Hello. I’m Erika, a Masters degree qualified designer based in Cornwall, specialising in interior decoration and colour consultancy.
My journey into the world of interiors and colour began in primary school. I can remember the teacher asking the class to create a room set using a shoe box. It was this moment of fitting off-cuts of dusky pink carpet, arranging colourful scraps of fabric and painting the walls some sort of 90s magnolia emulsion that started my path into design. My love of anything creative lead me to study a diploma in Art & Design, complete a BA(Hons) Interior Design (Decoration) degree and then a Masters Degree in Interior Design. During my study years I worked for IKEA, then a soft furnishings business, where I helped people choose curtain, blind, upholstery and cushion fabrics for their homes. I then went on to work for a residential interior design studio, designing schemes for family homes, high end holiday lets and developments throughout Cornwall.
I chose to stay at home when I had my two children, whilst taking on a few freelance interior decoration projects and got stuck into renovating our small Victorian terrace. We have more recently moved to yet another ‘doer-upper’ and I spend any spare time painting and planning how it will eventually look. Over the years of renovating there has been countless times my husband has found me with a tin of paint or fabric samples in my hand! Working as an interior designer and on personal renovations has highlighted how carefully selected colours and changing affordable elements, such as soft furnishings alone can completely transform the look and feel of a space.
The colours of Cornwall, from the coastal views to rural landscapes, have always been a source of inspiration in my design work. There is also a special kind of light in Cornwall, whether that be the haze on a sunny day or the grey blue cast through ‘mizzle’ on a misty, rainy day, that often makes colours appear different in Cornish homes. It is in recent years that I have expanded on my interior decorating knowledge to research and attend courses about colour and lighting, and used this to design beautiful timeless decoration schemes for my own, and clients' homes, complementing the conditions and surroundings we have here in Cornwall.
