Third in my ‘An Interview With’ series are David and Mark from Forward Features , gorgeous bloggers I met at the Amara Interior Blog Awards and winners of Best Design Inspiration Blog.
How has your career together in interiors unfolded?
Since moving to London, we’ve both had interior-based careers working with homeware brands, large and small. This was definitely a huge inspiration for starting the blog. With us both seeing and being surrounded by so much news and launches in the industry it made us want to start noting it down and sharing it with others.
Have you always been interested in design?
We have, however it has been writing the blog that has increased that interest. We now look at so much and faun over pieces we’d love to have.
How would you describe your style and how does it differ from each other?
Oh what a question! We have fairly similar tastes and I think if anything we don’t really have a style. As we see so much design we like so many things and if anything sometimes we get a bit carried away. If we’re out shopping, we do tend to disagree on certain things. I like a lot more antiquey, chintzy, dark florals, Mark has to rein me in slightly and we’ll always come to a compromise somehow – after a couple of tantrums, or two!
What excites you about interior design?
It’s always nice looking at a beautiful vase or a comfy sofa but it’s when you dissect it and look into the design process a little bit further that the story unfolds. That’s the exciting bit for us and where the interest flairs from. You could look at a piece of homewares that is perhaps a bit boring looking or maybe even slightly ugly but then someone tells you the story about it – how it was made, where it was made, its history, its inspirations – and all of a sudden it becomes that bit more special. That’s exciting design.
What makes a happy home?
For us, it’s having our little cat, Kiki and plenty of tea.
Do you have any design rules?
I guess to not get too distracted with design rules! It seems a lot of people feel that they need to stick to a colour scheme and that all the accessories must match. Design is so much more fun when you just think about what you like and just build up colours and patterns.
How important is art in interiors?
We love art and all types of art. Art can completely revamp the feel and most importantly it speaks volumes about the person who lives there. It’s important that it says something about you and ultimately that you love it.
How important is colour?
So important! Who wants to live life in black and white?
Where do you seek your inspiration?
We read a lot of the interior monthly magazines and draw so much inspiration from those. ELLE Decoration have the most beautiful, inspiring shoots. Instagram is also the perfect go-to place to see great design.
What are your top interior design tips?
Don’t worry about making everything work so perfectly, if you like it, buy it. If you think it’s beautiful and a great design then it will work in your home.
What would people be most surprised to know about you?
The blog isn’t our full-time job, we write it on the side as a hobby!
