House feature of one of my favourite glossy magazines. And I could understand my client's infatuation. The vibrant colours and striking design of 'Canopy' was truly stunning.

I acted immediately and ordered the required number of rolls, incorporating it into my finished design, using it on a feature wall in my client's dining area. 

I advised my client to go with a slightly softer colourway with a duck egg ground that complemented the rest of her home. The paper arrived at the At Home office the very next day, and was gracing the walls of my client's Norfolk retreat within the week.

So this was the latest wallpaper design, in the latest copy of H&G, in my latest design project. All quite a coup. But more than that, after months of renovations and 'nuts and bolts' planning, it signified one of the the personal finishing touches that set a home apart. Indeed, we pride ourselves on really listening to client's desires to give them the scheme they want. 

And of course, in life and decorating, it's always good to have a little love interest.

By Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home interiors.
Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire.

Please visit our website.

How great interior design can attract more clients to your business

I’m a designer, creating beautiful interiors that inspire and give pleasure. I’m not a plumber, a lawyer or top chef. If I wanted my loo fixed, a legal problem solved or a Michelin Starred meal, I would consult the experts.

So I am constantly surprised when business owners think interior design is something anyone can do – or they exist in bland spaces that say nothing of their skills, company values and overall ethos.  

People believe what the see, not what they hear. So if you say your company is forward-thinking and inspiring but your customers walk into a reception area that’s bland and out-dated, they simply won’t believe you.

Recently I met friends in a newly opened restaurant. While the food and staff were excellent, the interior jarred. The lighting was too bright, the furnishings mismatched, with a colour palette reminiscent of a cheap supermarket. This incohesive branding was out of kilter with the elegant food. It transpired that the owner had done his own decorating. While his cooking was fabulous, his taste in decor was not creating the ambience he’d hoped. Let’s just say we didn’t stay for pudding. 

So if you are creating a restaurant, a boutique hotel, a board room or reception area for your business, it’s crucial that the interior is consistent with your company branding. To coin two pertinent phrases: ‘Seeing is believing’ and ‘Each to his own’.

And as we all know, consulting the experts with ultimately save you money. At Home Interiors has access to trade accounts that you don’t. We tap into elements that are not available to the general public in terms of connections, resources and merchandise. Then we pull them all together to make your space unique.

And, like you, I know my trade. I understand when something wrong or right with a space, the result of 32 years of experience. I have rescued many a project that business-owners have tried to revamp, only to get frustrated when they’ve thrown money at it - then to find it’s still wrong, just in a different way

Your business space should reflect the heart of your company. And when it looks and feels right, you will attract the clients you desire.

by Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home Interiors. 

Interior design and architecture in perfect harmony

No man is an island, and that includes interior designers! We have recently completed this stunning contemporary design in Cambridge, collaborating closely with NRAP architects, who share our vision of creating vibrant, imaginative spaces that are a joy to inhabit.

The project was a simple late-Victorian villa that had been extended in the 1980s. The owners wanted to replace the existing garden room with a new space that could open up directly into the garden, and to refurbish the rest of the house.

At Home senior designer Diana Trower respected the clients’ wishes to retain the character of the original rooms at the front of the house and upstairs, while breathing new life into the kitchen and the stunning new garden room.

Diana planned and oversaw the installation and decoration of the new kitchen and living spaces, adding soft furnishings to the library and piano room. The owners wanted to retain their traditional paintings and here Diana expertly showcases her skill of mixing old and new, ensuring even the most contemporary space feels like a much loved home. White-stained birch ply was used to line the staircase, hallway, and kitchen units, to provide a calming flow.

At Home Principal Designer, Hugh Jamieson said: ‘We are the link between you and your architect or contractor. We speak their language and can head off design misses. We are delighted to have worked with NRAP and together we marry aesthetics and practicalities, which is crucial in managing the client’s time and money, and avoiding hassle and headaches.’

At Home Interior Design www.athome-interiors.com

NRAP Architects www.nrap.co.uk