Interior design with Antonia Ludden’s #tidylife

Antonia Ludden is the blogger behind #tidylife, which was recently named in the Top 10 Interior Design Blogs. Antonia provides her readers with practical advice on how to keep a clutter-free home without losing their personal style. We spoke to Antonia about her own personal style, how she works with PRs and why bloggers need their own association.

How has your blog changed over time?
Quite a lot, actually. When I started out in 2012 I was more focused on upcycling old furniture and finding good storage solutions for my kids’ toys – I even thought about selling storage boxes through the site (hence the blog’s name), but in the end didn’t pursue that. As time went by the blog evolved more into home design in general and, more recently, occasional lifestyle topics that appear to be popular with readers, such as health, fashion and beauty.

How would you describe your style?
I like a variety of home interior styles, which is reflected in my own home – I’ve embraced both the ‘dark side’ with our moody front room that features industrial lighting, lots of wood and dark walls, but I also appreciate a fresh contemporary interior, which is how I would describe our light and bright family room. I’m also quite drawn to nature in the home, so you’ll often find me styling with plants and different textures.

What makes a great interior design blog?
I think one that delivers plenty of straightforward home improvement ideas and advice along with decorating tips and styling inspiration. I like quick fixes and fun ways to refresh a room, so I enjoy magazine type blogs that feature a mix of emerging trends, shopping guides, real homes etc.

What’s the split between your own creations/designs and featuring others’?
I’ve found it increasingly hard to feature my own home regularly, as blogging takes up so much time – all the ‘back end’ stuff and keeping on top of social media and pitching for work. When I’m busy creating content for brands, I’m not getting the time to do the projects in my own home that I’d like to feature on the blog! But this is my job and paying bills has to take priority over the DIY & decorating. Sadly, I don’t earn enough from my blog to pay for professional decorators!

What’s your favourite room in the house and why?
I think our front room is my favourite, due to the features it has – the exposed floorboards, the large angled bay window and the fireplace. However, I don’t get to spend much time in it as it is mainly used by my sons as their gaming space! I will reclaim it one day… fingers crossed.

How do the seasons affect your content?
I love a seasonal change! It’s a great opportunity to refresh the blog and its content. I’m likely to feature lots of cosy homeware items and warm metallics in autumn-winter and lots of plants in spring-summer!

What’s your favourite household object/item?
Probably my coffee machine as I’m such a coffee addict!

What one thing should PRs/brands know about you?
That I will go the extra mile to deliver what the brand or PR is looking for – I like to give added value and exceed expectations so that they’re happy they chose me to work with and might want to partner with me again in the future.

What are the best campaigns/collaborations you’ve recently worked on?
I’ve loved working with BoConcept Manchester recently as we’ve established a nice, ongoing relationship. Because they’re local, I can call in and meet face to face, see their latest collections up close etc – with so much communication online these days, it’s nice to connect with people in real life and I think it can really enhance a collaboration.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
Yes, I would like to see that happen as it is a fast-paced, ever-changing industry and working solo, as most of us are, we have to turn our hand to everything and become experts. Even those who have blogged for a long time could use the support and guidance of a professional bloggers association, I’m sure, so I think it could only be a good thing.

What other blogs do you read?
Although I don’t have loads of time to read other blogs regularly, I dip into quite a few when a feature catches my eye or if I’m looking for decorating or blogging advice, or design inspiration. I like to see what my blogging friends are writing about and the different projects they are up to in their own homes. Quite often I’ll stumble upon new blogs by scrolling through Pinterest. The first blog I ever read was IHeart Organizing and I still like to look at that from time to time when I need any home organisation or storage ideas as I’ll admit I’m not the most tidy person in the world!