I live in a little cottage in the Cotswolds with my husband and son. We bought the cottage 11 years ago in April as a quick DIY project, but uncovered more and more history that we wanted to save and restore along the way. We are looking to move this year after spending the past ten years restoring, renovating & extending the cottage.

Absolutely! But I’d never really thought about it before decorating our own home! I’ve only recently discovered a lot of my childhood clothing and artwork - which includes all the colours I love now!

Playful & charming with a considered use of colour.

I accidentally fell into interiors whilst on maternity leave with my son. We’d spent the last few years extending and renovating with our own bare hands, and when I had my son I was just coming to the end of the build and crossing over into the interiors. At the time, I painted everything white until I had decided on how to use colour in the cottage, but after being creative my whole life and working in a creative industry for the best part of a decade, I realised this lack of colour was making me feel uninspired and unhappy. It was at a time where interior designers were keeping Cotswold stone properties very neutral, and there wasn’t a lot of inspiration around for using colour with Cotswold stone.

So I began thinking of ways and learning through trial and error how to incorporate colour into our home, starting with my favourite colour, red. I began small, with fabrics and accessories, and people were interested in what I was doing. Edward Bulmer and his team then noticed what I was up to and offered to train me as one of their first colour consultants. I was so inspired by Edward and his wife Emma and all that they are currently working towards environmentally, and my own business naturally grew from there.

As a colour expert, I look at the nuances between shades and undertones to find the perfect hues for a property to create the feeling the client wants to achieve in their space. This could be across one room or coming up with a colour palette for a whole property.

It’s a quick, easy problem solving service rather than spending months on a full, in- depth project with a designer and offers much more freedom to a client. My focus is always on the natural light in a space, but importantly also how the client wishes to feel in these spaces we are working on, whether they are commercial or residential. I take into consideration any existing historical features or materials that we need to work with, as well as existing fabrics and furnishings. My personal service also puts a focus on environmentally friendly paint brands and how we can help our old buildings and ourselves, by using natural paint.

There are SO many choices out there aren’t there?

Firstly, think about the colours you are naturally drawn to. Forget trends- you don’t want to be decorating your home every year! Think about colours you love and can live with. It may also help to think about what colours you wear if you get a little stuck!

Think about how you’d like the room to feel. Fresh or cosy? Smart and sophisticated or relaxed and laid back? Do you need warmer or cooler colours to create this feel?

Don’t paint tester pots onto the walls! The natural light will change in your home from one day to the next, depending on what the weather is doing. Paint tester pots out into large pieces of card, and stick these in as many places as you can, or move them around every few days to understand how the light changes these colours. They will look different in the morning to the evening, and in lighter spaces opposite windows compared to darker corners. Take some time learning about how the light moves around your home.

Sustainability was a huge reason for creating the Westridge collection. I wanted to be able to offer a furniture option that was made here in England, through timber that is sustainably sourced and grown from our British woodlands (all our products are made

with timber that is certified Grown In Britain) and is therefore supporting the responsible management of our British forests and woodlands. This in turn decreases importation of US and European timber, and also means we are supporting and celebrating British craftsmanship, with the pieces being hand crafted by artisans in Wiltshire. All of our pieces are finished in Edward Bulmer Natural Paint as standard which adds to our sustainability ethos. A true celebration of everything British!

Westridge has been inspired by the colours, textures and shapes that I see throughout the year walking in our local woodlands. I am always inspired by the natural world, whether this is aesthetically, through colour and texture or how we can use the materials

we are growing here in our UK forests and woodlands to create using what we have, without importation. Westridge is therefore a celebration of the colours and textures found in my local woodlands throughout the seasons, and has been inspired by many wildflowers and tree species, but also the materials that we are growing here in the UK.

Colour is of course a huge part of the collection, and I wanted to be able to offer a customisable option for every scheme, from a choice of oak colours and a large paint palette as standard, to bespoke options too.

As a creative, I have many ideas and ways I would like to move the business forward, from growing the consultancy side to launching new collections. But I have learnt through the past few years that I don’t want to rush this. My focus is currently on mastering what I am already doing. I am very much about slow, conscious choices, choosing once but choosing well, and relaying this message to my clients and customers. Although I am constantly inspired and drawing up new ideas for pieces, instead of rushing out product after product my mission is to make more people aware of the story behind Westridge, so people really lean into the fact that it is not only beautiful furniture, but a conscious decision they are making to have Westridge in their homes forever. When they purchase a hand made, made to order piece from us, they are helping us help our environment, by aiding us to create pieces that are grown and sourced locally, allowing us to responsibly manage our woodlands, and supporting British

craftsmanship by using local, British makers. I want to spend time sharing this story and talking more about the importance of British materials and British craftsmanship, and supporting and celebrating other British brands and makers who are doing the same

along the way too. Then, I’ll be ready to launch some new designs, but right now, my focus is on telling our sustainable story and celebrating this, learning to be proud of what we have achieved and how we can continue to work this way going forward.

We hope you have enjoyed reading all about Emma’s beautiful work. To follow more of Emma’s story find Emma on instagram @byemmadiaz