Tropical luxe

As my Instagram name – @boldoverbeige – suggests, I knew the neutral colours in the living room just had to go. I've always been drawn to bold colours and tropical prints and so, naturally, I wanted my living room to reflect my tastes. I had my eye on the wallpaper from Divine Savages for a while and it was the base for the whole colour scheme, pulling out the blues and teals for the walls and furnishings, too. I had my heart set on the velvet Chesterfield sofa I spotted in John Lewis and I knew it would team up perfectly with the wallpaper. The original floorboards weren’t in a good enough condition, so we chose some engineered oak flooring in a herringbone pattern to bring warmth to the space. We’ve spent every spare moment decorating, which hasn’t always been plain sailing. Because the house is over 100 years old, everything is a bit wonky so even the simplest of tasks always seem to take a lot longer than expected. I’ve learnt that nothing can be rushed and it’s worth taking a bit of time getting it right. Doing all the DIY ourselves has given us such a huge sense of achievement, plus it helps to save on the pennies. Now I can’t wait to celebrate Christmas here – I absolutely love all the gold and glitter!

'Christmas styling is so much fun,' says Bili. ‘I'm a magpie, so I love cracking out the gold and glitter, while lots of plants and spray-painted leaves add a tropical twist'

Instead of letting a strip of leftover wallpaper go to waste, Bili has used it as a stylish table runner

M y s h o p p i n g l i s t

Walls painted in Purple Funk matt emulsion, £26 per 2.5L; woodwork painted in Cape Verde eggshell, £18 per 1L, both Valspar. Nocturnal Faunacation wallpaper, £150 per roll, Divine Savages. Hutton Brandy engineered oak flooring, £46.96 per sq m, Luxury Flooring. Tiger handmade rug, £99, Birch & Yarn. Herringbone dining table, £449.97; herringbone bench, £159.97, both Furniture123. For a similar sofa, try the Hanney three-seater velvet sofa in Teal, £469.99, daals. For a similar coffee table, try the Panatella coffee table, £154.99, My-Furniture. Tiger head vase, £15, Dunelm. Homestead Black and Gold 16-piece cutlery set, £12; Navy & Champagne table garland, £30; gold bristle tree, £6; Gold paper acorn decorations, £2; White ceramic trees, £2.50 each; Blue star wrapping paper, £1.50; Midnight luxury baubles, £6 for a pack of 6; for a similar drinks trolley, try the Karina Bailey drinks trolley, £25, all B&M. Star fairy lights, £16.99; Snowflake fairy lights, £9.99, both Lights4fun. Wrapping paper, ribbon, paper decorative stars, from a selection, Hobbycraft. Gold glitter bunting, £11.25; marble paper fans, set of 3, £14; glass candlesticks, £14 each; ombré candles, set of 3, £14; luxury marble crackers, set of 6, £20; for a similar ice bucket, try the Gold pineapple ice bucket, £40, all Talking Tables. Framed Madagascan Sunset moth artwork, £39.99, Minibeast. Fix Up Look Sharp print, from £13; Bon Appetit print, from £13, both Ink & Drop. Original Pirate print, £20, Hotfoils. Dalmatian spot faux fur throw, £20, George Home. Sanela Dark Blue velvet curtains, £60, IKEA.

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S t y l e a d v i c e Three simple tricks to try in your own home 0 1 Creative compromises If you’ve got your eye on a pricey wallpaper but can’t afford a top-to-toe feature wall, try panels, like Bili. ‘When I saw the Nocturnal Faunacation wallpaper from Divine Savages I fell in love with the drama of it!’ she says. ‘We thought we’d get away with one roll of paper but while we were hanging it, we realised we were short by a very small piece, so we decided on wallpapered panels instead. We get a lot of compliments on the panelling, which was a happy accident, but the best thing is we saved £150 on a second roll!’ 02 Have a party piece Bili loves to entertain her friends and family, so a drinks trolley was a must-have. ‘I’d been looking for a gold drinks trolley for a while and finally found this Art Deco style one in the sale at Homebase. My friends love it as much as me.’ To make it a focal point in the room, Bili has piled on the bling with tropical foliage, fairy lights and glitter bunting to create a statement piece, perfect for festive celebrations. 03 On theme

For a cohesive look, decorate your Christmas tree to tie in with the rest of your room’s décor. To complement her glam style, Bili has gone for a navy and gold colour palette with accessories from B&M’s Midnight Glamour collection. ‘I love how the colour scheme immediately makes an impact,’ says Bili, ‘so I wanted the Christmas decorations to be in keeping with that look. Matt has to reign me in sometimes, otherwise the whole house would be green and blue!’