Decorating with intuition

You can go to design school, you can read a zillion decorating books you can even come along to the  master classes (yes please) I’m holding at home  but the thing about  decorating is a lot of the time it's all about intuition. I’m here and design schools are here (some of them at least) to encourage and inspire you to think a little out of the box to create magical tantalising spaces that make your heart beat just that little bit faster. If you follow the rules everything will be perfectly proportioned, all hues (generally taupe I find) will harmonize, accessories will be grouped in little clusters of three and cushions will be positioned on a sofa on their point as I saw Robyn Holt do on The Renovators. Bad Robyn bad,  I shouted so loudly at the TV when you did that that both Mungo and Maud leapt up (sorry guys). Cushions should be punched in the middle to relax them and then angled slightly – simple, simple, simple – up on a point and its way too uptight. Who wants a home that looks like a show home –shiny, new,  super trendy with about three things in it . Follow your heart if you are attracted to a rustic vibe, an eclectic vibe, an industrial vibe, all three, or any other vibe for that matter go for it. There is only one  rule when it comes to decorating and it’s an Abi one – decorate with things that make you happy. Follow your gut and not trends, nothing I buy for the store is on trend it’s purely what I love. Everything in the store (as many of you will soon see) I have at home everything from the plates to the drinking vessels to the tons of fake flowers (even in the garden dare I say) to the textiles, lighting, mantelpieces and accessories etc etc.Do that  and you will instantly get a space that shouts laid back, happy lair. There is no one better to demonstrate my point than the fabulous Mr Jonathan Adler - whilst not all my cup of tea his interiors totally endorse what he loves,  fun, upbeat  and pretty fabulous as illustrated below: Playful, fun and very Jonathan Adler - its a little too co-ordinated for me and a tad uptight but who cares it oozes personality. Patterns abound, intermix and hang out together - they don't match but they make perfect sense.