Splendour in the grass

Catherine Hoffmann's style by numbers
1 "Things have to be useful. The slipcovers in the dining room aren't just pretty, they're practical."

2 "I have to keep things simple. I don't like frilly curtains, frou-frou, over-decorating. Houses should not be showrooms."

3 "Everything I have is salvaged. I go to auctions, salvage yards. If something doesn't work, I trade it back and get something else."

4 "I carry the same colours through common living areas and corridors. Even if I don't do the walls the same colour, I bring the same colours through in other elements, like trim or accents."

5 "I like to use high-gloss white on baseboards and trim. It's easy to clean, it's a lovely contrast to your wall colour, and you see the imperfections. I lıke that; when it's too perfect, something's wrong."