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We recently moved to Somerset and currently live in a farmhouse<\/a> with fake stone cladding. It\u2019s pretty utilitarian and functional \u2013 we\u2019re about to start the build of a new house.<\/p>\n What made me fall in love with the house was its position. The sunsets and sunrises are beautiful, the views are amazing and there is a tinkling stream to play in. It is also less than two hours from London so I can get up and down to meetings very easily.<\/p>\n When designing a room I always start with its function. You need to examine how you are going to use a space before you begin. Then you have to work out the furniture and sockets you need to enable you to do that function easily. Only then should you consider the decor.<\/p>\n You might also like<\/strong> country interiors at an old Somerset rectory<\/a><\/p>\n My decorating tastes haven\u2019t really changed over the years, though I think I get braver with age, or perhaps it\u2019s experience. You have to be daring or you tend to end up with bland and boring. My favourite room to decorate is the downstairs loo, because it\u2019s quick and you can go totally mad in a small space.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve had loads of decorating disasters! But that\u2019s how you learn. I discovered years ago that you can paint a room dark red, but it\u2019s the other colours in there that\u2019s the difference between a room that looks like a womb, or a luscious rich and exotically decadent living space.<\/p>\n We have lots of really old pieces including a 15th-century chair that I love. I enjoy collecting cartoons; they\u2019re lovely things and make me laugh.<\/p>\n Having a craft that is exceptional to you is such a totally amazing thing. My husband, Graham Swift, is an artist and I admire his work because there\u2019s no way anyone else could do what he does. The skill I would really like to be better at is dressing and arranging spaces. It\u2019s much harder than you\u2019d think and comes very naturally to some people.<\/p>\n