Design Dilemmas

Episode 56: This week we're talking long rooms and what to do if you don't like bathroom spotlights. Plus colours for West facing rooms, linoleum vs vinyl and the worlds most expensive shoe storage.

[Cover photo credit: Beata Heuman, photographed by Simon Brown for House & Garden]

This week, two members of my family moved back home. Firstly, Max finished University. I know, it’s only April but as everyone knows, the reason for going to University is to pay extortionate fees for a full year for fun that you’re saddled with for years when you actually only stay there for seven months. Not forgetting, of course, that when you finish in April and return home, you’re lucky enough to still have an entire quarter of a year accommodation to pay for. If ever there was a reason to emigrate, the daylight robbery disguised as our educational system is one of them. But, I digress. The second member of my family to return home was Joe, my husband, who has been working in Manchester for a year and staying with Ella, my daughter, during the week. He started a new job last Tuesday and is now based from home (well, sleeping at home anyway) which means both he and Max have filled the hallway with a motley collection of dirty washing, air fryers, golf clubs and Tescos bags filled with items ranging from coffee cups to empty Sure deodorants. My heart sinks every time I open the front door, tbh.

The impact of these returns and the fact that we are now FOUR in the house rather than two has had an immediate effect on my day to day living, mostly focused around towels. Wet ones, dry ones, hung over doors, left on the floor, ALL THE TOWELS. I tried to set up a new system when we moved house that involved each having their own colour coded towel system. Two each, no veering off, reuse it (think of the environment, kids) and hang it back on the hook after use. This worked for approximately a week before they put their two towels in the washing basket and started taking clean towels (reserved for guests) from the cupboard and using one after another with abandon. I feel like when I leave this mortal coil, I will have ‘PICK UP THE FUCKING TOWELS’ written on my gravestone. I might organise it now, actually.

But enough of my household dramas and back to business with a variety of questions that have been asked directly from my Substack audience (you can add yours in the comments). This week we are talking about stupidly long living rooms - how can we make them look less corridor like? (this, btw, and versions of this is one of the most asked questions that I am given on all of my platforms - we need to build houses with wider rooms). What to do about bathroom lighting if you don’t want the bane of modern day house developing, spotlights. Shoe storage and where to find decent ones that hold more than two pairs, plus what colour to paint your West facing room to make the most of the light. And finally, the benefits of linoleum and how it measures up against the easier to lay and cheaper vinyl.

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