Interior Inspiration with Debbie Down of Rooms with a View
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This week we’re delighted to discuss interior inspiration with Debbie Down, owner of Rooms with a View, an exciting interior design and soft furnishing store in the historic market town of Diss, on the Norfolk / Suffolk border.
Rooms with a View offers a wide selection of soft furnishing, wallpapers, paints and a full range of home accessories and gift items.
Interior designer Debbie also offers a made-to-measure curtains, blinds, furniture, loose covers & upholstery service, working with clients to design room layouts, colour palettes, flooring, wall coverings and window treatments. We have been lucky to work with Debbie on some bespoke cushions, curtains and blinds for a number of her interior design projects.
Debbie lives in a 17th century farmhouse in Norfolk. Having moved into the Grade 2 listed building in 2006, her beautiful transformation of the house was recently featured in The English Home magazine.
Please tell us about your favourite room in the house?
My favourite room in my own home is my snug. It's not the biggest room in the house but certainly the cosiest. We have lots of exposed raw oak beams and a huge inglenook with a woodburner. It's somewhere I go to in the evening to relax and either read or watch television. We have a lovely big footstool with a sheepskin rug on that the dogs love to curl up on. It's a very calm room and features lampshades and cushions in Helen's fabrics. There is a dining area attached so we eat in here during the winter months. It's a very calm space and very relaxing.
Debbie's house in The English Home magazine, including our bespoke cushions.
Which trends have you seen appearing in interior design this year?
We have introduced clients this year to more artisan products, from smaller design companies. Block printed designs in various scales and patterns are very popular with the addition of eclectic velvets in jewel colours to add depth and character. The addition of wools and linens adding texture and interest. It's lovely to be able to pull on fabrics from various design houses to create a scheme that looks like it has evolved over time. I feel a trend towards adding dark brown furniture into schemes too, these pieces are often beautifully made, adding character and are reasonable in price.
Renovated Cornish fishing cellars.
Which projects are you looking forward to working on in the new year?
We are always working on several projects with a huge variety of clients living in both period and contemporary properties. In the new year I will be working on a project with a customer who has renovated the farmhouse that she has grown up in, adding a large extension and orangery. It's a beautiful property and will be a delight to work on with the lovely owner. We offer design services throughout East Anglia and an online moodboard scheme service for clients across the UK sending out their curtains and blinds, helping them choose paint colours etc. Every job is so different it's always exciting!
Debbie's online moodboard scheme service.
What would be your top tip for a simple way to update or accessorise a home to freshen up for the new year?
In the new year it's the perfect time to refresh a scheme once the Christmas decorations have been packed away. I usually start with a good clean and rearrange the furniture! I always pop in some fresh spring bulbs and flowers to start with and have a revamp with new cushions and throws. Sometimes I take the opportunity to repaint walls if necessary and declutter.
Our cushions in Debbie's sister's Cornish home.
It’s lovely to see our cushions here in a Cornish home. Please tell us more about your sister’s fishing cellar.
My sisters fishing cellar was bought 6 years ago. It had been renovated from being derelict by the previous owners but had no electric or running water. It's such a wonderful place to relax. I worked with my sister on the interior design to retain the authenticity of the building. She has created a wonderful kitchen using reclaimed wood, lots of the furnishings are linens and wools in tonal blues. Helen's cushions are perfect in this scheme as it is essentially the whole ethos of the property... coastal colours on natural linens feel like they really belong.
Debbie's sister's home, renovated fish cellars in Cornwall.
A Cornish sunset.
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Discover Debbie's full range of design services and products here. And for more interior design inspiration, follow Debbie on Instagram @roomswithaview. We borrowed this post from Debbie's Instagram, here she is enjoying a Cornish cuppa in our Fish Fine Bone China Mug!