The property industry fills social posts, advertising campaigns, and property descriptions with photographs of kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and big windows, and every one of them sells a dream home. I enjoy fine architecture, smart interiors, luxury furnishings from a Dream Home Store, and kitchen appliances with a famous name, yet architectural style and plain furnishings never decide whether a property feels like a home. On The Viking Chats, Heather shared how cancer at 41 brought 18 months of chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and more treatment, and she spoke just as openly about her marriage, children, career, independence, and relationships.
How to avoid the most common Dream Home Store decorating mistakes
Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead, known as 2LG, are interior designers from south-east London who run a consultancy and see the same common problems among their clients. They say character traits act as blockers, so people struggle to find an aesthetic or to shape the Dream Home Store they want. Their book, Making Living Lovely, from Thames & Hudson, helps readers learn their needs, stop sabotaging their interior design vision, and make better use of space, and it shows that good interior design starts with self-knowledge.
The Archetypal Ideal of the Perfect ‘Dream Home’
The #SBIDinspire interior design series chases the archetypal ideal of a perfect dream home, where a sweeping staircase in the entrance hall and Georgian windows show off period decadence and English prosperity. The designers dressed this show home with contemporary furniture and furnishings, and they kept the original features beside a high-spec kitchen and bathrooms that add luxury. A muted palette runs through the full interior, while contrast colours give the colour scheme richness and depth, and the history, uniqueness, and beauty of the house stay clear.
The life inside the property
As an estate agent and letting agent, I watch couples pick a first home, then see babies fill spare bedrooms while pushchairs, toys, and furniture take over, and later some families upsize or downsize, relocate for jobs or schools, separate, or become accidental landlords. On the podcast, Heather explained how responsibilities around career, marriage, children, and even the washing pulled at her independence, and I think many parents feel the same, because the home turns into a project where we decorate, repair, and chase one more improvement.
Instagram shows immaculate homes with no laundry basket or charging cables, yet I have walked through modest homes that feel beautiful and happy and spectacular properties full of tension, because bricks and mortar never run a life, and some properties even hold fourteen years of clutter.
There isn’t really a forever home
The property industry loves the forever home, where families plant roots for decades, yet a place that fits at 28 often stops fitting at 38, because priorities, careers, relationships, children, and parents all shift. A four-bedroom house can leave two rooms that only hold a suitcase, and health can change fast, as Heather learned when cancer at 41 brought treatment, fear, and uncertainty that no family could plan for.
At Base, we handle sales and lettings across Britain, so we know home ownership is not a puzzle with one answer, because some people keep a house for twenty years, others love a rented flat for eighteen months, and a smaller place with one bedroom less often helps people financially when buying, selling, or renting fits their life better than any straight line.
Sometimes somebody else has to have it
Heather talked about the 100 rule, which says relationships do not run 50/50 because capacity changes, so if I sit at 85 and my partner sits at 22, I should not demand their 50. Her illness forced her, a very independent person, to accept support, and she saw that a partnership works when people carry extra on hard days after bad work, little sleep, an exhausted parent, or sick children. Nobody wins the scoreboard of who cooked, emptied the dishwasher, or bought the birthday present, and no kitchen extension or holiday builds a happy home like care that never turns into debt.
When Mum and Dad remember they’re also two people
After treatment, Heather took a trip with her husband, and like many couples, they had slipped into roles as Mum and Dad while careers, household chores, and logistics filled each day, so the holiday helped them find each other again.
We often plan around those roles with a family kitchen, children’s bedrooms, a playroom, a home office, and a garden, yet a huge kitchen, a cinema room, a beautiful bedroom, or a landscaped garden cannot create intimacy or make anyone drop the phone, since family life depends on people. As an estate agent, I know moving can help, because a property can shorten the commute, bring grandparents closer, give children their own rooms, or add outside space, yet the brochure only sells the space, and people must fill it.
Dream home distraction: You’re a micro shopper
A micro shopper acts like a magpie, chasing every bargain, quick fix, and home trend. One week it is succulents, then marble coffee tables, then anything in blush pink, as new colours and shapes pull them in. Each impulse purchase arrives before anyone decides where it goes in the home.
Dream home solution: Buy less and buy better
When you buy less and buy better, your accessories become more than random things, and a mindful shopper picks each one mindfully to improve the living environment. Think about the weight of things and ask whether a piece should join your journey, whether you feel emotionally connected, and whether it lifts your spirits or brings joy. Open a cupboard or drawer, start curating a shelf or mantel with favourites, and only make a purchase when it earns a place in your home, which also curbs impulse purchases.
Dream home distraction: You’re home shy
If you hide your knick-knacks and a ragged blanket whenever guests visit, you may be home shy. Stacks of prints, paintings, and photos wait to be framed, while a broken sofa stays because nothing feels right. Plain white or cream walls often exist only because you fear showing your favourite colour.
Dream home solution Focus on one space
Start small by pulling out your vintage Smash Hits mags or illustrative nudes and use them in everyday life. Pick affordable online frame options to frame a favourite print, then curate your collection so the precious pieces show off your personality. Get organised, ask whether your style or design goals hide your passions, and remember that no one judges you but you.
What was the client’s brief?
The brief asked for an interior that would win over a potential purchaser of this beautiful property and sell the spaces by showing how to utilise them. The team treated it as a luxury property but kept it welcoming, like a real home. They kept the inherent features of the historic building and its charming setting by Richmond Park.
Interior Design Inspiration from Dream Home Store
What inspired the interior design of the project? The team designed the whole interior, from kitchens, bathrooms, and flooring to the interior specification with curated selections reminiscent of a Dream Home Store which set the backdrop before anyone dressed the rooms with FF&E. They worked with the Heritage officer, architects, and the client to protect the original building and its original features, using a soft colour palette of soft neutrals, deep charcoal, vintage oak timbers, and classic marble. They refurbished the ceiling rose and cornicing in the kitchen/dining room and made replicas of the door knobs for the internal doors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What types of products can I find at Dream Home Store?
A: We offer a wide selection of premium home furnishings, decor, lighting, kitchenware, and organization solutions designed to elevate every room in your house.
Q2: How long will my order take to ship?
A: Standard shipping typically takes 3 to 5 business days. Once your order is processed, you will receive a tracking link via email.
Q3: What is your return policy?
A: We accept returns within 30 days of delivery for most items in their original, unused condition with packaging intact.
Q4: Do you offer international shipping?
A: Yes, we ship to select international destinations! Shipping rates and estimated delivery times are calculated at checkout.
Q5: How can I contact customer support at Dream Home Store?
A: You can reach our support team anytime via email at support@dreamhomestore.com or through our website’s live chat feature.