Creating a home full of character: Styled by Alice Gaskell

Creating a home full of character

Creating a home full of character: Styled by Alice Gaskell 

For our latest in our Styled By series, we sat down with Alice Gaskell, who’s Instagram feed made us fall in love with her interior style immediately! Alice lives in a new-build home in Bath, Somerset, but she’s managed to curate a home full of timeless character – so much so that you’d have no idea it was a new-build. 

Alice decided to set-up her home Instagram account as she would often find herself moving her possessions around her home whilst tidying up to create wonderful new vignettes. She began taking pictures of the small spaces that she’d redesigned and in little over a year Alice’s collection of beautifully curated imagery has seen her followers swell to over 35k. Like them, we absolutely adore the home she has created, so we sat down with the lovely lady to talk all things interiors, and even got some exclusive tips on how to achieve her gorgeous interior style.

“I’ve loved creating my own style in a new-build home, drawing inspiration from the character you’d usually find in older buildings. I have a pretty traditional style so have found a number of different ways to apply this to our home. For example, we love the wall panels we’ve added, which add the character you would normally find in older buildings. When we were looking to buy our home, we wanted the reliability of a new-build home, but I tend to steer towards traditional rather than modern, and this has been enhanced by the furnishing choices we have made as well.  I like finding vintage style pieces, as well as new, beautifully made, traditional items that will stand the test of time.”

“Finding inspiration for your home is an incredibly important part of the process in finding your own style. For me, inspiration mainly comes through Instagram and Pinterest, but I also love looking through magazines and store brochures for styling ideas. I spend a lot of time moving things around in my home and styling corners for my page, so I am continually looking for fresh ideas.”

“Our house is home to all our precious belongings – each one has sentimental value and tells a little story of a part of our lives. Of course, you can create a sense of warmth with candles, soft lighting, cosy corners, flowers but it is all of this that comes together – they all help create that sense of belonging, and that feeling of ‘home’ when you walk in the door.”

“For me, the most important aspect of the home is creating a balance between a functional space, and a beautiful one. It has been a challenge this year – particularly due to lockdown as we have had to balance a space to work in, play in and relax in and it isn’t a big space at all! It has taken a lot of time, but I think we are nearly there and I love the home that I’ve created.”

“Our bedroom is fast becoming my favourite room in the house!  It has taken us a while to collect and draw everything together, but I found creating a mood board was essential in helping to translate my vision of a beautiful escape and sanctuary into reality!”

“I think a headboard is an extremely important decision – particularly as we have a small room and our bed is the main feature! We recently changed the colour palette in our room from dark to light so we held off making a decision on a headboard and deciding upon a particular colour until now. I opted for the Thea headboard, which I chose for its soft and simple yet stunning design. I am delighted with the shape – it adds just the touch of romance and elegance I was looking for without being overwhelming and domineering.”

“For the upholstery, we chose the Thatch smart velvet – a beautiful, soft fabric, comfortable for leaning against in the evenings whilst we read.  The colour is wonderfully neutral but also warm – I wanted something that would compliment my love for blue, but without being harsh and cold! I couldn’t be happier with it!”

“Start with your walls – often new builds can be very neutrally decorated which is absolutely fine, but you can add a lot of character by adding panelling, or by creating your own statement walls, using both paint and wallpaper.”

“Another thing that I love to do to introduce character to the walls of my home is to add a little row of hooks. You can use these hooks for practical purposes, such as a coat rack by the door, or to add aesthetic to a plain wall, by hanging up wall hangings, artwork or other accessories.”

“I always find books and lighting to be key in creating a home full of character and comfort. They are also the perfect way to transform a space relatively cheaply and easily, but totally change the ambience of the space.”

“Books help to add texture and subtle colour to a room, and provide that element of relaxation, knowing you can sit down and get lost in the chapters of a new book when you have five minutes to spare.”

“With lighting, you can brighten up the space and make it feel more open and spacious where needed, or use more ambient, low level lighting to create a more cosy, snug-like feel if desired.”

“I like the use of simple, natural textures throughout my home, and think they are the perfect way to add character as well as keeping things tidy! I use storage rattan baskets to hide things like toys and glass jars to display food in the kitchen, and use lovely textured linens throughout the house to add that relaxed, cosy and homely feel.  I think these are all worth it and make all the difference!”

Feeling inspired? We have a range of sofas, armchairs, beds, footstools, a lighting collection and much more to help add character and style to your home, and our customer care team are on hand to help with any questions you may have.