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Introducing Interior Designer Fiona Watkins

By April 16, 2015February 15th, 2018Blog, Guest Blogs

I am so grateful to Jessica for asking me to write a post for her blog. I’m a great admirer of her incredible talent and her work inspires me with my own projects in Interior Design.

As an example, I recently used the beautiful ‘It’s Complicated 2’ Artwork in a scheme for a client. The sheer beauty of the piece reminded me of the incredible White Terraces (or Otukapuarangi which means”fountain of the clouded sky” in Maori) from my homeland of New Zealand. These stunning silica terraces were destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886. They were considered to be the 8th wonder of the natural world and a beautiful sight to behold. The ethereal “It’s Complicated 2” provided the basis of a neutral scheme of white and grey with accents of
chartreuse green and layers of texture which provided a very restful and peaceful bedroom for my clients.

It's Complicated 2

 Buy It’s Complicated as a limited edition print on either canvas, diasec or fine art paper

I used a unique Matka Silk from James Hare Silks, which has a soft drape and a linen look in shades of green; Connemara, Sepal and Chartreuse. The Walls were painted in Blackened by Farrow & Ball and accented with Downpipe also by Farrow & Ball. I added touches of sparkling glass from Heathfield & Co with the Metis lamps and silk shades. The theme was carried through to the Dressing Room with Shutters and Panelled Wardrobes in Mercury High Gloss Lacquer. Underfoot we used Jacaranda Heavy Velvet super luxe carpet.

Fiona Watkins interior design scheme

My love of Interior Design comes from a background in Hotels which gave me a sense of style and proportion and a longing to provide luxurious environments that could be enjoyed everyday. I
believe that good design is for everyone no matter what your budget or lifestyle, the most important thing is to surround yourself with things you truly love. In my studio I have the inspiring William Morris quote on my wall

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe
to be beautiful” certainly the mantra to live by.”

Most of the projects I am involved with are from inception to build, I love collaborating with architects to help realise the clients dream. I’ve worked on a vast array of projects from
contemporary new builds to barn conversions and the restoration of listed buildings, each project brings new challenges but always the satisfaction of helping to create a home for my clients. My inspiration may come from something they already own; an ornament, a piece of artwork or furniture or something they’ve seen that they love. Nature provides a wonderful starting place for colour and texture and these colours are very easy to live with. My own preference is for a bolder colour palette and feel this is because I’m based in the north west where we seem to see a lot of
grey sky so the chance to inject bright colour and happiness into a scheme is almost too much to resist!
I’m currently working on the renovation of a victorian villa, a cheshire farmhouse and an extension to a cheshire country house that I did the remodelling of a few years ago. This double height extension links the main house to the gymnasium and incorporates a garden room, gun store and games room, and features a curving stone staircase and sunken spiral wine cellar. Even though I am Cheshire based, I work all over the country, and have undertaken commissions in London, North Wales and the Lake District. In the future I would love to work on the refurbishment of a small hotel, which would bring me full circle and back to my love of creating luxurious spaces for all to enjoy!

Fiona is a member of the BIID (British Institute of Interior Design), the IIDA (International Interior Design Association) and the HHA (Historic Houses Association) and is also on the Judging Panel of the prestigious Northern Design Awards.

Fiona Watkins Design

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