| INTERIORS| 25 designer tips Have you ever wondered how the experts would tackle your decorating or design dilemmas? We ask professional interior designers, decorators and writers for their tips and advice... PRACTICAL CHOICES 'When you have a family, you have to make practical choices about sofas. Choose large, comfy pieces that you can get loose covers for so you can change them when they get dirty without the cost of reupholstery.' Sarah Beeny 1 2 Paint your radiators 'Radiators are a bug-bear within a room design. They're often in the wrong place and look ugly. Forget costly radiator covers; simply paint the radiator in the same colour as the walls to help it visually disappear. Use an acrylic eggshell rather than emulsion.' Sophie Robinson of BBC2's The Great Interior Designer Challenge 4 ONE PERSON'S RUBBISH... ARBURY SOFA £1,099, NEXT 'My advice to people is not to be afraid of skip raiding. I find it so upsetting to see how much really good stuff people throw away. With a little bit of imagination and creativity, those discarded items can have a new lease of life.' Linda Barker 3 choose RECYCLEd items FOR CHARACTER 'You don't have to buy new all the time. Second hand or salvaged items can look amazing. Investing in older pieces is worthwhile as they retain their value. Antiques blend well with modern looks, too. We put parque flooring down which was relcaimed from a Church in Hull. It looks utterly beautiful.' Sarah Beeny 5 BIG AND BEAUTIFUL 'Start by picking a colour for your biggest room - say your living room or kitchen. Choose a hue that feels beautiful and inspiring, and true to what you love. Build on this to create a limited palette of colours for your entire home, using different combinations of those colours in each room.' Abigail Ahern www.athomemagazine.co.uk NOVEMBER 2015 | 075