Lynne McCrossan: ‘One minute I’m all pared-back Scandi style’

AS MY sister sat at my kitchen table last week flicking through an interiors magazine, there was a steady stream of, “Oh, I like this, and that.”

And some, “I really like that, but I like that too.” Which is all well and good, but basically goes to highlight how fickle we can both be when it comes to home decor.

Of course the issue gets even more confusing for me when confronted with so many great properties on a daily basis. I have learned to live with my house envy (well, to a certain degree anyway) but my indecision as to what I like in my own home knows no bounds. One minute I’m all white and pared-back Scandi style, the next I’m coveting colour and retro floral walls –take a look at MissPrint’s Wallpaper Collection 2 online and tell me you’re not tempted by a wall of Dewdrops or Garden City.

Frequently dipping into interiors guru Abigail Ahern’s blog doesn’t help either. She is constantly entreating readers to join her on the ‘dark’ side and embrace colour (the darker the better) in her bid to create more personalised spaces.

I throw a few ideas at my other half, just to test the wallpaper waters. A colour change is not top of his wishlist. Or rather, bailing me out of any misguided attempts to do it myself is not. I admit there have been rash decisions made in the past, but I’ve learned from them. I know what I want now. And it’s colour… I think.

This week we have some fantastically diverse properties to inspire you. Architect Adam Toleman’s self-build house may be super-stylish, but it’s also family-friendly, and Ian Robertson’s A-listed Crail home, which dates from 1540 and is steeped in history, will turn even the most modern heads.