6 Top tips for getting a designer look for your home

For a pared-back look opt for Roman blinds at your window. A bedroom chair or slipper chair is a great addition too - go for one that has fairly small dimensions, roughly 60cms deep and 60cms wide is ideal. Add a couple of cushions for a splash of colour.

Minstrel Stripe, £70 per metre, from the Oriel Silks collection, James Hare (james-hare.com) 

Create a feature wall above your bed using precious family photographs. Ensure you map these out so that the wall is not too cluttered and doesn't take away from the overall feel of the room. Vary frame styles and colours but keep frame widths similar. The edges of outermost frames can slightly extend beyond the sides of the furniture. Keep colour tonal to create a harmonious feeling and a timeless scheme.

Cube Bed, £1,506 (Double), Lifestyle Storage Cube, from £142, 40cm x 40cm x 40cm, Three Ball Glass Lamp with Vanilla Shade, from £105, all Raft (raftfurniture.co.uk)

Sitting room rugs should be large, covering over half the room – ideally leave 30cms between the rug and the wall. A mantelpiece should be roughly 15cm wider than a mirror or picture above it.

Elgin Clover rug, £1,192, 270cm x 200cm, Roger Oates (rogeroates.com)

Choose a coffee table that is slightly narrower than the width of your sofa and a few centimetres lower than the seats, around 40cms high. Paintings should ideally be two-thirds the width of the sofa and about 20cms above the sofa back. For sconces either side of a mirror or picture, allow clearance of roughly 15cms.

Rocker chair in Caviar cotton with Pecan stained wooden legs, H102cm x W63cm x D84.5cm, £699, Sofa in Caviar with Pecan stained wooden legs, H114cm x W137cm x D85cm, £899, all James Harrison Collection at West Elm (westelm.co.uk)

Introduce a statement piece, such as a floral chair, into an otherwise plain room.

Freya small sofa in Linara Peony, £1,299, Freya footstool in Padova Peony, £649, Maisie armchair in Watercolour Floral Peony, £1,099, Flower rug, from £129, Madison rug in Cream, £99, Ombre cushion in Green Mix, £29.50, Fara console table, £299, Ellipse vase, £49.50, Short Recycled vase £29.50, Davey Quad dining pendant, £589, Tribal decorative platter, £35, all Marks & Spencer (marksandspencer.com)

Curtains should sit roughly 1cm from the floor. Drapes that puddle should be 5-7cms longer (as shown here) to create generous folds. Centre your dining table in your room and allow 60cms for each diner. The overhang on the tablecloth should be approximately 35cms.

Curtains made up in For the Love of Rose, £48 per metre, curtain turnover heading made up in Simple Ticking, £45 per metre, curtain lead edge made up in Pretty Maids, £48 per metre, chair pads made up in French Ticking, £45 per metre, tablecloth made up in French Ticking, £45 per metre, all Vanessa Arbuthnott (vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk)