Ginetta Vedrickas (Award Winning Property Journalist) introduces us to the dynamic duo, Amy and Athina, who are behind the virtual interior design company Topology who are shaking up the world of interiors.....

Ever dreamed of transforming your home into a chic interior designed pad? Sadly, big dreams can be dashed by small budgets but one new design team is determined to make interior- designed homes affordable for all.
Rising stars in the interior design world, Topology has been going for less than two years but its design duo has already won ‘Best Interior Design Blog’ earning them a month-long collaboration with Habitat. Designers Athina Bluff and Amy Brandhorst are behind the company whose aim is to show that great interior design can be affordable and accessible. With a strong focus around inexpensive décor solutions, one half of the business is dedicated to their online interior design service enabling clients to pay as little as £125 per room to get their spaces professionally designed. Their other focus is their home decor blog, offering budget- friendly tips, interior styling advice and industry discussions.
 
Whilst working for designer Kelly Hoppen, Bluff came across many customers who loved the idea of hiring a designer but who were put off by the lengthy process involved and the cost. Bluff found herself routinely emailing them with help and advice and she eventually decided: “Hey, I can make this into something! What those clients needed was a friendly, affordable interior design service. No consultation fees, no invasive house visits, no pressure to buy something they didn’t want to and most importantly a service that wasn’t going to break the bank. It was here Topology was formed.”
 
Affordable and accessible design clearly struck a nerve among customers. In 2016 Amy Brandhorst joined the company bringing with her plenty of property expertise having worked for a Berlin-based estate agency. Topology’s social following is now over 18,000 and the home experts were chosen by Habitat as the team best placed to advise customers on how to make the most of small spaces.
 
The pair regularly run affordable workshops where they share their top interior design tips. Here the design team tell Safestore reader how to get a great look on a budget and how best to deal with your home’s clutter.
 
 

Budget friendly design tips

1) Upcycle! It might sound obvious but there are so many great upcycling tools nowadays to help you take cheap furniture to looking amazing. Annie Sloan paint is one of them. Her chalk paint is suitable for metal, wood, plastic etc and requires no priming or sanding. So, you can take IKEA from drab to fab in seconds or refresh existing furniture you may have.
2) Use the google shopping tab. Not enough people use it and it’s such a helpful tool. You can type in anything you wish i.e. ‘green velvet sofa’, select cheapest products, and it will show hundreds of different retailers with the lowest prices – it does the shopping around for a bargain for you!

3) Do check out high street brands such as Sainsbury’s Home, H&M Home and Matalan.
They’ve really upped their game recently and have some beautiful, well-designed furniture and accessories. The prices are unrivalled too – Sainsbury’s home had a Mid-Century style marble side table for just £45.

4) Invest in key pieces that will last. If you’ve just moved into your home, it’s worth spending a little more on good quality ‘key’ pieces such as a bed or a sofa. Invest in something that won’t fall apart in five seconds – in the long run it will save you money, trust us!
 

Storage solutions

1) If you don’t have much space to store on the ground, think upwards. By this we mean
use your wall space as much as you possibly can. Implement floating shelves, hooks, wall lights, wall- mounted bulletin boards and magazine racks. Lift as many objects off the floor as possible and you’ll have more room to move.
2) If you have an excessive number of books and nowhere to store them, try piling them up neatly next to your bed and placing a lamp on top to create a bedside table. You can do the same next to your sofa to create a side table. Please note this trick works best with larger, hardback books.

3) Go for furniture with built in storage to maximise space. Think storage beds, ottomans
and coffee tables with storage inside. Look out for beds with storage headboards too.
Utilise your corners. Too often these remain empty and valuable space goes to waste.
4) Introduce some corner shelving or a cabinet to display / hide away items you are yet to find a home for!
If you can afford it, opt for bespoke cabinetry or furniture. By building into your homes exact measurements you’re making the most of all the nooks and crannies in your home thus maximising your storage space. If you’ve got unsightly radiators, try using a radiator cover which not only hides them but also acts as a ledge to hold items like a table lamp, photo frames and home phones etc. This way you can make something typically unattractive into a useful and nice-looking feature of your home.