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Real Homes, Real Customers: An Interview With Abbie Austen @stjohnshome

Real Homes, Real Customers: An Interview With Abbie Austen @stjohnshome

Amy Kilvington

By Amy Kilvington

Content Writer at Blinds Direct
Tue 7 Nov 2017
Last updated Thu 29 Jul 2021

There’s nothing we love more than happy customers, especially when they share positive reviews and beautiful images of our products. This is particularly exciting when we come across a customer with a real knack for interior design, with a home that wouldn’t look out of place in House Beautiful magazine!

We want to introduce interior design guru, Instagrammer and Blinds Direct customer, Abbie Austen. Abbie shares images of her and her husband’s home over at @stjohnshome, showcasing their renovation project and distinct interior style. Sleek, sophisticated and oh-so luxurious, Abbie’s home fuses minimalism with magnificence, punctuating a simple monochrome scheme with feminine touches, sumptuous textures and metallic accents. It’s no surprise Abbie has built a loyal following of 20,000!

We got in touch with Abbie and asked her some questions about her beautiful home, her influences, and her next renovation plans…


Real Homes, Real Customers: An Interview With Abbie Austen

   

1. What is your design signature/style? I would describe my style as modern, contemporary and minimalist. My colour palette always lends itself to grey tones. 

2. What was your first design project in your home? The first thing we noticed about this house was the great space it had to offer, but the layout was not geared up to modern day living. So our first design project was to re-design the layout. This involved creating the space for a walk in wardrobe. Downstairs needed internal access to a double garage for this to be made into a liveable space, and then removing 2 main internal walls joined the utility, kitchen and living room to create a brilliantly light and airy open living space. 

3. Can you tell us about a particularly exciting/challenging part of doing up your home? This home is our second renovation project and the most exciting thing for me this time was designing and planning the renovations with our 2 year old daughter in mind. Breaking up our minimal monochrome style with girlie playful touches has been so much fun, and whilst this has been the most exciting element, it’s also been the most challenging, and at times the house was not safe… resulting in the need for my daughter and I to move out! The cinema room has been a dream for us both, so to finally have the space to be able to do this was so exciting, I just don’t think my husband envisaged this room to be taken over by Disney Princess movies. 

4. What are your design inspirations? Sophie Paterson is one of my favourite interior designers. Her style is luxurious and sophisticated, as she places great importance on practicality and comfort, ensuring her designs not only look beautiful but are liveable and inviting, something which I strive to achieve. Instagram is also a great social platform which has opened so many doors for me and the inspiration is endless.

“I am a huge advocate for using small Instagram businesses and love the personalised items.”  

5. Where do you shop for homeware? I like to shop in a variety of stores to create a unique style. We have a huge Next Home local to us, so I am forever shopping here. They often hold ex display sales and I am one of those crazy shoppers who joins the sale queue at silly o’clock to grab a bargain! I also love shopping at HomeSense as I love their forever changing stock, and knowing that some finds are truly unique. Blinds Direct is my go-to for blinds… in fact, I have asked the husband to measure up ready for the office as that’s my next task! I am also a huge advocate for using small Instagram businesses and love the personalised items from @sosimplydarling and the truly bespoke art of @jenwa_art. I recently commissioned a piece for our cinema room. 

6. What are your next plans for your home? We have some finishing furnishing touches to a few rooms, including the play room which I have some super fun ideas for. The next major phase of the renovations move outside. We have the builders booked in to re-do the driveway, widen the entrance and create more space to counter my awful parking! We have plans to re-slab the porch and move round to the back garden in Spring next year.

7. What influenced your decision when selecting window dressings? Particularly in your bathroom? With the window dressing in the bathroom I knew it needed to be sleek and simple, as the marble tiles in that room are a statement in itself. I had purchased my blush pink accessories for this room and began my hunt for the perfect blind. Blinds Direct were brilliant, I ordered my free samples which arrived in no time at all. I could not believe how perfect the Cameo Pink shade was, it was a fab finishing touch!

“Blinds Direct were brilliant, I ordered my free samples which arrived in no time at all. I could not believe how perfect the Cameo Pink shade was, it was a fab finishing touch!”

 

8. If you had £10,000 to spend on a piece of furniture/accessory/decor item, what would it be and why? Omg I’m sure my husband could easily spend £10,000 on further technology and home automation gadgets. I have to say whilst I was dubious at first, the slight automation we have is brilliant, and really does aid our busy lifestyles. 

9. We notice a very clever use of space in your daughter’s den under the stairs. Can you tell us more about this? We brought the property from an 86 year old man and as soon as we saw the space under the stairs (which he used as a wine cellar), I just knew this had to be a little hide away den for our 2 year old! Our initial plans after hunting on Pinterest/Instagram were to build a wall and create a door way and little window, but when I had finished decorating and styling this space, it was far too adorable to cover up and hide away. A little tip for those interior-loving mums… when your styling isn’t particularly practical for young children, we have found by creating dedicated play areas like this and the playroom, she keeps her play (and mess) to those areas!

10. What are your top tips for someone planning on renovating their home? My top tips would be: Be patient and don’t rush. Research and shop around. Create a shared album with your partner to share ideas, we found this a really useful way to stay connected when living apart.

“The home automation we have is brilliant and really does aid our busy lifestyles.”


A huge thank you to Abbie for taking part in our Real Homes, Real Customers series. We’re delighted that she and her husband chose us to provide her bathroom blind, and we’re looking forward to creating more for her in future. Her Instagram account is a real favourite with our team and we think you should definitely follow her, too! 

Are you on the look out for new window dressings? Discover our full collection of blinds, curtains, curtain poles and cushions here. You can also take advantage of our FREE Personal Shopping Service by contacting our Interior Design Specialists directly: [email protected] or 01924 848739  (8:30-4:30 MON-FRI)


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