Why having bad taste is better than not having any taste at all

Here are some of my favourite sources of inspiration for bold expression at home

When it comes to decorating your very own home, I’m a big believer that having bad taste is better than not having any at all. If we want our homes to truly feel like ours, then we should embrace what we love whether it’s bad taste or not. A home that reflects the people who live there, filled with idiosyncrasies, random collections, favourite colours, well-worn furniture, or even a quirky old lamp or a giant vintage superhero poster, is infinitely more interesting than a home where no chances were taken and everything came from the same catalog. Right?

Definitely not bad taste: Beata Heuman’s London home, a photo from her book ‘Every Room Should Sing’

You know that feeling when you walk into someone’s home and it just feels like them? Maybe it’s bold, maybe it’s unexpected, maybe it’s filled with things you’d never choose yourself… but somehow it all works. There’s a kind of magic in those spaces. You can sense the stories layered in — the op shop finds, the hand-me-downs, the artwork made by a child or a friend, the colours chosen not for approval but for joy. These are the homes that invite you to linger. They make you curious. You want to know more about the people who live there — what they love, what makes them laugh, where they’ve been. And it’s not because everything is perfectly curated or colour-coordinated, but because it feels lived in, loved and unmistakably theirs. It’s a gentle reminder that our spaces don’t have to be impressive or universally appealing. They just have to feel right for us, and for the life we’re actually living.

Below, I’ve gathered a few of my favourite sources of inspiration—people and places that celebrate colour, character and creative freedom. If you’re craving encouragement to be more daring, more fun, or even just more in tune with what you love instead of what’s currently trending, here is a good place to start…

• Beata Heuman is a London-based interior designer whose work I really love. Her book Every Room Should Sing is one of my favourites for inspiration on finding your voice and creating truly unique and imaginative spaces. In her book she argues, ‘There’s a lot of joy in expressing one’s individuality. It is freeing. It can be exhilarating. It can also be pretty irresistible when you see the unabashed, true character of another individual. It may be very different from yours, but it is all the more alluring for it.’

• I love following Lucy Williams on Instagram, as well as her Substack, Remotely. In one of her Substack posts, The Perils of the ‘Too-Perfect’ Room, she says ‘In every room I love, there will be something in there that a lot of people might not choose or even like, something a teeny bit divisive whether that’s art, a choice in fabric or a penchant for ceramic vegetables and horses’. I really love this bold concept. I love the idea that you can love something that someone else doesn’t like, and you can love it enough to put it on display in your home in order to avoid it feeling too perfect. It makes me want a walking tour of her home! I’m sure it’s so good! I also love her advice on adding pieces to a room. She says ‘If one new thing is making things jar, try adding in two new things and see if that helps. Sometimes more really is more.’ I’m definitely trying this.

• The Maison Cotidiano Instagram feed, run by Lisbon-based architect, Diana Mira, features the most beautiful, warm, layered homes from around the world. So many inspiring spaces that embrace colour in such a good way.

• Find yourself a friend like my friend, Vanessa Boz, whose home is a genuine reflection of her life, her travels, her favourite colours, textures, art… and then go and sit on her velvet pink sofa (because her favourite colour is pink) and take it all in. How inspiring it is to be inside the home of someone who has truly embraces what she loves. It always inspires me to do the same.

Vanessa chose paint colours like dusty pink and turmeric yellow to remind her of her time spent in India.

• Op shops (or thrift stores) are the ultimate source of inspiration for helping you figure out what you love and what you don’t. There’s no trend factor, things are usually not even displayed in a stylish way, and yet you might be drawn to a little ceramic plate on an otherwise crowded shelf, or you might spot a giant jug covered in dust, or an old painting in a cluttered section of art. It’s up to you to decide whether you like it or not. And then the joy is finding the perfect place for this new object that tickled your fancy. Fun!

  

• Jessica Bellef’s book, Individual, is another favourite. She offers tips and suggestions for creating a home that is uniquely yours in between features of inspiring homes whose owners have done just that. She writes on topics like why you should embrace your personal palette, how to add more texture to your home, and the secrets to vignette styling.

  

• Lonika Chande is another London-based designer whose projects always include lots of colour and warmth. I love following her Instagram feed to see snippets of her work and inspiration. Emma Ainscough is another London-based interior designer who incorporates colour and creative ideas. There’s so much inspiration coming from the UK right now.

• And of course, our book, The Family Home, offers up heaps of tips and ideas (and so much inspiration in the photos alone!). There’s an entire chapter devoted to creating a home that feels like you and is right for your family. Pre-orders are now available, and you’ll receive a copy as soon as it’s out in September. (You can pre-order here.)

Feel free to share where you find decorating inspiration in the comments below.

Courtney x