Style a matter of balances

Picture perfect - balance in life.

Funny I was thinking that my column last week was the final one for the year ... must have been all the buzz of Christmas.

So this is my final column for the year and what a year it has been. Is it just me or are the years getting faster?

This year seems to have raced by, hardly giving anyone time for a breather, but with the holiday season upon us, hopefully we get time to relax and enjoy the festive season with family and friends.

This is the time of year when you can look back and reflect on your year. It is also a time for moving forward, leaving behind what didn't work, improving on what did work, and perhaps moving in a new direction or adding to what you already have in place.

This year I added to what I already had in place by completing personal styling and colour consulting training. That has been an exciting journey and, as I have always had a passion for fabrics, colour, texture and pattern, from an early age I felt it would be an extension to my interior design business rather than completely separate.

If we dress to suit our skin tone, personality and our body shape then this should flow through to how we live our lives when we are in our comfortable surroundings at home. The two work hand-in-hand to form a whole and complete the balance in our lives.

Colour has always held a fascination for me and how it reacts with our whole being. When we wear something that we feel fantastic in and that suits us, we tend to look healthier and happier and this flows on to the way we hold ourselves and move. It is such a great feeling when someone compliments you on how great you look or how well you are looking. What we wear and how we look needs to reflect us as individuals, this should flow into our homes.

There is no point designing a home that is strictly classic for a flamboyant extrovert. Do you know how reined-in that person would feel? I would imagine totally stifled and feel like rebelling.

Part of the personal styling option is working through people's wardrobes and working with them to make the best of what they already have or discard and rebuild. This really just becomes an extension of the bedroom decor and finishing.

With many of our newer, larger homes, the main bedroom is often designed with large walk-in wardrobes and bathrooms and all three areas need to work well together.

Wardrobe planning not only involves the layout of the wardrobe to make the best of the space but also the contents within the space. We all have items of clothing in our wardrobes that are perhaps unwanted, brought on impulse; ill-fitting or perhaps just simply don't work.

I have some items that are in my wardrobe purely for sentimental reasons - they most likely will never fit me again, they are out of date with regards to fashion and colour and the reason I keep the odd item is because they hold precious memories of an event or I simply just love the fabric.

The beginning of next year will be a busy time with speaking engagements for my interior design and personal styling businesses and a few workshops as well. What an exciting way to start the new year.

I have a new client looking at building for the first time and a couple of past clients building again. It is always lovely to work on new project where I have worked with clients previously.

As my work is personal and individual, I rarely use the same finishes within two different homes. When working with the same client, it is always a challenge to bring out more of who they are so their home feels different from their previous but still reflects them.

Terry Lobb is an interior/kitchen designer and personal colour and style consultant who takes a holistic approach to living with colour, texture and style - email: terry@terrylobb.com; website: http:// terrylobb.com