I think the words “Hamptons Style” are one of the most bounced around words when it comes to interior decorating. I often feel my eyes roll when I hear it mentioned. Not that I’m opposed to the style. It’s very relaxed yet sophisticated and certainly makes me think of the amazing seaside home of Diane’s Keaton’s character in “Something’s Gotta Give”.

Recently I was reminded of my aunt’s kitchen table. It was a round, slightly darkened glass table with four green velvet swivel chairs. This table was centred in the middle of the kitchen in her 1950’s house. While there was a more formal dining table nearby, this little round table got more love. It was the place to sit when you popped in for a visit. And a place to chat while relatives were getting ready for a celebration or just cleaning up. As a child it always felt like a cosy place; the centre of the house and a place to watch all the activity of family life.

So where does an interior decorator shop? I often meet clients who say that they’ve been furniture shopping or browsing at the brand names we know. Enter IKEA, Freedom, Harvey Norman, Plush… you get the drift.

But here’s a secret. There’s more furniture and homeware suppliers out there that interior decorators have access to that aren’t readily available to the public. And these suppliers don’t put pressure on you to buy that day or try to upsell you the whole bedroom suite (is that still a thing?)

I’ve recently worked on projects where my clients downsized from the family home to a smaller home. The kids had moved out and so the large family home with lawn and gardens wasn’t what they wanted or needed anymore. The former lure of the suburban quarter acre block was replaced with the convenience of a low maintenance property and nearby lattes.

I remember when I was a kid, my parents had indoor plants. In our rumpus room, there was a rather tall rubber plant in a wicker basket. There were also few maiden hair ferns scattered around the house, which despite looking lovely, didn’t last very long.

At the front door of my 1970’s family home, there was a huge monsteria plant (of course). It was so large that it started to bear fruit. These days it would be very sought after. But as a kid, I hated it. In fact, I pleaded with my parents to get rid of it. And after years of trying to tame it, it was removed.

As our home continues to be everything, I’ve noticed that my coffee table is reflecting this! More and more stuff is piling up on it. School assignments takeaway orders, hair ties and chocolate wrappers somehow end up on my coffee table. And I’ve become so used to it in this state, that I’ve forgotten what is actually on it without all the rubbish. I know it isn’t a huge problem in the scheme of things, but a tidier and more organised environment does assist on making you feel better.

You may have had a dark room in their house at some stage. That room that doesn’t get much sun or light. I remember my grandma had a dark room in her house. To me it was always cold too. But it was the room that housed her record player where I played ABBA and found chocolates hidden in her cabinets. So for me, that lured me in! I never really thought much about why it was dark (and cold). I suspect that may be in part due to her heavy curtains that were often closed and the small room having too much heavy furniture.

I love art. I studied it at school and then at university. I remember however there was one class in particular in my first year of uni, that almost ruined it for me. We were looking at a slide on a wall, (yep before Powerpoint) of an eighteenth century French painting. It was a pretty, almost dreamlike landscape. Technically it was very intricate and restful and was by a renowned artist. The lecturer was at pains however to point out that perhaps the large tree in the middle of the painting had a particular meaning. This meaning was missed on me. Why couldn't we just enjoy it for being a restful scene of a French countryside? Why did the presence of a large tree have some double (and rather unfortunate) meaning? And did the painter mean to put it there for that reason?

It’s confusing isn’t it. You get catalogues from furniture stores showing how you can buy the whole bedroom. A bed, bedhead, side tables and drawers. All the same style and colour. All matching. And then you enter retail furniture stores and that’s how they have their furniture on display. As the set. Oh and there is often a special offer for the whole suite!

We’ve all heard of Goldilocks and how she entered the bears’ house while they were away. She tested out their furniture, ate porridge and even broke a chair. While I understand it’s meant to be a cautionary tale of respecting privacy and not breaking into someone’s home, I think it also offers another cautionary tale. To try out furniture before you buy!

Not long ago, my daughter told me that her bedroom felt a bit “babyish”.  While she loved some of the elements of her room, there were some parts that, well, felt a bit young for her. She wanted to put more of a stamp on her room so that it felt like her room.

A few weeks ago, I’d received an email from an auction house about an upcoming art sale. This wasn’t it’s usual weekly sale. But …

For years I tried yoga on and off and couldn’t quite work out what everyone was raving about. Downward dog felt awkward and I almost fell over balanced on one leg. Then I found …

I’ve been walking a lot recently. Getting into nature. Moving and feeling good afterwards is what I’ve been enjoying. Fortunately I’ve got a lake nearby …

A few years ago, during lockdown, my husband and I took the chance to declutter. Our garage, our kitchen cupboards and shed were gone through with immaculate precision. My husband’s enthusiasm was infectious. I got on board and started sorting through all the books that had sat untouched on our bookshelf. My taffeta dress with puffy sleeves and bows, from my school formal didn’t survive the process (I’m not really sure why I still had it).

Recently I seem to have rediscovered my sweet tooth. I’ve baked a number of cakes – all variations of banana (I was given a lot of bananas). And a few times I’ve impatiently started to eat the cake …

Zoom, Google Meet and Skype have all very quickly become part of everyday life. But when you sit at the screen, what are you looking at? And what does your audience see?

Our home is often thought of as our ‘castle’. Now in these interesting times, home is not only a place to live, but a place of safety, a school, a workplace, a place of entertainment and rest.

At some stage, we have to leave home. I'm not talking about leaving the family home for a share house with some rather scary housemates.

Just to clarify, this blog is not about the legalities of home ownership - as to whether the bank or the landlord owns your home or whether someone is going to come and repossess your home or even change the locks!