What Comes Naturally

I am often asked how I come up with ideas I have. There's no easy answer to that. I mean why do did I decide to

put a stack of trompe l'oeil books on my desk, as they serve no purpose other than to make me smile and look tremendously busy? Why did I decide

to take 4 drawers out of an old art deco dressing table, paint the insides in bright colours and use them as bookshelves? The main reason was that I thought the handles would be useful to hang things off, which I haven't done yet. Why did I think it was a good idea

to hang a massive chandelier in a corner of a room with such a low ceiling? Well I thought it would bring drama to the room. Why did I tell the plasterer

to leave that faux stone wall alone? Because I wanted a bit of what I considered to be amazingly realistic left alone. Why did I go out into the forest

to find curtain poles instead of going to the shops? Because it's cheaper and much more fun. Why do we have

a giant D and a giant H above our fireplace? Well Harvey and I each have our own side of the cottage and this is so we don't forget which side is which. Why do I

do this for a living? When I look at a tea tray I just think it would be fun to stick everything to the surface and hang it up. Why when I see

an old Victorian riding jacket do I immediately want to cover a chair with it? Because it is what comes naturally - to me anyway.