Phoebe manages to successfully combine creativeness and professionalism, so the result is a journey that ends up with having a house that truly reflects your own personality.
She talks you through every phase, so you know what to expect and you know that she is acting in your best interest.
After the first meeting, I started by giving her my Pinterest board, and that was a start of Our journey of bringing it all together.
My house is a new build, so in one respect a blank canvas, but on the other hand quite restricted to the developers fixed offerings. Phoebe negotiated around all of this to come up with a wonderful scheme that bridged this difference.
The house is colourful, and she knows instinctively where to position colour. I liked how she explained to me that pieces of furniture and everything else in the room are like a film. You need to have some stars, but you don’t want too many. She successfully achieves bringing in stars here and there and mixing this with items that just blend in well. During the planning stage, she builds models of what the room will look like, including Dropping in photographs of the pictures and furniture that you are bringing with you. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced knowing what a room would look like before it was done, Thereby eliminating the risk of disappointment.
My bedroom is a cosy place, a lovely place to relax after a long day. The depth of colours are deeply relaxing. The bed is definitely one of the stars of the house! The dressing room combines the same theme that is in the bedroom, but also throws in a touch of Maria Carey’s dressing room. A pink sofa bed with a trunk to house the bedding makes the room luxurious but also doubles up as a comfortable spare room.
Along all the back walls on the stairs are my walls of sunshine. On these walls there are square collections of pictures, that include things from the past, the present and ideals for the future.
I chose to make a snug, that doubles up as a study. Impressive built in shelving sits behind my desk, and as I’m about to start a degree course, I’m looking forward to spending time studying in this room. Another star of the house is a pink patterned chair, It beautifully ties in many of the colours of the house As well as being extremely comfortable. Again a sofa bed was planned for this room, which means that I can now accommodate a lot of people. Above my desk is a copy of the original mood board, showing some of the pictures of my Pinterest together with aptly chosen items by Phoebe. This Serves as a great way to remember the wonderful process of bringing together a house that reflects where I’m at and what I wanted. In the study as well there is a framed David Bowie album, the one I had as a teenager. The colours work amazingly and remind me of my youth. Phoebe suggested getting the reverse of the album photo- copied to sit alongside the album. Throughout the house, there are many of her ideas such as this which just add to the finishing touches.
Inside the cloakroom next to the snug, you’re transported into a Different place - It always surprises people as they open the door. And yet there is a huge thread of continuity with all the floors of the house.
Head downstairs to the kitchen which is Open Plan with the dining room and a living area. Keeping the walls white Phoebe Recommended building in colour in the curtains and the furniture. So I have pink dining room chairs, Blue armchairs, and mustard sofa, a multicoloured rug, and all the colours reflected in the curtains. We also built a colourful magnet board, which houses my collection of magnets given to me by people who have been away or I have collected myself. I certainly have not seen any of the magnet board like it, and again really proves that this Truly reflects my personality. But it’s phoebes clever inventive thinking that turned into a very personal feature for me.
Head back upstairs to the entrance hallway, and your find the amazing Mr perswall wallpaper. This was one of the last things to be sorted, and once in place the whole house felt extremely congruent. As you enter the house, you hit with colour, and colour carries on throughout.
Phoebe is also extremely reliable, you always know where you are with her, and she works with you to ensure that the Amount that you spend is in keeping with what you are trying to achieve. She also is well supported by her excellent assistant Polly, She tenaciously pursues suppliers, and keeps you updated with delivery dates.
The process has been just over a year. We worked together for around 6 months prior to moving into the house and then six months once in. The pre-planning resulted in the house looking like a home very quickly. Another way that the house feels like home quickly, is that Phoebe integrates your favourite items that you bring with you in an excellent way. For example, the picture of fish that look stunning above the kitchen sofa. Of course you can only plan a certain amount before you move in, as nothing beats actually getting into the house to see what else needs to be done. Phoebe works with you to spot where there are gaps. She keeps working till you’re fully satisfied that the house is as complete as you want it to be. And stay with the program, because be assured when you feel that things aren’t quite working how you wanted them to, you work with Phoebe and you get there, I promise.
In summary then, working with smart style interiors has been a journey of discovery resulting in a colourful, comfortable unique, slightly crazy,Beautiful and comfortable house, that really reflects me, but I know I would not of come anywhere even close to achieving this without the help of the smartstyle team. Thank you.
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