Last week I participated in Abigail Ahern’s master class on how to decorate her way, which is all about being bold, breaking the rules and creating new ones. The design school is in her jaw-droppingly beautiful house in trendy East London, which has a sublime interior. As  I walked ran through her door (I was running late and in a bit of a panic after getting lost) I was enveloped by the rich inky coloured walls and eclectic spirit of the room. This is the kind of house that moves and inspires you. The aesthetics of the house are dramatic and bold with a bit of humour thrown in. Abigail plays with proportions of scale by using oversized chandeliers and mirrors to create that Alice in Wonderland feel, mixed with unexpected decorative items at different heights plus layers of texture using pops of colour through textiles and flowers, all played against dark walls.

The workshop was informal yet fun and full of great tips and advice. Abigail spent the morning taking us through her design mantra using real life visuals to illustrate her points. She also shared her sources for art, furniture and decorative items, which I thought was a nice touch. On a practical note she also gave advice on where it’s important to spend and where you can save when decorating.

One of the highlights of the day was when we were let loose to explore her home with no room off-limits. I took advantage of this and took as many photos I could of her beautiful space for inspiration. We were asked not to share any photos online as she is about to release another book, so you’ll just have to go out and buy her book to see her latest decorative tips. The images I have used today are courtesy of The Selby.  To be in her home and to see her design principles put into practice  made this day so unique. Sometimes you have to see it first-hand to really understand how something will look as so much can get lost in two dimensional  photos.

I came away from the day feeling really inspired with loads of new ideas and a bundle of new sources to explore. I would highly recommend the design school for anyone interested in interior design, working in interior design or just wanting to get inspiration for your home. If you go to Agbigail’s website you’ll find all the information you need to enrol in the NY or London classes. For all my Aussie peeps you’ll be happy to know that the Master Class is coming your way in October but you better get in quick as I imagine it will get booked up pretty quickly.

I would love to hear from other people who have done a class with Abigail and what they thought of the day.

xx