We recently caught up with Lindsay Blair, editor at Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms, about her start in interior design, her trend predictions and her decorating tips…
How did you get started in interior design?
I have always loved magazines – from picking up weekly subscriptions from the newsagents when I was younger to stocking up on my favourite monthlies now, so I knew I wanted to work in the industry since I was a teenager. At first, I thought I wanted to work for fashion titles, but after landing my first job as an online writer and working on property websites, I realised I was much more drawn to homes.
My first editorial job in print was for a national homes and interiors magazine and during my time there I was lucky enough to compile regular shopping and decorating features, interview big names in the interior design world and write features on the most stunning real homes. All of this cemented my love for interior design and it’s a passion that has grown and grown – and is still growing.
What’s your favourite design trend right now?
I’m a big fan of the industrial look, but rather than a stark, overly masculine design, I love that the latest ‘urban’ trend is about having exposed metal, Crittall glazing, exposed lightbulbs, rustic-look woods and metallics such as brass balanced with soft, tactile textures, accents of bright colour and lots of greenery, plus open shelving. The result is a really cool, eclectic and ‘not too perfect’ style.
Describe your personal interior style?
It’s very varied and I often change my mind because I am lucky enough to see so many beautiful homes, designs and pieces of homeware as part of my job. I like a mix of old and new, so like to combine vintage or second-hand finds with modern prints, fun textiles and colourful rugs and house plants. I rent my home so I am sadly limited to what I can do in terms of decorating.
However, I use the neutral walls as a base to add colour through my rugs, cushions, throws, art, ceramics and fun lighting. The plus side is I can change up the look or add new colours and patterns into the mix very easily. My latest update is adding some velvet terracotta-coloured cushions to my dark grey sofa and a leather Moroccan pouffe.
What’s your number one tip when it comes to starting a new decorating project?
Create moodboards. It’s really important to collate all of your ideas and visualise how they work together. Print off pictures you like, cut pages from magazines (like Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms, of course), collect wallpaper, fabric, paint, tile and flooring samples and collate them.
You’ll more than likely see a strong theme coming through, which you can build on, or you may realise that one idea doesn’t quite work as part of the wider scheme. Take time to look over your inspirations and ideas and edit them down into the beginnings of a scheme you’ll love. If you’re working with a designer, such as a kitchen, bathroom or interior designer, you can show them your moodboard as a starting point. Plus, it’s a fun process, too.
What are your trend predictions for next year?
I’m expecting to see more colour as we continue to move away from white, light grey and all-neutral spaces and embrace much more fun palettes which ooze personality. Right now, for autumn winter 2018, jewel tones are on my radar, but going into 2019, you’ll start to see rich, earthy tones, like terracotta, sage and warm pastels which look a bit fresher but still offer a lovely accent of colour. Oh, and black is most definitely back.
Do you have a favourite design show?
I have a few! I like to watch Grand Designs as the projects are always amazing creations and one day I’d love to build my own home. I also enjoy watching DIY SOS, The House That £100k built and Queer Eye on Netflix ¬– that’s my total guilty pleasure.
What’s your favourite range from Walls and Floors, and why?
Encaustic or encaustic-style tiles are on my ‘one day, I’ll have’ list, so I’m drawn to the Piquancy range and also like the Antique Vintage Blue floor tiles. Their ‘worn’ look only adds to the style and character and these types of tiles remind me of beautiful ones I have spotted on travels in Portugal and Morocco.
In keeping with my love for the industrial look, I also like the Reclaimed Plank tiles – they’re great if you don’t have an actual exposed brick wall in your home, plus the Brixton range of concrete-look collection is cool and contemporary. The striped Brixton Smoke Oblique décor tiles would make a great feature wall or splashback.
Keep up with Lindsay on Instagram at @Lindsays_home and don’t forget to follow Kitchen Bedrooms & Bathrooms at @kbbmagazine.
