Carter Smith’s Town House and his pantry come cellar come boot-room.

Check out the copper bench to sit and take our boots off.

New collections of fabric arriving at our Lisburn Road store.  You’ll just want to redo that room you’ve been itching to do when you see them, gorgious textures and colours. I’ve shown some stunning vibrant fabrics here that work perfectly with the wonderful textured plain silk and woven wallpapers to match.

At long last, some of the latest furniture ordered in Paris earlier this year, is coming in.  A wonderful new linen range that works with all types of designs, traditional or contemporary, it helps to pull a room together when mixing existing furniture styles,  it’s timeless.

We have just set up a new room set, with one of the stunning pieces, at the store on the Lisburn Road.  It’s an elegant winged backed bed, in a luxurious linen, deep recessed buttons and upholstered at the sides, so no need for those fussy valance sheets.   Just one of the 17 bedroom ranges available at Ian Thompson Interiors.

See the other pics to look at the rest of the range of furniture in this robust linen fabric.

For enquiries ring 028 9066 9069.

A visit at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Cap Ferrat.  Just thought you would enjoy the pics of these wonderful interiors and gardens in the South of France.

A view of the Villa through the musical fountains choreographed to synchronised with Mozart

The beautiful entrance

A tapestry pelmet in the Drawing Room

A bedroom with incredible hand painted panelling, antique tapestry and embroidery, with a little bit of lace.

The Nursery

The aroma of the Mimosa, it filled the garden – I can still remember it.

Once known as Lo Scoglietto (Little Rock) the famous villa with it’s private harbour owned by David Niven and rumored to have been owned by Dodi Fayed too.  It’s now called the  La Fleur de Cap, and it is just beautiful, tried to peak over the wall to see the garden but was met with a burly security man with a gun.  Ran…

If you’re one of the lucky ones to be jetting off for sunnier shores soon, I thought you would enjoy the Lanvin’s and Chanel’s chicest beach looks, straight from their display at Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, in Paris.  Bon Voyage…

Get professional advice on how to sell your house faster!

Home Presentation Service from £95 (depending on location).

For details or to set up an appointment at your home ring the office on 028 9066 9069.

Handy Tips

• Potential buyers make their mind up within 30 seconds of entering your home, so first impressions are very important.
• Home buyers tend to buy with emotion and not logic.  If they can see their lifestyle improved and imagine themselves living there that’s the key.
• Houses sell 50% times faster if they are staged.
• Start at the front gate and walk through the house doing a snag list, anything that needs attention, do the maintenance now.
• The kerb appeal is the first thing to get right.  If the front of the house doesn’t look inviting, with a for sale sign, then the buyer will assume the rest of the house needs too much maintenance.  Tidy the garden, paint the front door, fill the window boxes, make sure the lights are working.
• Make sure the entrance hall is cleared of coats, shoes, kids toys etc.
• Your buyer wants to be welcomed with background music, scented candles, fresh flowers.  Put all the overhead lights and lamps on.  Make the rooms feel bright and airy, scented, and luxuriously welcoming.  Light all open fires, fill the bath with scented bubble bath and add the champagne bucket and glasses beside the bath with scented candles, and set the dining table for an elaborate diner party.

• Make sure you have all task areas that everyone needs deliberately set up.  Even if you don’t have a specific room for an office, put the computer in an armoire cupboard to reveal at the opening of the doors.
• If you have an exotic taste in décor, bright colours and lots of pattern, change it.  Pick a neutral, tone it all down and only accessories with your colours.  You want to appeal to all tastes and if the overall feel of the house gives the buyer the feeling that they just need to hang their hat up when they move in – it’ll sell in no time.

• Declutter every room.  Store all your private items in boxes away from the property.  No holiday nick knacks, magazines, and collectables.  All surfaces should have display items only, i.e., side table should have a lamp and a bowl of flowers. You want the buyer to imagine themselves living here and your paraphernalia stops that.
• Every viewer will open kitchen cupboards or built in wardrobes etc – if they see a mess, their immediate presumption will be there’s not enough storage.  Make sure every cupboard is immaculate.
• Every room should have a definite purpose, so, no spare room used as a dumping ground.  The buyer will immediately value the room as a cupboard.
• Absolutely no pets in the house when a viewer is in it.  Even if the viewers are avid dog lovers, you want them to focus on the house, not your animals.  Also make sure the doggie beds are washed frequently to prevent doggie smell aroma.
• Always let the viewer walk into the room before you, especially the likes of a bathroom, so if the room is small, you can stand in the door frame so that it’s not sardines in a tin.
• If all of this is a daunting task for each viewer, set one evening in the week up as a viewing night, booked, so you can get organized.

For those readers that are re-designing their bedroom and love the sumptuous French Grey Room shown below.  We have these fabulous pieces at Ian Thompson Interior Design, to make the look, call our show room at 028 9066 9069 for prices.

Curtains are a Linen and silk mix in cloud, fabric per metre from £41.  Walls are in Pavilion Grey.

A Milano Glass design Chandelier

Silk Buttoned Back Gilt Bed, Double to King Size available

Gilt Mirror

A distressed mirrored and gilt dressing table

Gilt 3 Armed Lamps

The Console Table is a versatile piece of furniture for any room, in the hall, drawing room or bed-room.  It’s slim design is useful of small spaces.  Dress it with a mirror or artwork behind, two lamps either side. It can also be used for either a drinks table or a dressing table.  It’s a good idea to put ottomans underneath for extra stored seating or to hide ghastly radiators.  Some favourite images to give you inspiration.

Cole & Son’s new wallpaper range “Albemarle” named after an infamous bohemian private members club in London.  The collection evokes the glamorous and poetic era of the 18th and 19th century.  Each of the nine designs references a cultural icon or gem of the time.

For assistance or to order ring 0044 (0) 28 9066 9069

Wyndham has moody tones of slate grey, peacock blue, old gold, carmine and pearly grey. Wyndham was inspired by the decorative mouldings and gilding on display in London theatre of the same name.

Wyndham has moody tones of slate grey, peacock blue, old gold, carmine and pearly grey. Wyndham was inspired by the decorative mouldings and gilding on display in London theatre of the same name.

Coleridge is a popular archive design re-coloured in chalky ground shades of stone, white, ochre and camel, with highlights of china blue, leafy green and sooty charcoal. A graceful arrangement of leaves and budding flowers makes up this very handsome wallpaper.

Coleridge is a popular archive design re-coloured in chalky ground shades of stone, white, ochre and camel, with highlights of china blue, leafy green and sooty charcoal. A graceful arrangement of leaves and budding flowers makes up this very handsome wallpaper.

Byron is an elegant damask featuring gilded peacocks in precious mineral hues of emerald, copper, teal, pewter and graphite. Inspired by the Victorian love of ornamental birds, the print is opulent and exotic.

Byron is an elegant damask featuring gilded peacocks in precious mineral hues of emerald, copper, teal, pewter and graphite. Inspired by the Victorian love of ornamental birds, the print is opulent and exotic.

Blake has a classic surface printed damask layered over subtly patterned grounds of deep red, rich gold, teal, graphite and pewter.

Blake has a classic surface printed damask layered over subtly patterned grounds of deep red, rich gold, teal, graphite and pewter.

Baudelaire print references the fashion for gilding with ornamental gold leaf and other precious metals. This elegant pattern of feathered plumes is designed as a panel and features burnished metallics on a range of neutral grounds.

Baudelaire print references the fashion for gilding with ornamental gold leaf and other precious metals. This elegant pattern of feathered plumes is designed as a panel and features burnished metallics on a range of neutral grounds.

Aldwych is an updated rococo style design from the archives, features elaborate leafy scrolls and is printed using highlights of textured glitter in dramatic charcoals, golds, crimson, jade and ultramarine.

Aldwych is an updated rococo style design from the archives, features elaborate leafy scrolls and is printed using highlights of textured glitter in dramatic charcoals, golds, crimson, jade and ultramarine.

Albery is a modern twist on the trend for antique decorative glass, using ornamental elements from the archives to create a bevelled mirror design.

Albery is a modern twist on the trend for antique decorative glass, using ornamental elements from the archives to create a bevelled mirror design.

Chatterton is featuring decorative fern leaves and exotic fruits printed in cool chalky hues of white and stone on coloured grounds.

Chatterton is featuring decorative fern leaves and exotic fruits printed in cool chalky hues of white and stone on coloured grounds.

Piccadilly is take on the Portugese blue and white tile. piccadilly creates a striking pattern of intricately decorated tiles in traditional colourings of blues, turquoises, yellows and black.

Piccadilly is take on the Portugese blue and white tile. piccadilly creates a striking pattern of intricately decorated tiles in traditional colourings of blues, turquoises, yellows and black.

If you are a lover of blue and white ming ginger jars you will love this image from Varanda.  

It’s a traditional look that has never went out of fashion, now celebrated once again, by designers at the Maison Objet Jan 2012.  It gives rooms punctuation; use different sized jars grouped on top of kitchen cupboards or armoires, as vases for spring flowers or two giving symmetry to any console table or mantel.

To get the look I’ve shown some images of what’s available at our studios including the wonderful new Manuel Canovas fabric.