Or, how to make your furniture fit!
ASSUMING you're not Tyneside's answer to Laurence Llewelyn Bowen or Linda Barker (would you really want to be?), you have probably, at one time or another, bought a piece of furniture which looked gorgeous in the showroom but was a disaster in your house.
In fact, there are to our certain knowledge people out there who have been known to move house just to accommodate a new – and usually very large – sofa
They key to avoiding such extreme action, according to leading interior designer Jason Short, of Absolute Interior Design, is to put your trust in computer-aided design.
"It's crucial that you plan properly when you're investing in new pieces," says Jason, "which is why we plan customer's rooms out using a computer-aided design system so they can see exactly where their new bed, sofa or whatever will fit and the impact it will have on the rest of the room. And it's not just about making the piece fit in physically, you have to consider what effect it will have on the rest of the furniture.
"Will it dwarf what you already have? Will it complement the room or swamp it? You can find all that out and play around with new ideas for your furniture when it's all on the screen in front of you."
At Absolute Interior Design, opposite St James's Park on Barrack Road, Newcastle, Jason has created a haven of design excellence. His bespoke interior design service is committed to quality and unique detail and he prides himself on turning his clients' dreams into spectacular reality. His studio and showroom is also home to the only collection outside London of furniture and accessories by the American furniture maker Bernhardt.
From living room, bedroom and kitchen designs to lighting schemes and custom-made furnishings, Absolute Interior Design offers a complete service, with Jason's stunning interior designs complemented by his range of accessories and beautiful furniture. Moreover, his design studio boasts a complete collection of leading name floor coverings, fabrics and wallpapers including designs from the likes of Zoffany and Osborne & Little.
Jason boasts an enviable client list and a spectacular portfolio of work. He's also a lovely chap with no side and no pretensions, yet he boasts an enviable client list and a spectacular portfolio of work. He's got several large projects on the go at the moment and has some very well-known names on the books (shhhh!).
He's also collaborating with The Bathroom Studio and Bespoke Kitchen Company on a couple of projects, one of which is to replicate a bathroom from a very serious Dubai hotel suite in Rickleton, Washington where a theme of stained American black walnut with marble and faux crocodile skin is the star of the show.
* Absolute Interior Design, 13 Barrack Road, Newcastle, are having two special ten per cent off furniture and accessories days on November 5 and November 12. Tel 0191 261 9633 or see www.absoluteinteriors.com