I recorded a short video about this, and I wanted to write it down properly, with a little more detail on each one. None of these are rules. They are habits I picked up in my own homes, and each one comes with what I do instead.
1. Buying all the furniture from one place
If everything comes from the same store, the home ends up looking like that store's showroom. Every piece was designed to sit next to the others, so the room has no surprise in it and no story.
I like to mix: a few new pieces, something vintage, and maybe one thing made to order. A vintage piece brings a bit of history into the room, and a made-to-order piece is the one thing nobody else has. That mix is what makes a home look collected over time.
2. Ordering furniture before measuring
This one sounds obvious, and it is the one that costs the most when it goes wrong: a sofa that will not fit, or a dining table that leaves no room to pull out a chair.
And I don't only measure the room. I measure the doors, the stairs, the lift, and anywhere else the furniture has to get through on its way in. A sofa that fits the living room perfectly is no use if it cannot turn the corner in the corridor.
3. Designing an indestructible kitchen
Kitchens are often designed to survive anything. Italians have been living with marble for more than two thousand years, and I don't see why we would keep it out of the kitchen.
Yes, marble stains, and lemon or wine will leave a mark on it. But over time it gets a beautiful patina, and that softness is what makes a kitchen feel lived in. If you want the marks to show less, a honed finish hides them far better than a polished one.
4. Putting lights right above where people sit
Light coming straight down from the ceiling casts shadows under the eyes, and everyone sitting beneath it looks as if they haven't slept in days. The same thing happens with a single light above the bathroom mirror.
I keep light at face level instead: a table lamp beside the sofa, a wall light by the chair, and at the mirror, a light on each side, so the face is lit evenly from both directions.
5. Taking all the inspiration from one place
If all your inspiration comes from one feed or one magazine, the home ends up looking like that feed. I look in magazines, design books, online, and when I travel, and then I mix what I find.
Travel is where I learn the most, because it shows me things I would never think to search for.
If you only try one of these at home, start with the lighting. Turn off the ceiling light tonight and put a lamp at face level, and you will see the difference straight away.
Should all the furniture in a room match?
A room usually feels better when the pieces come from different places: a few new pieces, something vintage, something made to order. Keep one thread running through them, a wood tone or a colour, so the mix still feels calm.
Is marble a good choice for a kitchen?
Yes, if you are happy for it to change. Lemon and wine will mark it, but over time it gets a beautiful patina. A honed finish shows those marks much less than a polished one.
Where should lighting go in a living room?
At face level, around the places people sit: table lamps beside the sofa and wall lights by the chairs. A single ceiling light above the seating casts shadows under the eyes.