How lucky are we! As big fans of Scotland’s Home of the Year (SHOTY), when we launched our Beautiful Homes blog presenter Anna Campbell-Jones was our top pick to share her home expertise and inspire you to create beautiful, sustainable interiors.
She said yes straight away stating that she loved everything about our plans and our mission. Anna’s passion for cosy interiors, sustainability, and creating welcoming spaces perfectly aligns with our belief that everyone deserves a Beautiful Home.
Get ready for a wealth of expert tips, insights, and inspiration from one of Scotland’s most respected interior experts… and a lovely person 🙂
Anna is a talented interior designer who calls Glasgow home.
She runs interior design company Habitus Design and lectured at Glasgow School of Art for almost 20 years. She has a knack for turning spaces into something truly special. Anna’s passion for sustainability, bold patterns and vintage style shine through in her work. We are in love with her newly launched Scottish-made sustainable homewares brand annacampbelljones.com.
Anna generously agreed to take time out of her busy schedule to answer Four Square’s questions on all things sustainability, design and SHOTY…
How is filming going?
Filming has always has been huge fun, we have travelled all over Scotland marvelling at homes big and small, expensive and resourceful, we are passionate about personal style and always have an eye out for exciting ways people have embraced sustainability in their homes.
After six series do you still feel excited visiting people’s homes across Scotland?
I have been passionate about interior design for at least 35 years, it just isn’t possible to tire of seeing all these awesome homes, people continue to blow me away with their imagination and creativity.
Scotland’s Home of the Year showcases the incredible diversity of homes across the country, what do you think makes a home special?
I am aways looking for a home that tells a story, a home is an evolution and can never truly be said to be finished because homes change and morph as the inhabitants’ lives do. A great home is like an autobiography, which must be the most generous way to share who you are with people who visit.
You’re known for creating stunning homes, but care about sustainability. How do you balance style with eco-consciousness when designing a space?
The first thing I always do is look at what can be kept or made over, whether that’s a kitchen or pieces of furniture. I try to do as little as possible to get the maximum impact, I also source second hand finds for clients and encourage the use of natural materials. This is not only a more sustainable approach, it also saves money and creates a more original scheme with greater depth of meaning to the homeowner. I encourage, if buying new, to get as good quality as possible so items will last generations – as well as being sustainable made of course.
We believe that everyone deserves a beautiful home. What are your top tips for creating a homely space on a budget?
Colour is king, the simplest thing you can do is transform a space with paint – remembering to go a wee bit bolder than you might think, it’s so easy to change. Rearrange things you already have and do a bit of canny accessorising with either preloved items or sustainably made locally sourced finds, such as my product range! Add warm-toned lightbulbs to occasional lights and add dimmers if you can to create different moods for different activities.
Edinburgh Furniture Initiative offers a wide range of affordable, pre-loved furniture and homeware for everyone to buy. What’s your favourite item you’ve ever bought from a charity shop?
I was overjoyed to find a Saarinen side table many years ago in my local Oxfam, it’s a bit scratched but I love it and use it every day
What are your favourite ways to upcycle or repurpose a piece of furniture?
I have recently been collaborating with Lady Griddlebone Vintage Originals to add my dazzle designs to mid-century pieces, we have been careful to preserve as much as possible of the original finishes, adding colour and textured finishes to those parts that are too damaged to be restored effectively. This keeps the character and integrity of the original piece whilst updating it for contemporary homes. When it comes to upcycling I think less is more unless the piece is more modest in origin – in which case go wild!
Our charity is dedicated to providing homes for people in need. How important do you think it is to support initiatives like ours?
I suppose I would say this, given what I do for a living, but the concept of shelter as a fundamental human need is incredibly important to me. A sense of home and sanctuary is key to supporting mental health and to a achieving fulfilling life.
What would you say to encourage people to consider buying second-hand furniture to help support our cause?
If you want a space that’s uniquely you, and you want well-made furniture that can last lifetimes buy second-hand – they don’t make furniture like they used to. Furniture should absolutely NOT be part of the fast fashion blight. I have furniture from my parents and grandparents as well as from second hand and charity shops and I hope to hand them along to the next generation either by donating them to charity or giving them to my children. If you have quality pieces you no longer love or have room for, please consider donating them so that they can continue to be loved and not end up in landfill.
Go and check out Anna’s website here.
If you want to pop along to Edinburgh Furniture Initiative and browse our wide range of preloved furniture and homeware, find out more below.
