Look North for rustic charm of Scandinavia

The great thing about this look is that if you invested heavily in the salvage trend of last year, you can keep many of the same pieces. But walls become brighter and furniture which screams "look at me"

is softened.

A few Union Jack cushions scattered on the sofa are fine so long as they are in the traditional colours to tie in with the main colour scheme – red, white and blue.

A good rule of thumb when designing a Scandinavian room is to keep the majority of the room, ie, the furniture, walls and floor in light shades. Keep walls bright white and add in lots of salvaged light-coloured wood.

For me, Scandinavian is very much about natural materials and a fresh uncluttered feeling. It seems fitting that this type of look should contain responsibly sourced materials.

Barker and Stonehouse stock the gorgeous Tegan collection. A range of sturdy wooden pieces all made from reclaimed timber; each looks like it's already lived a lifetime.

Combine these great rustic pieces with a light coloured sofa either in fabric or leather. My recommendation would be the Overton fabric sofa or the Helena leather sofa from Barker and Stonehouse.

Complete the look with some great Scandinavian-style fabric.

I recently discovered the www. scandinaviandesigncenter.com website which is jammed full of great Nordic-style fabric. Some of which is a little colourful to say the least but I love the Gretrud fabric and the beautiful twist wool blankets.

This look is a great one for seeing you through the cooler days of early spring right through to the hot days of summer.

When it's cold, light some candles and snuggle up in the soft fabrics and when it's warm, open all the windows and enjoy the cool colours. Plus, you'll feel good about your home being better for the environment with all those reclaimed materials.

For more hot styling tips and advice, visit www.barker and stonehouse.co.uk. While you're online, you can sign up to our mailing list.