Expert Alison Cork has been teaching us how to make our house a home for two decades and it all comes from a childhood in Bexley.
The mum-of-two, who has shared her expertise with national newspapers, radio and TV on shows such as This Morning and 60 Minute Makeover, was born in Erith and even got her first writing opportunity on work experience at News Shopper.
She first showed an entrepreneurial streak aged just five at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary School in Blackfen.
Alison, 51, said: “I got into a lot of trouble one time. I was in the reception class. I’m not really sure why but I decided I was going to sell lovely, shiny conkers to my classmates.”
Alas, her teacher confiscated the money she collected in a matchbox.
Alison said: “I pointed out at the time that I hadn’t forced them, it was just good salesmanship.
“She wasn’t happy and she took the money and put it in the church plates when we went to church.
“I remember feeling quite outraged.”
The bloody-mindedness necessary to be a successful businesswoman was also evident in her schooling.
When she took her A-Levels, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School was unable to teach her Latin or Greek.
Alison said: “For two years, I studied Greek in break times and when I got into Cambridge I was sent off to the headmaster, which only ever happened if you were very bad or very good.
“I went into his office and he looked at this bit of paper that he had been given about me and he was reading it and looking at me and he said ‘Congratulations Cork, Cambridge to study Classics.’ He said ‘We don’t teach classics, do we?’ And I said ‘You do now, sir.’
“He always said he remembered that story because I had managed to get into Cambridge without really existing.
“I have always been entrepreneurial. That’s probably the common denominator.”
While at university, Alison kicked off her business career creating and selling restaurant guides before setting up Carnell, a mail order company, which she floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1994. In 1996, she branched out into the home sector.
She said: “I thought I love business but I really want to run my own business and do something that I’m passionate about. I sat down and thought it’s home. I love homes and interiors and it’s what I wanted to do.”
Alison recently rebranded her Alison at Home business – which includes columns, supplements, books, websites and homeware products – to Within
She said: “The reason I chose Within is because, for me home is not about cushions, it is about how you feel in the place where you live and how important it is to be a good place with a good feeling.
“It means not only physically within your four walls – your cushions, your curtains, your sofa – but also how it makes you feel inside.
“As much as my job is to sell people cushions and sofas and chairs, I am the first person to say it is how those things make you feel. It is not what those things are.”
ALISON CORK’S 8 TIPS FOR YOUR HOME
The illusion of space
It’s obvious and well documented, but it works! Mirrors are a great way to increase perceived space, especially in narrow hallways and corridors. Avoid deep frames as this will encroach on the already limited space.
By seeing more of the floor your eye is fooled into seeing more space. Our Halston coffee table with its glass top is perfect to deploy this illusion and spread light throughout the room.
Create a focal point
In a large open space it’s important to introduce something that draws the eye, whether that be a fireplace or a heavily patterned piece of furniture.
Add touches of your personality
Using open storage gives you the perfect opportunity to display unique and personal decorative objects and mementos, which can be great conversation starters for guests.
Make an entrance
Seating in a hallway creates a warm and friendly atmosphere from the outset; a place for a guest to take their shoes off is greeted with open arms.
Open plan living
Open plan design is as popular as ever, but it is important to divide up the zones and make the space functional and welcoming. ‘Floating’ a sofa in the middle of the room will naturally create boundaries between living and dining, etc. Place a console table behind the sofa for storage to serve both zones and create a point of difference between the areas.
Go back to nature
Using animal and nature inspired accessories will help create a tranquil ambience to unwind in.
A space just for you
It’s important to have a place you can unwind and call your own, a place where you can curl up and read a good book. Position a comfy armchair in a space withlots of natural light sit back and relax.
And finally, don’t forget your bathroom!
So often the bathroom is overlooked when decorating your home, a calming blue or green is chosen for the walls yet the grace is compromised with practicality when a chrome stack storage unit is introduced. The Amberley occasional table is the perfect piece to preserve elegance.
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