A brand-new home gives house buyers a unique blank canvas to reveal their personal interior design style.

There are many exciting ways you can express your design flair - from painting the walls or combining contrasting colours and pattens, through to buying new furniture and deciding on soft furnishings, but so much choice can also be a little overwhelming.

We asked one of our talented interior designers, Jo Farrar, from Irresistible Design, who has created the interior decoration for many of Persimmon Homes Nottingham’s show homes, to share her top five tips for crafting a stylish new home.

1. Don’t rush into decorating your home

   Think long-term interior goals rather than quick fixes. Get to know your rooms, see how you use the different spaces and how the light changes in these areas throughout the day. It can be surprising how your decorating dream ideas don’t seem to actually fit with reality.

2. A 5-star boutique home

   Your home is your sanctuary, and you deserve to feel special from the moment you step through the door. This feeling of indulgence it often associated to boutique style hotels and many of their design features can be easy replicated in your home. For that luxury living feeling the colour palette tends to be soft neutrals, such as chalky whites, stone, greys plus silver, champagne and golden hues. Wallcoverings create a popular way to introduce a sophisticated touch of elegance and texture. Used in the bathroom at Rivendell, in Gedling, the wallpaper’s chic design was also used to create a subtle yet stylish work of art. (Pictured above)

3. A look that will last

   Decorating doesn’t come cheap and with the majority of us not being Instagram interior sensations who are gifted items from brands, its important you stamp your mark but, in a cost effective way. The use of soft pastel colours produces a timeless collection of fresh hues, creating a feeling of calm. This home styling is effectively revealed at Alderman Park in Hasland, Chesterfield. For those wanting to add an extra touch of style then the versatility of geometric patterns and shapes in soft furnishing and works of art remain a popular design trend. (Pictured above)

4. The ‘wow’ effect

   Interior design is about making your mark. This is where bold colours and patterns are perfect, the trick is to use them cleverly to create that dramatic effect. Feature walls are perfect to stage that ‘wow’ look. Often used in dining areas, where conversations buzz, or children’s bedroom, to inspire imagination. A decorative wallcovering can be complemented with matching soft furnishing such as cushions, seats or curtains, as featured at Hawkers Place, in Hucknall. This design trick is also not that expensive to change, should you tire of the look or simply want to try a new effect. (Pictured above)

5. Creating a no fuss look

   Inspired by the lofty looks of warehouses and factories, an industrial room styling decor is a popular design choice that caters for all males and females. For this minimalist harmonious look, defined squared lines and block shaped furn