Renovating your home is an exciting opportunity to reimagine how you live, move, and feel within your space. Yet, time and again, we see the same well-intentioned, yet poor decisions quietly undermine an otherwise beautiful home.

Good design isn’t about following trends. Rather, it’s about avoiding the pitfalls that date a space, limit its functionality, or dilute its character (like an over-reliance on grey pile carpets!). If you’re planning your next renovation, here are some of the most common missteps that we see across the industry, so you know  what to steer clear of … and what to do instead.

As an Interior Designer, I often encourage my clients to look beyond the mass-produced and predictable, and instead embrace aged antique pieces with patina and personality. Few places offer this opportunity quite like Ardingly Antiques Fair – one of the most respected antique fairs in the UK.

Whether you are looking to furnish a country home or a London townhouse, antiquing can create a home that feels quietly sophisticated and deeply personal (… at least when done well, that is!) To help you to do this, we’ve collated our own guide on how we approach antiquing from a designer’s perspective, and how you can make the best of a trip to Ardingly Antiques Fair.

Every January, as our clients return from their holidays with an appetite for ‘fresh starts’ and a renewed interest in beautiful and soulful surroundings, I find myself asking “What’s next?”.

For Piers Thurston Home, 2026 promises to be a year of interiors that feel deeply human – characterful, warm, full of the personality of our clients, and a little less intent on perfection.

This isn’t so much a review of the plethora of trend forecasting that saturates Instagram this time of year, nor is it a narration on those we predict will come to fruition. Rather, it is a summary of where we’re heading in 2026 – and what we’re gently leaving behind.

Between the 15^th and 19^th September, Design Centre Chelsea Harbour once again opened its doors to another landmark date within the annual Interior Design calendar – Focus/25 on Design. Across five days, more than 135 showrooms, 600 global brands and 100+ lectures, workshops and masterclasses converged to create a vivid tapestry of creative energy.

The ‘Conversations in Design’ series is the intelligence and knowledge behind the spectacle, where tensions are aired and the industries trajectory is debated. Unsurprisingly, the most popular talk of the series this year was ‘Thinking Differently: How AI is Revolutionising Interior Design’ …

Margate’s transformation from a Victorian seaside retreat into one of Southeast England’s most talked-about creative outposts continues, and as an Interior Designer, and former student of the area, it’s so exciting to return years later and find it rejuvenated, now rife with architectural heritage, artistic ambition, and locally sourced design flair … For clients, designers, or interior enthusiasts, who crave craftsmanship, inspiration and distinctive finds, these destinations may be of particular interest, serving as both creative fuel and procurement goldmines …

What once required endless hours of sketching, rendering, and spatial trial-and-error, can now be undertaken in minutes, via AI. But in a space where personal taste, architectural context, and tactile experience are of such importance, is there longevity to AI’s offerings to the industry, and indeed, should there be a place for it at all?

As an interior designer specialising in high-end residential properties, who naturally gravitates to those full of comfort, character and soul, I am constantly inspired by any space that marries a high-end finish with a lived-in aesthetic and leaves the contemporary show home approach on the doorstep.

For me, there were three exceptional spaces at WOW!House 2025 that perfectly encapsulated this perspective, each offering a unique take on modern luxury living.

Each year, the Chelsea Flower Show signals not only the start of the summer season but also sets the tone for what’s trending in interior and garden design—especially in the world of luxury indoor-outdoor living. While its roots are in horticulture, the annual celebration has blossomed well beyond the garden fence, offering an insight into how the boundaries between the indoor and outdoor continue to blur. Here are a few key interior design takeaways:

Writing from experience, I love a smaller home, primarily for the comfort, cosiness and sense of security they can offer. Of course, that does not mean to say that homes of a smaller footprint are without their design challenges. On the contrary, whilst there is perhaps less work involved in designing and renovating given the decreased scale, therein lies the challenge – adapting and designing a space to facilitate the demands of the occupant and their possessions.

It’s that time of year again! London Design Week - the unmissable event of the year for UK-based Interior Designers and beyond. Whilst those of us outside of the capital would like to think that the Interior Design industry is moving away from being so London-centric, it can’t be denied that it provides an epicentre for creativity, innovation and inspiration for Interior Designers and enthusiasts alike, making the renowned London Design Week a highlight of our calendars.

I find one of the most exciting aspects of interior design to be experimenting with patterns and colours. Whilst it can be intimidating for some, the successful integration of patterns and colours can totally transform a room, breathing life and energy into the space. The key to this lies in balance, harmony, and a good eye for contrast, but hopefully these tips should make a good start.

Not wishing to contribute further to the somewhat saturated market of “2025 Interior Design Trends” blogs, I can’t help but question some of the articles I’ve read and ponder their accuracy! With that said, rather than list the trends I think we can expect to see, I’ve compiled my list of ‘What’s Hot’ and ‘What’s Not’, based on my oversight of the industry across the past 12 months, and my thoughts on what others have forecast for the coming year.

In the 18th century, one of the most distinctive features of upper-class British homes was Chinoiserie but as attitudes toward race have evolved, some critics consider it a misrepresentation of Eastern traditions, whilst others maintain it is simply playful and romantic. So, what does this mean for the style, and is there a place for Chinoiserie in the contemporary Interior Design industry?

Every year the French capital becomes a vibrant hub for Interior Designers, Architects, and design enthusiasts across the globe, during the annual Paris Deco-Off and Maison&Objet exhibitions.