We love to see what inspires people to choose Brintons. Ruth Crilly from 'A Model Recommends' talks to us about her latest renovations and why she chose Timorous Beasties carpet for her home.

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m Ruth Crilly, I’m a full-time beauty and lifestyle writer and vlogger under the name “A Model Recommends”. I’ve been blogging for over eight years and before that I was an international fashion model for over a decade. I’ve been with my husband, who’s a fashion and portrait photographer, for fifteen years and I’m now a Mum to a three year old girl and one year old boy. We live in rural Somerset with our dog and house cat in a Georgian country house.

How would you describe your style?

In terms of fashion – and probably interiors too – I’m quite understated and classic, but I enjoy the odd splash of print and colour. Before falling in love with our Georgian house, we were very into mid century modern and completely renovated a seventies house that was on stilts next to a river. The Georgian thing has been a bit of a change! But I still love clean lines and simple, elegant shapes. I don’t like a lot of clutter, but when you have a small family there’s no point battling the mess!

How has your home needed to evolve as the family has changed and grown?

Well, we started off with glass coffee tables and amazing vintage things and then gradually started swapping over to sturdier, chunkier things that wouldn’t potentially cause accidents! Our main concerns seem to be safety and comfort, so it’s more of a challenge trying to keep any sort of sense of stylishness. The kids climb over furniture, accidentally scrape sharp objects along the paintwork and generally cause havoc so I can’t have anything that we need to be TOO precious over. Or if it’s precious then it needs to be workable and durable.

What made you choose carpet?

We both hate wooden floors! I know that’s controversial, and we’ve kept one that was exposed upstairs, but the racket from things falling on wooden floors! The sound of shoes trip-trapping on them! It drives me mad! Add to this the fact that in our house you could actually FEEL the draught coming up through the gaps in the floorboards and carpet was a no-brainer. Our whole house was carpeted before this, and the one before that too, pretty much. I mean I’d never carpet a kitchen/utility or bathroom and maybe not a dining room because the floor needs to be wipeable but everywhere else is fair game. I’d probably carpet the walls if given half a chance.

We wanted an amazing, striking pattern. The rooms are big, and plain colour just felt like a sea of carpet and very blank, so when we saw the Timorous Beasties collection we were quite wowed. Pattern is also great with kids because they drop absolutely everything on the floor and if you can hide at least some of the accidents then you’re doing well. It’s quite a nervewracking thing to go for pattern, but the pay-off is amazing.

What are your main sources of inspiration for your home?

I love old, grand country houses – comfortable ones with log fires and slightly battered furniture – but I also can’t shake my love of modernist design, so I suppose I constantly look at both and try to find ways of mixing them. So far I’ve done more looking than buying because I’ve been known to make the odd mistake with impulse buying and I’m taking it slowly!

What was the last piece of homeware you bought?

The Noir Ruskin Butterfly carpet for what is going to be a family room/library. I say library because it sounds pleasingly grand but really it’s a couple of walls of books!

Brintons are proud to be British wool's single biggest user, and work closely with organisations and like minded brands to raise awareness about the unique, natural and sustainable benefits offered by wool.

As it's Wool Week we caught up with Kim Stead (AKA "Mrs Twool") and asked her more about her business  'Twool'....

What is Twool?

Sustainable garden twine, woolly bags, hats and dog leads made from the wool of rare-breed Whiteface Dartmoor sheep using British heritage manufacturing.

Where did the idea come from?

The origins of twool start with the frustration of rotting jute twine on raspberry canes in our Dartmoor facing garden. There are 27 million gardeners in the UK and we import over 3000 tonnes of jute in from Asia every year. Wool is an under-used natural resource and was a natural choice for developing a sustainable and ethically responsible all British garden twine.

Why is the rare breed Whiteface Dartmoor sheep important?

This rare-breed has been on the moor since Anglo-Saxon times. They're a big sheep, make good mothers and the most glorious long 'lustre' wool fleece. Declining numbers saw breeding ewes fall to under 1000. Making a use for the wool and a route to market for the farmers, twool hope to be a part of the story of the future for the Whiteface Dartmoor.

What has been your favourite ‘Twool’ moment so far?

It's been a rollercoaster sort of journey, but the highs include our first ever RHS Chelsea Flower Show back in 2013 when, in our inaugural year, we were made finalists for Chelsea Garden Product of the Year. The reality of making the twine and the recognition of others acknowledging the product is something that I will never forget. I'm so proud, because we had the backing and sponsorship of the British Wool Marketing Board and brands like Brintons showcased on our stand too!

What made you choose Brintons?

Fabulous wool carpets! The quality of Brintons, it's history of working with wool and the synergy between their working ethos and ours made them the natural choice when looking for carpets. We've been so lucky and proud that Brintons have sponsored our show stands by supplying gorgeous carpets that complement our product range so perfectly – they really do finish our stand to the highest of standards.

Which is your favourite room in your own home?

Woolly HQ – it's where all the ideas are generated and being able to work at home on Dartmoor is inspiration in itself.

Explain your interiors style to us.

Wool, wood and natural fibres, usually inspired by the natural surrounding of living on Dartmoor.

Thinking of giving your home a new look but don’t know where to start? The Laura Ashley design service is a fantastic (and affordable) way to inspire you. Their creative designers can give you valuable advice on an existing scheme in your home you might want to freshen up or if you‘re doing a complete renovation/revamp they can advise you all the way through your project.

We asked Kay Cullen, one of the designers at Laura Ashley, to create some inspired schemes from their new range which work seamlessly with the Laura Ashley Carpet Collection:

Florals never really go out of style, and we continue to be inspired by them at Laura Ashley. This season they’re back with a twist. From delicate romantic prints to the contemporary stylised block print leaf, the designs all come in lovely tones to cheer us up this Autumn.

The Malmaison Linen carpet is a favourite of ours from the collection and it’s perfect to use when creating a traditional yet glamourous interior. It complements most florals and in this scheme we have chosen to team it with pale gold paint for an opulent feel and a feature wallpaper in Lilium grey green for a smart, elegant look. The scheme is kept fresh with a contrast of grey green and pretty lighting.

For a more contemporary look we have used the ever popular tones of grey and given a bright injection of contrast in raspberry/pink. The Bell Twist carpet in Steel allows the bolder elements of this scheme to stand out (such as the quirky toucan lamp) while adding a bit of luxury feel underfoot. Laura Ashley have a wide range of upholstered furniture and accessories that help to complete the look.

Whatever your style, the Laura Ashley Design Service is perfect for interpreting ideas and vision into reality to create a beautiful interior. Our experienced designers cover all regions of the UK, Ireland and Europe and will work with you to make the process as easy as possible. They bring along all wallpaper, fabric and carpet samples so you can start creating your scheme together!