MAKE ROOM 4 YOURSELF

From lights to shelving, these four top tips will help you bring out your own style.

- By SAM WYLIE-HARRIS

FLICK through any glossy interiors magazine and it's easy to get carried away with what's trending, but does copying the hot look really help you express yourself with your decor?

Lara Clarke of Lara Clarke Interiors says she likes to take a more personal approach with her clients: "It's a collaborative process instead of putting our style on you, we pull your style out.

"We get into the nitty gritty detail... how this home is going to work for you as a family, and how it's going to work best for you."

An advocate of using simple styling tricks to make a room feel more expressive, here Lara shares her top tips to make your choices work.

1. SHELVING & PLACEMENT

To style your shelves and place accessories just so, the designer recommends putting some thought into things.

"You don't want everything to be symmetrical, because then it will feel too staged, there needs to be a balance," says Lara.