Paint last

When I’m styling a new room, I like to start with the curtain fabrics because it’s much easier to find a paint colour to match a fabric than the other way around. I’m always influenced by the architecture of a building and what you can see when you look out of the windows – I want the fabrics and furniture and paintings to connect with that. There’s no right or wrong way to decorate, but for me the paint colour is the very last piece of the puzzle in a room. All the other textures have to be brought in first.

Bring the outside in

I wanted to create dining rooms at THE PIGs that felt more like conservatories. This is an easy trick you can pull off with decorative tiled floors, nicely worn, unvarnished wood tables, lots of terracotta and masses of potted herbs. In the summer, you can reverse the whole ‘outside in’ idea and turn your outside space into living and dining rooms with long rustic wooden tables and parasols.  

Create a theme

Another trick I use across THE PIGs is to create mini collections of similarly themed things on a shelf, a blank wall or an empty mantlepiece. It could be anything, from Kitchen Garden inspiration to oil ‘ancestor’ paintings or prints with a seafaring theme. If you find something you like but it’s in a dodgy frame, buy it anyway and get it reframed.

Mix and don’t match

We always aim for our rooms to feel a bit lived-in – not too glossy or matchy-matchy. Achieving this look takes lots of visits to car boot sales; I might look through 100 flowery plates to find just five I want. It’s always worth walking around car boots or markets twice as I almost always find things the second time around.

Plan your lighting

Lighting is a tricky area to get right, but it really does help set the right mood. Add both floor and table lamps with characterful lampshades – I love the ones that are made using reclaimed fabrics, like our pleated designs which are made from vintage sari material.

Think about fireplaces

Fireplaces can play an important role in creating the overall character of a room. If you want it to make a real statement, go as grand as you can and keep everything else in the room relatively plain and simple. If something more modest suits the room, paint it the same colour as the walls or add some dado-height panelling and paint the fire and surround the same colour.

Let there be white

When in doubt, paint the walls white and put your money into one really stand-out piece – like an over-the-top lampshade or a beautifully framed mirror leaning against a wall. I always want our interiors to feel lovely and comforting but not too intrusive. It’s like theatre, really. We’re setting the stage, but it’s the teams and the guests that bring it all to life.

There’s always fresh inspiration to be found at every one of our PIGs – from Cornwall to Kent, each one in the litter has a completely unique character! Book an escape, or swing by for a bite to eat; we can’t wait to warmly welcome you in.