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Low Impact Refurbishmet

Lovely and simple flat in south west London

Interior designer Paul Williams lives in south west London and specialises in what he calls "low impact refurbishment". He sees his particular set of skills as making the best of what's already there. "Achieving the maximum result for the minimum inconvenience is what I provide for my clients. Giving a house or a flat a new lease of home is what it's all about and presenting what's there in a fresh, zestful way is sometimes all that's required. " Paul takes a tired home and streamlines the space, edits the furniture and changes the layout. He can give it impact by creating a 'big moment' such as hanging a large mirror, or a light fitting or sourcing and eye-catching piece of furniture that is of the correct size and scale for the room. "Clutter is a universal problem so I usually specify storage to take it up and away at a stroke. Frequently clients have lived in the same house for years, the kids have moved out and whilst they were aware that the interior required TLC for whatever reason, be it lack of confidence, motivation, or more often time, nothing happens. I listen to what they want, come back with some suggestions, and almost before they know it, things begin to look different. I just take the pain out of the process." Paul's own home in south west London has recently been the subject of a low impact facelift though in this case the bathroom and kitchen were transposed as were the bedroom and dining room. 'Doing the work has transformed how I feel about the space. The dining room was a good-sized room but I could count on one hand how many dinner parties I'd given in the past year. I decided that it would make better sense to have a larger bedroom with an adjoining bathroom where the kitchen used to be. Though the dining room is now smaller it doubles as work space with a large table making it ideal for client meetings when plans can be spread across the table." A large mirror in the sitting room reflects the book case holding Paul's reference library. As an inveterate collector of antiques and bric a brac, Paul has used the walls to hang paintings and items such as the screen above the armless sofa. His collection of window vases are massed for effect in a glass-fronted cabinet.