Well, this week has been all about photography. I never used to have the slightest interest in photography (and I'm still not great at it) but I've always loved looking at glossy pictures of amazing interiors. And with the business, photography is absolutely key - so I have found myself getting more and more involved. On Tuesday I did a Christmas photoshoot for the online store - for our festive lookbook. Depending on your outlook this is either a) really early for Christmas (for those of you who don't even want to start thinking about presents yet) or b) really late (retailers are typically shooting for Christmas in July!) But, having only recently launched the business I can't beat myself up too much about it.  The day went really well, working with the lovely Carole Poirot again (who took the image above). Hopefully the results will be up on the website next week - featuring some lovely new accessories.

On Wednesday, clearly feeling inspired, I uploaded some photographs of the house to at{mine}. If you haven't heard of at{mine} yet, it's a great new platform for us interior obsessives to get nosy and peek into other people's homes! You can share photos of your own home and follow others – there are some really inspiring rooms. It seems a little more European focused than some of the other interiors platforms out there, and not everything is perfect - which suits me down to the ground! Have a look and see if you agree.

All that photography has had me thinking about how to show off a space in the best light, so I thought I'd share some of my fail-safe tips for styling for the camera. Really, it's all about creating vignettes. A vignette is simply a grouping of things you love, arranged to please the eye - maybe on a kitchen worktop, bookshelf, mantlepiece or bedside table. You don't actually have to photograph them of course, you might just feel inspired to rearrange things for the pleasure of looking at it!

There are 5 things I tend to include to make a vignette work...

1. Something tall (e.g. a lamp, or a piece of vertical art)
2. Something horizontal (a stack of books or magazines maybe)
3. Something mid-size, often round or irregular shaped items work well (vases, flowers, sculptures or candles all work well)
4. Something rustic/organic - if everything is too perfect, it can look too contrived. Adding something natural helps to add contrast. Consider logs, a shed antler, plants or something wooden.
5. And finally, a dash of bling! A small touch of something shiny goes a long way and contrasts beautifully against the other elements. I love gold (or brass) but any shiny material works - it could be silver, chrome or a shiny natural mineral such as crystal or mother of pearl.

And my final tip is to view whatever you've styled through the camera (a smartphone camera is fine). For some reason, when you view a photograph of your vignette (or a whole room for that matter) it is much easier to tell where you need to tweak or change things. When you're done, snap it again and check you're happy. Simples!