Answering your interior design queries from ugly lightbulbs to fab 50s

I recently answered some interior design queries for the readers of my Yorkshire Post column which I thought you may find useful

We love the current 50s revival trend. Have you any personal recommendations for wallpaper collections? CH, Harrogate

Trends are often cyclical and it is probably no co-incidence that this year sees the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Festival of Britain – which celebrated the re-emergence of the UK after a difficult post-war era. 50s design was innovative, elegant and simplistic and is perfect for the modern era which has moved away from conspicuous consumption and design excess.

Little Greene has collaborated with The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, which houses one of the largest wallpaper archives in the UK to produce their 50s Line Papers collection. The papers are careful interpretations of the original archive documents, adapted in scale and detail to honour the spirit of the period.

My personal favourite is “Herbes” which, unsurprisingly, featuring outlines of herbs accented against a rectangle of solid colours (£38.00 for a 10m roll - 0845 880 5855; http://www.littlegreene.com/)

Alternatively, Sandersons has produced a collection of archive patterns and new designs inspired by this era. The range features bold colours and strong lines. The “Mobiles” design simply shouts 50s! (£36 for a 10m roll - 0844 543 4749; http://www.sanderson-uk.com/).


We are struggling with ugly low energy bulbs that can clearly be seen in our light fittings. Do you have any suggestions that will help overcome this problem?
BB, Tadcaster

Two thoughts spring to mind to tackle this thorny issue. Halogen bulbs are now being created in styles that replicate the traditional tungsten and candle bulbs with clear glass outsides. They are perfect for use in normal lights and with chandeliers; they give a clean light and are dimmable. These bulbs are currently around 30% more efficient than traditional bulbs.

However, if you are looking for an alternative to a true low energy bulb Hulger has just launched the Plumen 001. This stunning design looks good on its own, but also works beautifully when visible in overhead and table lamps. It has been nominated for Product Design of the Year and Overall Design of the Year by the Design Museum, London.

It is currently available only in an 11w version (equivalent to a traditional 60w bulb), but comes in both screw and bayonet fittings. Bulbs are £19.95 each (0207 650 7882; http://www.plumen.com/).


We are considering wallpapering our hallway, but are worried that it may become easily marked. What would be your advice? ME, Thirsk

I personally love wallpaper and think it gives a rich and welcoming finish to any room. It is particularly important to create an immediate welcome feeling in your hallway as it sets the tone for your entire home, so I would always recommend a paper where possible.

You will tend to find that gloss finish or woven wallpapers tend to be more hardwearing in this sort of environment and will cope with a degree of “wear and tear” as they are usually able to be wiped. Some can even cope with washing – although ensure you have checked the manufacturers details before attempting this!

However, a lot of people prefer a matt finish (particularly those with a penchant for designs that look more hand printed). If this is the case – or if you already have this type – then, once you have hung your wallcovering, you can use a protective water based decorator’s varnish which can be applied on top of the paper to provide a surface more resistant to marks and scuffing. The varnish is available in three finishes – satin, gloss and dead flat and is ideal for wallpaper, plaster, fabric and wood (£9.20 for 500ml - 0845 017 1671; ww.polyvine.com).


We want to prevent our wood furniture from marking the floors in our home?
NW, Attercliffe


With more homes opting for natural, tiled and laminate flooring marks from the wooden legs of furniture are becoming a much bigger problem. The damage is actually not just restricted to your floor, but also to the furniture which may also show signs of scuffing over time.

The simplest solution is felt padding, available from most DIY outlets, which can be cut to size and fitted to the bottom of your furniture legs. Treating your furniture in this way also helps to ease movement of these pieces.

If you are looking for a more long term solution, I would consider the Quickclick multi-part system. This uses a base cup that you attach to the leg of your furniture which can then accept four different glider types (specifically designed for wood, tiled or carpet flooring with a fourth offering anti-slip). The gliders are easily removed and interchangeable so that if you alter your flooring you can swap the glider without making a mess of your furniture. From £2.99 for 4 gliders (08454 706670; http://www.stroolmount.co.uk/).

Jamie Hempsall, BIID is winner of the Best Interior Design - North Award 2010 in the UK Property Awards in Association with Bloomberg Television.

Making the most of what you have!

This is often the time of year when people get a little restless and decide they need to move home because of a lack of space. In the current economic climate it makes sense to re-assess your current living space before making any rash moves.

Most of us quickly settle on specific uses for locations throughout our home and live with these until we relocate. However, they are not always logical and can mean that a fair degree of our property is left under-utilised.

When clients engage us to develop their home, we undertake a lifestyle interview that helps indicate what they really need from their environment (which may well initially differ from what they think they want). Having an objective set of eyes upon the problem can help you break away from your tried and tested regime to really see how you should be using your available space.

You should begin by ignoring the existing layout and use of your rooms and considering exactly what facilities you need.  You need to do this as an objective academic exercise - literally list down all uses and how often this use will occur. It is important to be realistic, not idealistic.  It is incredibly useful to have an unbiased third party to help, so why not invite a friend around and do this over coffee (not a glass of wine as the end results can be very different!!) 

Try to think ahead for the next couple of years to ensure that you take into consideration any changes likely to arise (for instance, a playroom may well be superseded by the need for a study as children move from Primary to Secondary School).

Once you understand your most important needs, take a close look at how you use your home currently and objectively assess whether you are should re-define some of your rooms.

Three of the most common issues in UK homes are:

 *  rarely used dining rooms
 *  empty guest rooms
 *  crowded box rooms

The separate dining room harks back to times when we were more formal about our dining requirements. I never advocate removing a dining area altogether as I think it is important that families have a space within which to eat and commune together. However, in the current age of informal entertaining this function is better situated within the kitchen to create a heart of the home. Regaining the use of an idle dining room can add a considerable additional day to day living space to incorporate as a children’s TV area or home study.

We also often see teenage children crammed into a small single room, whilst the house possesses a perfectly decent double bedroom which is kept for guests. Unless you are accommodating visitors for the majority of the year this is not an effective use of a room. Teenagers have the need for additional space for study (as well as the plethora of games consoles and other media equipment), so it makes sense to re-assign the use of the rooms and consider mattresses).

Similarly, Box Rooms often become dumping grounds for rarely needed general rubbish. Start by careful culling the contents (ruthlessly assess the real cost to you in lifestyle space to hold onto items). Then consider how often you will actually need instant access to the remaining items and find more appropriate storage locations (i.e. if you will rarely need it store in an attic or shed). Re-claiming a Box Room and carefully fitting it out can provide you with space for a small study, play room, dressing room or even a home gym.

If your needs are a little more complex you really should also consider ices of a good interior designer and/or architect.  This is what we do everyday for a living and you would be surprised at the solutions we have had to come up with over the years.  If you have an issue, chances are we have a way of solving it.

Re-working the division of interior spaces can drastically reduce under used space (particularly when considering redefining hallways or corridors which can add significant square footage to even the smallest home). Areas such as under the stairs are also often ideal spaces to install an additional WC or small home office area.

I would always advise any you carefully consider any "Open plan" living designs, as ideal as it sounds there are still often needs for privacy in family homes and heating costs have to be taken into account.   

Where you are combining rooms (such as knocking through separate dining and living rooms) consider including recessed sliding doors that disappear into the wall to allow you to use the area more flexibly and to reclaim some solitude when necessary.

Depending on the construction of your home you may also be able to move internal walls to “steal” space from low usage rooms to create larger actual living areas.

A final vital point to consider if you are making interior changes is the impact it will have on the value of your home (especially if you only plan to live there in the short or medium term). Before embarking on any major structural change seek advice from a property professional to avoid inadvertently reducing the value of your home (for instance, by sacrificing bedrooms to bathrooms in a property with less than 4 bedrooms) or over-developing your home for the area that you live in.

Jamie Hempsall is an award winning interior designer and member of the British Institute of Interior Design. Contact him on 0800 0321 180 or visit his website http://www.jamiehempsall.com/.

You can also follow Jamie on Twitter @jamiehempsall.