According to @hattielarkinshome finding the time to create a chic new look is all about inspiration, passion, being brave and following your heart.

Busy professionals Declan Hattie and Jonathan Larkins started the design journey on their first home together at the very beginning. Reserving the plot where their Newton, three-bedroom semi-detached new home would stand was the start of a two-year labour of love that would see them create a haven of LA chic in Lanarkshire.

Weekly ‘stalks’ to watch their home progress through the build stages was thrilling according to Declan but it wasn’t until the site fencing came down that it became ‘real’.

The blank canvas they had always wanted was officially theirs when they picked up the keys in February 2018. At first everything had to be grey but as time moved on their passion for design took over and work to create the clean lines, texture and casual splashes of colour that they had fallen in love with in their favourite LA Hotel, The Mondrian, started to take shape.

Not followers of traditional designers the two take elements of the looks they like and see how it translates. Each feature in their home has been thought through to bring the overall look together.

For Declan having one main focal point is key, he’s always keen to use pieces that start a conversation – the cushioned wall idea was taken from a showhome they viewed, they liked the look and asked an upholsterer to create a bespoke wall just for them which they both love, afterall “wallpaper is so last year.”

Declan’s advice to anyone starting from scratch is to go with your heart, make a statement, be unique – “it’s your home at the end of the day. Your home should reflect you as a person so be brave and design it the way you want, do not just do what everyone else is does, make it your own as you will fall in love with it all over again.”

“We decided to make a statement with our floor to ceiling mirrors in our hallway upstairs to maximise the natural light, it’s a bold move for some but for us it’s a real statement feature that we just adore.”

Declan’s top tip: Make every room have a focal point, it makes it special!

For Jonathan, sparking all the senses is his top tip - burn a candle or scent that makes someone ask what it is!

©Photography by Eve Conroy