When not everything is as it seems

Many of us have fun when creating interiors, but I like to create interiors that remain fun. I love to create illusions that cause visitors to be confused by what they think they can see.

Playing with real and fake shadows

Trompe l’oeil (optical illusions in art and decoration) is perfect for this, but by mixing the real with the fake it becomes even more interesting. I used actual shadows in this restaurant interior – I designed then added a decal that looks like the shadow cast from a chandelier. Every single person who enters this restaurant looks up for the non-exsistent chandelier on the ceiling! A dull corner of the restaurant was brought to life with these giant trompel’oeil cutlery pieces.

Giant cutlery brings some humour to meal times

A stack of trompe l’oeil books sitting next to a group of real t-lights to add to the confusion. The viewer can’t work out what is real and what isn’t.

Book stack that cheats the eye

A piece of Ghost Furniture that we had great fun with was this old sewing table. We painted very realistic vintage sewing accessories to the surface with thread and ribbons trailing over the edges of the table. Even I still want to pick these up.

Trompe l'oeil vintage sewing accessories you want to pick up

I created this ancient looking wall next to the main entrance to my cottage. The plaster was damaged when we built on an extension, so rather than repairing it we made it worse (but in a nice way).

The fake stone wall next to my front door

This is a corner of my daughter’s house in Paris. I created a group of real vintage frames mixed with decals of vintage frames – and to be honest I can’t even remember which is which when looking at this image.

A mix of real and fake vintage frames

When creating my kitchen it of course had to be a representation of my work for Ghost Furniture, but I do have a lot of modern classics and am not afraid of mixing the old with the new. Remember your home should reflect you and your choices whatever they may be.

My kitchen wall where Phillipe Starck meets Ghost Furniture

I spend a lot of time at this desk so I love to look up and smile. I bought this trompe l’oeil stack of books from Koziel when they first came to market and they never fail to cheer me.

My workspace with trompe l'oeil books inside a huge vintage frame

Koziel are a French company that have created a huge portflio of innovative wallpapers and trompe l’oeil wall decor. Yes they are created from photographs, but this is done with such perfection that you are totally convinced that what you are looking at is real.

Fake it with stairways, arcades and bookshelves

Trompe l'oeil curtain wallpaper by Koziel

Your home should be a haven for you to return to and I am a great believer that it should always surprise you and make you smile.