28 | Homes & Interiors
Belfast Telegraph | 30 October 2020
How to make your home
magical
T
op interior designer Ian Thompson (inset) is celebrating 36 years of making ‘homes with soul’ for his clients. “Our homes have never been so important, with new critical design elements that are now needed to reshape property for change of lifestyle and work balance,” says Ian. Mindful that it’s ‘a privilege’ to be invited into clients’ homes, he accommodates the owner’s individual style into his designs. “It’s not just drafting a mood board and creating a spatial design.” The trick is instinctively knowing what a great home is all about: “The ambience; seeing comfortable seating that you can’t wait to curl up in and read a book; a room filled with beautiful furniture – any style, as long as it’s centred for conversation; fragrant rooms giving a scent memory of your home; great lighting to give romance; a feeling of generous hospitality, even if it’s just for yourself. “We are currently making client’s
homes into idyllic sanctuaries to nest in, whatever Covid restrictions come our way.” Ian posts daily tips on his Instagram account for creating a beautiful home to enjoy in the coming winter months. Only starting his daily Instagram stories in March, during full lockdown, he now has 50,000 followers who enjoy his posts on lifestyle, cooking, cocktail mixing and getting jobs done. “We started off thinking it would be a bit of craic for a couple of weeks – little did we think it would be 79 days later with over 250K views.”
Staying positive
The reaction has been positive, just like Ian’s attitude. “It’s time to stay upbeat, with the cold months ahead, and we are going to ramp up the positivity of being at home, showing daily tips on how to create a beautiful home for yourself with little effort, being kind to yourself and creating a home for #comfortaddicts. “Covid restrictions have changed the way we live at home and we have found
in the last few months our clients’ homes need to adapt to new rhythms, that now seem to layer up multi-functional spaces to the max. “Kitchens have always been the hub of the house but it seems even more important that they now incorporate new trends – a home office nook, a comfortable lounge seating area, a larger kitchen table to school the kids, the pantry for more storage, a wet bar area and an adjoining fire oven, outside, to appease our inner TV chef.”
Outside in
The seasonal trends are blurring too, with Ian’s outdoor furniture ranges now as popular in October as June. “It’s now our home entertaining space, to sit by an open pit fire and light our camomile garden candle to create a warm ambience and inhale the calming scent to de-stress. “Or bring the outside inside for a simple way to soothe a busy space. It sounds simple but adding plants or branches of green foliage keeps us calm, as does adding a pop of green colour to a neutral room or the on-trend of using palm leaf fabric for scatter cushions.
“It’s no surprise that the home office is top priority, the study nook is now the hot desk, and the home working parent needs a quiet room to Zoom call and be able to close the door on a cluttered desk to adjust back to family living without the decompression of a drive home.” They’ve had some fun creating backgrounds for clients’ Zoom meetings, such as conversational wallpaper or fabulous bookcases, each of them wanting an individual look rather than a digital option. Not all wanted to emulate Nigel Havers’ drinks table background on Good Morning Britain but it’s certainly a theme to Ian’s #TGIF cocktail night, each Friday, when you can catch up with his latest tips at @ianthompsoninteriors.