Lorna Pringle, Interior Designer
Lorna Pringle is creator of the home interiors brand ‘For the Love of Greige’. Born and based in County Kildare, Ireland she has recently bought and renovated her ‘forever family home’. Lorna’s passion for home interiors started as an Instagram account and has since expanded into assisting her fellow home-enthusiast followers with their own home interiors through online and in home consultations.
Describe your home and who do you share it with?
It all started when my husband Alan and I bought our first home together in 2012 in the neighbouring town where I grew up. A few years on, in 2016, our daughter Emilia came along and the time came to find a larger family home to accommodate our growing family. We didn’t want to venture too far from my family supports so when we came across this house, we saw the potential immediately. We moved in three and a half years ago and started our downstairs renovation shortly after. Since then, we have welcomed our son Harry who is now 2 years old.
Lorna’s home in County Kildare, Ireland that features an Alternative Wool Motown Tammi
How did you renovate and decorate?
We started with reconfiguring the downstairs layout to be more “family friendly”. What was a separate kitchen and dining room was knocked through to become an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area. We then closed off the living room and playroom to the front of the house as we also wanted to keep some separate spaces to future proof the layout of the house as the needs of our family changed.
We have recently started our bathroom renovations (main bathroom and master en-suite) which we are really excited for and then the next project will more than likely be our bedroom as this is the only room untouched since we moved in
In our home, I like a neutral style with accents of colour added through accessories and soft furnishings. It is my aim to create a scheme that is timeless and elegant while also in-keeping with the traditional style of the house.
What do you like about Alternative Flooring?
I really like the Make Me a Rug online feature. It is so helpful to be able to explore the large range of carpets and borders as well as getting an instant price for your custom rug. I also love how you can order samples to your home so you can see your carpet/rug next to the existing colours in the room prior to putting your order in.
Alternative Make Me A Rug online service
Tell us about the flooring choices in your home
We went with an engineered oak plank throughout our ground floor. I wanted to have the same floor in the open plan kitchen, living and dining area to help make the space feel more cohesive. I always knew I wanted to use rugs to help zone spaces and add colour and texture to the living areas. We have a herringbone runner with cotton trim on our stairs which transitions in to a neutral carpet throughout the upstairs.
Alternative’s new Wool Motown Tammi as seen in Lorna’s home
What are rugs that you have created with Alternative’s Make Me A Rug
I created a beautiful rug using the Wool Motown Tammi 1891 with the Cotton Herringbone Border in Mortar 1061.
How did you find the experience and ease of the online service?
I found it brilliant and I go back to the Make Me A Rug feature often for clients’ rugs too. It’s so quick and easy to use and I like that I can save the design and share it with others.
Alternative’s new Wool Motown Tammi
Where are the rugs and what is the scheme in those rooms?
We have an Alternative Flooring rug in the living area of our open plan area in the kitchen. It works so well at zoning this space as well as being cosy underfoot. The scheme of this room has relaxed coastal vibes with blues, beiges, white ceramics and lime washed oak furniture.
Where does your design inspiration come from?
I certainly have my own “greige” style throughout our home but I find great inspiration from home interiors brands and bloggers on Instagram. I follow so many beautiful accounts and often save posts I come across that inspire me for future projects. I also find great inspiration from getting out and about and visiting suppliers’ showrooms. I might come across a carpet or a paint colour and it can bring a whole scheme to life in my head.
Mood-board ideas as seen in Lorna’s Instagram account @for.the.love.of.greige
How do you put decorating schemes together?
When I’m decorating for in own home, I tend to create pinboards on Pinterest or create folders on Instagram. I have one for each room and as I add to these over time I find there are certain schemes I am more drawn to or a common thread throughout that in turn assists me with my final decision for my room design. For my clients, I create floor plans and mood boards so the whole scheme is more instantaneous and a vision is set from the get-go down to the smallest accessory.
Do you find Instagram or Pinterest helpful?
Yes, both are so helpful at saving all your ideas in one place. Instagram has almost overtaken Pinterest for me as I love that you can actually find suppliers for the products tagged in the images. The downside of Pinterest is that often many of the images don’t have links to the suppliers or they are predominantly American suppliers that we don’t have access to in Europe.
Lorna’s online tutorial as seen on Instagram @for.the.love.of.greige
How do you find online consultations?
I have found online consultations very useful for helping followers with their homes remotely, especially during the Covid restrictions when people were stuck at home and looking to redecorate. However, nothing beats being able to see the space in person and chatting with the client. I have really enjoyed getting back out there and seeing people again in their own homes.
What your forever home means to you
I often have times when I pause and take a moment to reflect on how fortunate my husband and I have been on our journey as home owners. We bought our first home at the ‘right time’ in the market which in turn enabled us to buy our new forever family home. I am aware so many young people have not had this luxury and it appears the house prices are soaring in Ireland again as demand outweighs supply post Covid.
I think many home owners are turning to upgrading and extending their current homes so that they work for them and their families for years to come. It’s amazing what can be done to make the best use of the plot you have; from ground floor extensions to attic conversions and garden rooms for home offices. It is really exciting to see these renovations.
Alternative’s new Wool Motown Tammi as seen in Lorna’s home
Describe your style in three words
Timeless, elegant and greige!
Next big thing for interiors
From researching for my own bathroom renovations, I have noticed a lot more people are taking a step away from the classic, functional bathroom aesthetic and more towards creating a hotel worthy spa-like retreat with more textures like mosaics and wood effect tiles. I once heard someone say that a bathroom should be seen as “a room in which you bathe”, that you should approach the design as you would any other room in your house – so, considering the window dressings, ambient lighting, carpentry, paint and furniture as well as the essentials of course!
Alternative’s new Wool Motown Tammi as seen in Lorna’s home
Alternative Make Me A Rug and Runner
Make Me A Rug is an award-winning online service that lets you create your own personalised rug to enhance your home. This easy-to-use service inspires us all to design a rug that suits our individual space and taste. If you want to order your rug online, your chosen rug can be delivered to your nearest Alternative Flooring retailer with the Click ‘n’ Collect option.
Finally, please note:
Alternative has a specific ‘Where to buy’ for Ireland.
No additional customs charges are applied to its Click ‘n’ Collect rug ordering service.
