The ESPC Property Show: Elevating your interior design with John Lewis Home Styling

Paul
Hello, Welcome to the ESPC show. It's Paul and it's Megan and today we are with John Lewis. We're going to be talking about interior designs. Really interesting episode.

Megan
Yeah, really interesting. We talk all about the latest trends in interior design, some quick fixes on how you can get your home ready for taking to the property market and we really. Go and do a deep dive in their interior design service, which is completely free. I don't know if we mentioned that enough in the episode.

Paul
We're still talking about afterwards, so we couldn't believe it. And you'll see why when they go into the detail, when Marie talks us about what you get for that, it's fantastic. Value. Yeah, I mean value.

Megan
Yeah, exactly. So without further ado, we'll just pass over to our conversation with Mhairi. So we're here for our next episode with Mhairi, who's a home design stylist at John Lewis. Welcome, Mhairi.

Mhairi
Hi, thank you so much for having us along today. It's really exciting.

Megan
No problem. We're excited to have you.

Paul
We are. We're just talking about the Christmas advert as well. Weren't we? So I'm sure we're going to touch on this, So yeah.

Megan
Yeah, absolutely. So I wonder if you could tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into interior design?

Mhairi
Yeah, great. So I actually started out studying textile design at Heriot Watt Uni down in Galashiels. So I specialized in weaving and then weaving for interiors, fabrics. But really, I fell in love with interiors and architecture when I was a kid because I grew up in Hong Kong and being exposed to so many different styles from all around the world was. Really grew my passion for interiors as well. So and it was just great to be exposed to, you know, anything from traditional Chinese with Feng shui through to really modern architecture as well, you know, And just being exposed that was just just fed my fed my soul. Really. Yeah. So I absolutely love it. I joined John Lewis actually originally as a manager, but then I decided I really wanted to get back to doing something creative.And that's when I was able to join the home design team with my textile knowledge and bring that color perspective, all of that to the job as well.

Paul
So it's a dream job for you then?

Mhairi
Really. Oh, absolutely It is. I know.

Paul
And the feng shui, because we we've done an episode on that. Do you bring any elements of that into?

Mhairi
The I try to be aware of where north-south and how that can affect. Your flow of your chi through the property, but really it comes down to light and you know are you north facing, are you South facing east, West facing as well and and how the light affects your your property and how it can affect color as well within that and we. We just try to bring a bit of joy, but really looking at our clients and who they are, I think it's you know, it's important to be aware of trends but don't get too caught up in trends because it's about what you who you are and about bringing your personality into your property as well. So we do look at trends, but I say we want people to feel. It's a reflective of who they are, you know, really, rather than, you know, yeah, I'm too caught up.

Paul
I think I've done that before. You know, you've gone and just bought a picture because it's trendy and I thought I'd never really liked it, whereas now I'd buy something That resonates with me, yes.

Mhairi
I think that's so important. You've got to love a piece. You know, no point getting a piece just because it's the latest look or whatever because you'll just have to update it in a couple of years time, you know, and I think so much more everybody's thinking about sustainability. As well. So it's really important to buy a piece that's going to give you longevity. You know that can be an occasional chair, which can be really fun and colorful, pattern, whatever. You know or you know. If you're looking at buying a sofa, you know how how is that comfortable? And you know function over design comes first really, you know? And we do try to make our customers aware of that, you know, so. But the home design service is great because you can come with your ideas, but we may give you things that you haven't thought about before as well. So it can be a real collaborative process with our clients as well. So. While they might come in going, oh, I want maximalism.

Paul
And then you know what is maximalism.

Mhairi
Maximalism.

Paul
It's just basically cram it full of things, is it? No. Well, that's what I really think.

Mhairi
But if you did that it would get a bit chaotic. So really it's about maximalism, is about creating it in a bit more paired back, but you know, basically taking a colour, say you had a big. Wallpaper which had a lot of pattern in it. You would take a color out of that and then you would thread that through to maybe another pattern which maybe if you had like a large print in your in your wallpaper, do a smaller print in your cushion. But you would carry a color a thread right through, yes.

Otherwise it becomes far too much and you end up with a curiosity shop, you know, which can be fun, yeah. But you know, but can be too much on the eye, you know, so you know you want your home to be relaxing and somewhere as just a little bit of a sanctuary to come home to. So. So while you can go for that and, you know, there's loads of stuff out there. For example, like Sophie Robinson's just done a collection for Harlequin and that is amazing. It's a little bit of these dopamine. Have you heard about the dopamine trend? Dopamine decor?

Megan
No, Yeah. No, I haven't heard of.

Mhairi
That it's very Instagrammable.

Paul
What's Instagram?

Mhairi
Yeah. So dopamine decor is really again I was saying about. Falling in love with something, you know, It's about bringing elements of joy into your home, of pieces of colours that you really, really love. And that just hits that dopamine level in your in your brain. And it just gives you that.

Mhairi
Oh.

Paul
So when you walk in, you're like, oh, God, I love. I love this room. Yeah. That exciting, right. OK.

Paul
Yeah. Yeah. Dopamine. Yeah, right. I've learned something.

Megan
Yeah.

Mhairi
I mean that's a really big trend at the moment. But again, you know, yes, go for it if that is. What makes you, your heart sing then? Absolutely go for that. But then so much right now you've got the other end of the spectrum where it's much more Scandi, much more pared back, or you know, where we've been in the lovely world of greys that is now definitely dead in the water. So we are.

Megan
So yeah, you heard it here first.

Mhairi
Yeah, Grey is definitely out.

Paul
So what colors? Is there a color that's fashionable there?

Mhairi
Yeah. Well, I think now some of the Grey, if you're in that Grey zone, we're now moving through to warm neutrals, but that's about layering of textures. Would that be wood, soft boot clays, wools, that kind of stuff. And then, you know, really layering them them up on starting with like a.

Paul
Soft off-white going right through to your Browns and and and things as well so so if you that's a look that you want we can do that as well So you know we cover right through the spectrum.

Mhairi
Of that as well. So it really depends on the client and who they are, and it's about drawing out who they are.

Paul
What sort of people use your service? Probably people I knew walk in confused and think I need some help. Is that I mean, is it a range? Do do people come with strong ideas or or often they just help me. I've got wood chip. I don't know what to do.

Mhairi
Please that Magnolia need to get rid of it. Yes, it's again, it's, it's that's the beauty of our of being in John Lewis is that we can have anybody from just doing up. You know, just buying a sofa. I don't know what cushions to put on or just need a little bit of extra tweaking or right through to people who are doing full house redesigns where we can do all their bedrooms. We can do a bit of kitchen styling because a lot of rooms these days, kitchens are kitchen and family rooms together at the same time.

Mhairi
And then we have people. Had one client who literally bought one roll of wallpaper but it just transformed wall. And brought the whole room together because she'd had colours in her sofa, colours on her. colours in a rug. I just needed something to pull the whole thing together.

Mhairi
And literally one roll of wallpaper just brought the whole thing together. And you know, so it was.

Paul
She already had strong ideas of where she was, but she was just wasn't. Something was missing.

Mhairi
Yeah, wasn't quite gelling and we were able to sort of help her gel that together.

Paul
Show me her wallpaper that sounds like it's got.

Mhairi
Well, it was just a Morris & Co wallpaper and it just had all the right colors that she'd already used.

Paul
To bring that together for her, are you working off a photograph or do you go to the property? How does it work?

Mhairi
We can do both. Ideally, before the first appointment we asked customers to do send us in photographs so we have an understanding of the space and what we're looking at. And then if they've got existing pieces, you know existing sofa or that family heirloom sideboard that they they really want to incorporate or they might have a painting that they really, really love. So we will work with those pieces and then just build it from there again with the customers feedback it's. Just as important for us to understand what they don't like as well as what they do like. So some people like, oh, maybe I shouldn't say no to that or whatever, but we'd much rather they say no because it's about getting it right for them at the end of the day. So, So, yes. So they can come with photographs and then depending on the scale of the project, we can go out to visit them in their property and then if they're getting curtains measured or blinds measured, obviously we've got our team of estimators. That would go out and measure up for those as well. So yes, it's a bit of a just depends on the project really.

Megan
So we the the main reason we invited you on that is because they're coming up to the time of year where people might start thinking OK new year, I'm going to be moving, I want to get my house ready for selling. we were just wondering what you would suggest about. Making your getting your home ready, getting your home into a nice presentable state is are the quick fixes that people can do.

Mhairi
Oh, absolutely. I mean the first one really is Declutter, you know, and I'm sure you probably say this to your clients as well, but that is so important is to. Really remove your personalization within the within the property. So say you've got 20 family photos out. You know, reduce that down to a couple of photos. You know you don't want to to strip it back so much that you haven't got any personality. In in the place but really decluttering as the first, first and foremost and then think you know actually is that so if we're looking a little bit tired. Throw or some cushions on there just to help elevate it a little bit and then you can take these things with you while you think. I don't want to spend too much on it because I'm not gonna take just add those little elements in that you will take with you some plants, flowers, things like that makes such a big difference. And then I would, I would, yeah, don't get too caught up on having to spend loads of money on getting your flat, your property ready, you know, just pair it back and and and don't. Take out too many elements. I've seen quite a few recently and maybe their rental properties on your website where they've stripped back and they've just got a bed and it has no bedding on it. You know, put a little bit of bedding on it. It just makes a big, big difference to the photographs and how it looks comfortable for somebody to live in and people need to be able to imagine themselves in that space. So you know pare it back.

Megan
Yeah, absolutely. And we've mentioned some of the the key trends already, but is there any other you know colours that you think people should add in that would maybe you're seeing your clients are more drawn towards you mentioned the warm neutrals, is there anything else?

Mhairi
I would say, you know, we're we're coming away from the feature wall element. I mean, it can be quite fun to put in a nice big bold colour on a wall. But again, you know, if red is your thing, it might not be the buyers thing. So you know, just take those colours back and put in a nice soft off white, not Magnolia. But you know, something a little bit warming. I mean, we're seeing quite a few sort of rusty tones coming through at the moment, almost a little bit autumnal, but they just give that element of warmth really to a property. So, you know, come away from that bright white that, you know, everybody just sticks up, you know, and put something a bit softer in there.

Paul
Yeah. So I mean when it comes to fashion there's, you know, you have to like the catwalk in Paris and there's Fashion Week and all that I think. Where did styles and things come? How does it, you know, what's out and what's in? Where does that come from? Is it media? Yeah, how? How? You decide.

Mhairi
Well, we have a we have an in house team of of designers from furniture to homeware to textiles. And colour. And they all go to trade fairs across Europe and things and they'll get the key trends from there. So people like Pantone, they set the colours really for the season, but they're doing so much research in terms of what's happening out there and they pick up little elements of what the trends are and then they'll bring them into Homeware. And quite often we're seeing more and more that. Interiors will reflect fashion and then fashion almost reflects interiors. So there's a lot more mixing of that these days than we used to see. It was quite separate, but it is, you know quite often I'll I'll maybe have a look and see what colors kind of client is wearing because they'll say I don't know what color I love. You're wearing yellow and blue. You know, actually, do you really love those colors? And then, Oh yeah, it's actually my go to colors in my wardrobe. So, you know, And again, if somebody comes in and and says, oh, I really love floral, but they're wearing stripes. So I'm like, you know, Are you sure it's floral? Are you into geometrics? Maybe. So it's about understanding them and who who they are.

Paul
So there's a lot of psychology about all this.

Mhairi
There is a little bit of psychology, definitely.

Paul
That's really interesting. Yeah. And and I suppose, I mean fashion again I'm sort of like an expert here that might be quarterly fashions. I guess we've been serious. Things stick around for one. I mean, we've high grade for a good while now.

Mhairi
10 years, it's not a little bit more. Yes. So, so like things, things just evolved naturally really and then you see some of the the big firms and what what they're doing and that that'll be reflective in in what we're doing at the moment. Really strong color is Damson and that's a really deep purply brown and that's kind of harking back to every little bit of a 70s revival there. But there's just such richness and warmth in that that again. It's going to be calming but interesting at the same time. And you'll see John Lewis has gone really big for it this season. We've got it in lighting, we've got it on our walls, we've got it in furniture, You know, we've got it in our cookware. Yeah, it's really right across the board. We've really got stronger on it. It's it's a beautiful, beautiful, rich colour.

Paul
I'll write that down! Damson. Damson. And here's a question for you of the period of history. What would be your most favorite. For interiors? I know you mentioned the 70s. In one, Yes, I'm. You go way back. You go back to Georgian times, yeah.

Mhairi
Yeah, no, I mean, my absolute love would be modernism from the 1930s.

Paul
You know, Bauhaus, that kind of stuff that that was quite stark, isn't it? Some of that.

Mhairi
Yeah, some of it can be, is the timeless elements of it that I love, you know, Corbusier and his homes and the way they thought about light and how that affects the space. And then they really brought in furniture and that reflects the property as well. So I love all of that kind of thing, but then I love Mid Century as well because again, it's timeless and you can really go. You can go quite historic with mid century or you can go really quite modern with mid century as well. So you know, if you're looking to invest in in a dining table or something like that, that G Plan you know you can take is so well designed that you know it'll be last you forever, you know and I think that's really important now to get pieces that are going.

Megan
To last, yeah, because I guess if you have. As you said, those kind of staple pieces like a dining table or I don't know things like the you mentioned as well like antique maybe heirloom items. I guess you can obviously change color palettes and things around those you don't have, but you have that item for as long as possible. And then yeah, you can still update, refresh it with with the new styles and on the walls and in the soft furnishings.

Mhairi
Yeah, you can. You know, I've. I've got my granny's old again G Plan Cyborg in my in my home and I absolutely love it and I've gone really pop party on on the wall behind it, so it looks really modern. But then I could go completely the other end and go back to much more traditional colours from that period. If I wanted to, you know.

So, you know, it's sorry, I'm saying this again, timeless, but it really is. It's about sustainability, you know, and I think that's so important right now. And to have pieces that we're not just going to throw away and I think John Lewis really brings forward that element in our furniture design and things like that, but you know. If you buy that side table that's gonna last you 5 to 10 years, you know, before you think you need to update your style or whatever.

Paul
And that's the way it was. Say 60s is so, wasn't it you?

Mhairi
Exactly.

Paul
Gifted as wedding presents and the cabin for a long time? Exactly. What's your favorite?

Megan
I like mid century as well. That was when we moved into our flat. That was our on our mood board. Whether or not we really achieved that is a different thing. But yeah, that was.

Megan
But we've gone for a lot of dark wood in our in our flat, which I think seems to be quite popular just now as well. So, but yeah, what about you, Paul?

Paul
Well, two, I'd say. I like the the Victorian opulence, so you know again.

Mhairi
You know it's.

Paul
Quite nice about the velvety curtains and nice fireplace and stuff. And yeah, probably the 50s, sixties. I always look at Mad Men and look at some of the style you see in those. Yeah, that's just a cool era, wasn't it? You know? Yeah.

Mhairi
Very cool.

Paul
Everything was great. So yeah, that'd be my team. Definitely not the 80s. I would say it'll be it'll have its day again, I'm sure.

Mhairi
It will and I suppose we're seeing in terms of 80s, we had a little bit of sort of.

Paul
Floral, Laura. We had Laura Ashley.

Mhairi
Yeah, style, which actually the brand we have in our collection, Laura Ashley and. And we're actually seeing a little bit more of a movement. There is another trend called cottage chic out there, which I suppose with is a modern take on that. There's florals and things and we're seeing a bit more sort of ruffling coming back, Trims are coming back as well. So yeah, I think we are moving into a little bit of a period of a little bit 80s revival, but but done in a really fresh clean palette, you know, not going overly fussy with Peaches and that kind of stuff like a really fresh green and it.

Paul
Hints of damson, yes.

Mhairi
Hints of damson, yes. So, you know, I think, I mean that's beauty of now is you can go, there's no rules and there is no rules and that's wonderful. You know, people are really freed up to express themselves and I think that's. That's that's fun part of the job, you know?

Megan
Yeah, I guess with things like Pinterest and Instagram and even TikTok, probably to a certain extent, people are able to see a huge range of inspiration from different styles, rather than maybe in the past where they would have just gone to John Lewis and said, I don't know, that you have to tell me, but you guys probably get lots of different clients wanting lots of different.

Mhairi
Things, yeah, absolutely. Such a variety, such a variety of clients and you know, some people come with a whole Pinterest board already made-up and we're just taking those elements and putting them forward to those that come in and just go. I just don't know where to start because there is too much information out there, you know, so it's and and it's just again, just going, it's OK, we've got you, we can help you work through. What it is that you're trying to achieve? You know so.

Paul
Sure. And this isn't just for the rich and famous, is it? You say that the service is for anyone they can install they make an appointment with you.

Mhairi
Yes, they make an appointment with us and they can do that online. If they go to our services tab on our website or search home design on John Lewis website, they'll find our our landing page where on there you've got profiles of all the different stylists as well. So if you want a Specific stylist, you can, you can book it through them because again, there's six of us, you know, so actually it's quite a number of us and we all have different elements and different things to bring to the team. I know my colleague Laura loves Japandiscandi. I might normally. So that's kind of like a a Japanese take on Scandinavian design. To Susie, who absolutely loves maximalism, you know, but we can do all those elements. So it just depends if there's a time and slot that suits you as well. So yeah, it's a totally free service and we work with people, we understand what it is they're doing and then we will produce a mood board for them based on John Lewis products.

Paul
And all that's.

Mhairi
Free and all that's free, Yeah. We also have. A 3D layout program, so we can lay out the John Lewis products within your space, so you can really start to visualize how those pieces will look. And then we take time to understand the flow of the room, how people are going to move through it. You know, how you know? Do you have any lamps? Do you need? You know, my personal mission is to eradicate the big lights.

Megan
I'm with you there.

Mhairi
You know, we need to. We have mood lighting, we need to have ambient lighting and that really just cozies up a room as well. So you know how many people just stick on that big light? You know? It's like, no, don't need to be sitting under all these lights.

Paul
You know you don't. So it was changing the batches to the day and I thought I need the head source because everything was really dim in my place and I thought I needed the big lights on. You know you do need.

Mhairi
Yeah, you do. You do. Especially in the dark, you know, in the dark, dark nights. But you know. And that's when you maybe need a task. Light, you know, rather than. Rather than that big light,

Megan
Yeah, no, the big light is banned in my in my house. But yeah, so we have lots of lots of little lights, yeah.

Paul
Don't you do flooring as well? Yes.

Mhairi
We do. We do, yeah. So that's the home design service. We can offer everything from flooring to curtains and blinds, etcetera. Through to all your furniture and paint and wallpaper. So we can do the whole scheme for you. And we understand that our customers can't always do everything all at once. So we do work with our clients over a number of months. I think you can even be up to a year, or you can do one room at a time and then come back and see us once you're ready to move on to the next room. So I think it's really beautiful to get to know the clients overtime and it can be really a lovely part of the job is you're really helping people. And and that's that's just so really fulfilling. And I also think that the home design service being free enables people just to come and have a look and if they're not sure that's fine, you know, that's fine. We can leave it and pick it up again in a few months time if they're not ready at that point to go ahead, you know so.

Paul
I can see you love your job. I do. You're really?

Mhairi
Passionate. Absolutely. About it, you know. So many people don't know about our service, you know, and that it is free.

Paul
That's astonishing. But and is, is that on the basis that they buy the products from you or is that just the risk you take that you just did the design and you hope that they?

Mhairi
It is a little bit of a risk of the element, but you know, really we would love them to buy the the John Lewis pieces, you know, and and that we can only work around the John Lewis pieces and their existing pieces that they've got, you know putting together mood boards. And things, you know, most people do buy into the into into it, you know, and they understand that, you know what they're getting with John Lewis is really quality products. So, So that's good fun.

Megan
Is there any room in the house speaking? Someone can go with you if they've got a spare room in there, maybe thinking, I just don't know what to do with that. It's not just like the living room and family.

Mhairi
Room and the No, no, absolutely any room in.

Paul
Any budget, Any.

Mhairi
Budget, any room. As I say, we've gone. We've done even done rentals and we've done holiday let's up north we've done a castle, you know and we've done you know just styling somebody's bathroom, you know so it's it's such a wealth of scope that we can do for people and you know I think people are looking for bathrooms to be more spa like and sometimes when they're left with quite a clinical space, you know it's how, how can they elevate it you know and they can come to see us for just that. Or we can do the entire house, you know?

Megan
Yeah. Oh, well. Well, I might. I might be in touch. I've got a couple of rooms that I just, yeah, need elevating.

Mhairi
You just don't know where to go. Come and see us, come and have a chat. We.

Paul
Should do a show on that.

Megan
Yeah, we should do like the before and after well.

Paul
We all get our dopamine here .

Mhairi
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. The only thing is, we don't do the actual decorating, you know, So you you'll it's over to you guys to do your own decorating. But we will put all the elements together for you, That's.

Paul
Brilliant. That's good, Mhairi. That has been great. I've really enjoyed that. Yeah, that's been and I've learned dopamine, decor, Japandiscandi.