Whether you’re a slave to minimalism or a maximalist queen, your interior style can say a lot about who you are. Whether showing off a much-loved hobby through your decor or finding a sofa that's just your thing (thank you, DFS), there are several easy ways to add more personality to your space.
For digital creator and home renovator Donna Wardell, this means indulging her love of modern Victorian styling in the semi-detached Bromley home she shares with husband Tom and sausage dog Peggy.
Donna Wardell, at home in Bromley, Kent
Here’s how she created a home that reflects her personality – and how you can too.
1. Decorate with your favourite colours
A stickler for all things Victorian, Donna chose a traditional palette of green – which runs throughout the house – with pops of red, which can be seen in the kitchen, utility room and downstairs bathroom. ‘I love an injection of colour,’ she says, but admits that, after a failed experiment, she now sticks to a palette of just six key shades. ‘We painted the guest bedroom dark blue and I hated it,’ she laughs, ‘I was trying out a trend but it just wasn’t me, so we changed it — I’m a lot more confident with my choices now.’
2. Create spaces that suit your lifestyle
Since redecorating, Donna and Tom say they stay in a lot more – which is just how they planned it. ‘We’ve got an island in the kitchen, which is great for having friends over,’ Donna says, but it’s the living room that they’ve paid special attention to. ‘We wanted it to be a calming space where we could have people over or sit and enjoy a glass of wine on a Friday night,’ explains Donna. The couple used a neutral colour-drenching technique (where one shade is used all over a room) and chose an elegant, traditional-style sofa from DFS to give the room a more formal feel than the rest of the house.
3. Design rooms around things you love
‘I found some great artwork by an online artist and built the entire scheme of the lounge around it,’ Donna says. In fact, much of her house was curated from one original source of inspiration, like the dining room, which is covered in a textured wallpaper she spotted on a TV drama; and the bedroom, featuring a cast-iron fireplace sourced from eBay. ‘We picked it up down the road and it was so heavy we could barely get it up the stairs,’ she remembers, ‘but it felt like fate – it was exactly what I was looking for and a total bargain.’
4. Trust your own style
‘Although I get a lot of inspiration from other people’s homes, I like to put my own stamp on things,’ says Donna, who redecorated the house from top to bottom when she moved in. ‘It’s important your home reflects who you are and the things you love,’ she says, explaining that, although her tastes have changed over the last five years, she’s ‘always loved the charm and character of period homes’. As well as restoring many of the property’s original features (such as the fireplaces), she and Tom have added their own touches too — including putting wood panelling on the walls and investing in their Chesterfield-style Mya sofa from DFS.
5. Put sentimental items on display
‘This is the first home we’ve owned together and it holds lots of special memories – like Tom proposing on the doorstep the day we moved in!’ says Donna. It should come as no surprise, then, that her favourite decorations are inspired by personal moments, such as the neon ‘Hoxton’ sign (the location of their first date) hanging in the kitchen, and the collage of artwork depicting their relationship timeline on the walls of the snug (from the London parks they had dates in, to their wedding ceremony in Italy). It’s this dedication to detail and personal touches that creates a true feeling of uniqueness.
Find out your sofa style using the What’s Your Thing tools at dfs.co.uk
As an interior design enthusiast with a strong background in home decor and styling, I've extensively studied various design philosophies, trends, and personalized approaches to creating unique living spaces. My expertise spans from understanding color psychology in interior design to the strategic placement of furniture and décor elements that reflect personal tastes and lifestyles.
The provided article showcases the journey of Donna Wardell, a digital creator and home renovator, who skillfully blends modern Victorian styling with personal touches in her Bromley home. Let's break down the concepts and tips highlighted in the article:
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Decorate with Your Favorite Colors: Donna incorporates a traditional Victorian palette predominantly featuring green hues with occasional pops of red. She emphasizes the importance of sticking to a limited palette of six key shades to maintain cohesion and personal affinity within the space.
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Create Spaces that Suit Your Lifestyle: Donna and her husband designed their home to align with their lifestyle preferences. The kitchen's island fosters a social environment for hosting friends, while the living room serves as a calming retreat. They employed a neutral color scheme and selected a traditional-style sofa from DFS to establish a more formal ambiance.
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Design Rooms Around Things You Love: Donna curated her home's design around specific elements she adores, such as artwork found online, textured wallpapers seen on TV, or a cast-iron fireplace acquired from eBay. These items served as focal points around which entire room schemes were developed.
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Trust Your Own Style: Donna emphasizes the significance of personal expression in home decor. Despite drawing inspiration from various sources, she values imprinting her unique style in every corner of her home. This involves restoring original features and incorporating distinctive touches like wood paneling and furniture choices such as the Chesterfield-style Mya sofa from DFS.
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Put Sentimental Items on Display: Donna cherishes sentimental items that hold personal significance, such as a neon sign marking the location of their first date and artwork reflecting the timeline of their relationship. These elements inject a sense of individuality and nostalgia into the space, making it truly unique and meaningful.
By amalgamating these concepts—using color thoughtfully, tailoring spaces to lifestyle, designing around personal preferences, trusting one's style, and showcasing sentimental items—one can craft a home that authentically reflects their personality and resonates with their life story.
