Art, furniture, soft furnishings, floor coverings, objects and light - all these need to be carefully curated to make a house a home and more than that, to create an individual home. While an interior designer can do it for you, it's so much more interesting to learn how to do it yourself and, above all, to trust yourself. 

Creating a calm, relaxing space is like going for a long walk. You gradually banish the clutter in your mind and then re-engage with your surroundings, allowing light and beauty back in. The same is true of your home. You need to remove items that cause stress or displease your eye. Then stand in the space, study it, and slowly reintroduce items that make you feel good.

I regularly do a sweep of rooms, taking out anything that is causing clutter or that doesn't seem to quite fit. Then I gradually put things back, try them in a new area or introduce different items. Just because a certain picture has always been in a certain spot on your wall doesn't mean it can't be moved, removed or replaced with something else. Don't be a slave to your stuff and at the same time learn to trust yourself. Think about interiors that make you feel good, that you are drawn to - perhaps a friend's living room, perhaps a hotel you stayed in. Think about what it is about the space that you find pleasing or comfortable and take ideas from that but also learn to use items you already own, that you bought because you were attracted to them, or kept because they held a significance for you, and incorporate them.

Above all, don't limit yourself. Just because you love a bright, minimalist design doesn’t mean that you can’t put something old or decorative into the space. A much-loved piece of antique furniture handed down through the family can take a contemporary room to the next level. The same is true of colours. Don't confine yourself to a bland palette or the ubiquitous background colour and highlight colour. Be brave and express your individuality. Your space should not look like a showroom. People should walk into your home and want to get to know you better because it's interesting, and therefore you must be too.