Interior ideas brought to life

WITH an eye-stopping, glittering chandelier, it is difficult to believe that just a few months ago this was an old bakery.

Sticky floors, covered in flour and sugar, the stainless steel remains of the kitchen and a metal flue disappearing out the back wall are all gone, replaced by a wonderful world of interior delights to feast your eyes upon.

Just opened today, the new Chelsea McLaine showroom at 76 Hyndland Road in the West End is a bit of a tardis. From the outside it looks like a fairly small shopfront but inside the main room, with ideas for the sitting room, leads to an impeccably styled kitchen and a bathroom as well as a dining room.

A sumptuous sofa and armchairs have just arrived from London and the finishing touches are being made when Margo Paton, the Glasgow-based interior designer behind the business, takes a break to talk about the new store.

She opened the first Chelsea McLaine store in Milngavie Road, Bearsden, more than 20 years ago, building up a business with clients all over Scotland, including big names in the worlds of business and sport, and as far afield as Miami and Sweden.

This new branch showcases the wealth of design inspiration on offer and some of the pieces of furniture, as well as mirrors and lighting, available to buy that you might not find anywhere else in the city. There is also the new Christian Lacroix interiors range as well as Ralph Lauren, Osborne & Little, Dedar, Elitis and Alessi.

"We have everything from an architect to every possible type of tradesperson and we've worked with them all for quite some time," explains Margo. "We have completely rebuilt this place and it showcases the work they do; it has been transformed."

The bright dining room space at the back of the shop has been called the Larsen Room, a tribute to the work of US textiles designer Jack Larsen.

"The work is now distributed by Colefax & Fowler in London and we just really love the products, they work for us and for a lot of our clients," says Margo. "They have two different looks; one is quite glamorous with beautiful silks, lots of neutral colours, richness, embroidery and textures. It has so much longevity, you could put it into your house and 10 years later you could still be working with it.

"The other look is quite colourful but they sit well together; linens and cottons, less glamorous but really inspirational colour mixes."

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Interior ideas brought to life