Sam Bruce and her husband Dougie, a record company MD, live in a converted stables in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with daughters Madeline, eight, and Tippi-Rose, five, plus Zedd the labradoodle The family moved to the converted stable from a Georgian townhouse. 'It can be difficult to make an impact in a modernised space without architectural features such as fireplaces as a starting points for contrasts,' says Sam. The double-height rooms and rafters were white, and she added punchy colour with street art and curios. ‘It’s hard to wake up in a bad mood here,’ says Sam. ‘Your space is all about your personality – and we like to have a bit of fun. I’ve got a thing for fairground lights, maybe because I grew up in Hastings. I love how they can look romantic but edgy, too – like how the atmosphere of a fairground can change after dark. This stables conversion was all white, so I gave it a spin with colour and humour. But pinks and pastels don’t mean it’s all sweetness.

I collect dolls and old toys, but they tend to be slightly odd and quirky. And I love iridescent blue butterflies, but my favourite ones are clustered above a skull in a glass dome, like a fluttering, fading dream. Likewise, I’ve got peachy silks and diamanté in the bedroom, but undercut by a grittier side. My look is more dishevelled ballerina than Sugar Plum Fairy.I trained at the London College of Fashion and started my career designing menswear for Ozwald Boateng, YSL, Duchamp and Roland Mouret. But I always did up houses on the side. It was my playground – a bit of an antidote to all those neatly tailored cuffs and perfectly pressed seams. There’s always music on in the house. Dougie is joint MD at Epic Records, so he’s often out late gigging or networking. He is used to coming home to discover I’ve moved things around. He must wonder what went on while he was out. I like the idea that it feels like the circus just left town, but they had a damn good party while they were here.’

Sam Bruce co-runs interior design service Swenglish Home, swenglishhome.co.uk The Aloha light, a restored Blackpool illumination from Sideshow Interiors (sideshowinteriors.co.uk), bathes the space in a magical glow at night. antiques fair (iacf.co.uk) is a favourite hunting ground. 19th-century skull with butterflies from a couple who were happy to do a deal,' says Sam. 'Macabre? An Alex Prager photograph sets the tone at the dining table. 'I love her work: all wild wigs and an air that things could tip over the edge at any minute, like a David Lynch film,' says Sam. The 'D', '&' and 'S' artworks are by former street artist Ben Eine. 'I met him when he moved in over the road from my mum in Hastings,' says Sam. 'Then Samantha Cameron bought his work for Barack Obama and heThe brass pendant is by Tom Dixon (tomdixon.net) Sam's workroom is flooded with natural light from above and a vivid pink glow from the neon light below. The trestle table is made from car jacks topped with marble.

) stocks similar items. ) sells vintage mannequins THE master bedroom is overlooked by a gallery, where Sam works. Sweeping curtains in vintage silk and trim from Wayward (wayward.co) and Piet Hein Eek’s Scrapwood wallpaper (rockettstgeorge.co.uk) emphasise the double-height space. The glam Vivaldi bed from Stuart Jones (stuartjones.co.uk) and the neon sign by Phil Oakley Illuminations (oakleyilluminations.co.uk) create a New York loft feel. sound deadening curtains eclipseThe sconces are from Ardingly antiques fair (iacf.co.uk) and the doll cushion was made in vintage silks by Sam’s mothereclipse twill curtains'I prefer gritty to pretty,' says Samnext orange emily floral eyelet curtains

Tippi-Rose's Sam hung tall panels of Hackney Empire wallpaper by House of Hackney and coordinated fabric ) for an animal theme. The artwork is from Pure ) and the taxidermy chicks from ArdinglyThe vintage beds and eiderdowns are from Eras of Style ) on the ceiling, creating the illusion of a big-top tent. 'The seamstress in me wanted perfect lines, but I slightly miscalculated the sections, as the ceiling rose wasn't dead centre. goldfish shower curtain targetI had no choice but to repaint in white and do them all again,' says SamEyelet CurtainstexturedChenille EyeletTextured Chenille150 TexturedSilver TexturedWave CurtainsLounge Curtains3Rd BedroomsMain BedroomForwardBuy Textured Chenille Eyelet Curtains from the Next UK online shopShop 'til you Drop A stroll down Battle High Street is an absolute delight with all its specialist, independent shops, bars, restaurants and more - no clone town here thank you very much.

We've listed some of our favourites below but there are masses more too...Sussex Framing Centre has a framing workshop in Abbey Court, just off the High St. Saffron has taken the front exhibition space here to exhibit and rotate a selection of our paintings and sculpture. Three decades of bespoke framing service, ready made frames, transfer video & cine to DVD, picture and frame restoration and so much more... We highly recommend their service.Barnabys of Battle sells antique pine and country French furniture given a new lease of life and a loving coat of shabby chic. Dapper M is an edgy, contemporary clothing boutique stocking carefully selected British & European ranges, from casual classics to jazzy party statements. PLUS, Saville Row pedigree made to measure tailoring; grooming, accessories and much more.BRITISH design BRITISH made chose Battle High Street for its flagship store. See, touch and smell all manner of British designs made in the British Isles and hear great British music whilst you shop.

Spoilt Rotten is an old fashioned, retro sweet shop with a modern twist. Famous for their Sweet Trees and Sweet Explosions, it's definitely worth a visit. Shire Country Clothing sells mens, ladies and childrenswear; hats, gifts and accessories by brands such as Dubarry, Hunter & Barbour. Our posh department store Battle Interiors is an independent interiors store selling furniture, carpets, wallpaper, curtains, lighting, sofas and so much more. Fashion conscious young things flock to Blush with good reason but you'll have to visit in person because they haven't got a website. Oh, and Fat Face is here and we don't even care that they're a chain because we LOVE them. Steamer Trading has everything you could possibly want for the kitchen. If you need tools, garden tools, cutlery, crockery, wellies, paint etc etc, Webbs probably has it.Alistair the butcher has the very best and freshest meat, straight from his own farm and "forking gorgeous sausages" according to Gordon Ramsay. There are plenty of tea rooms for traditional fayre, lots more fashion boutiques, jewellers, hair dressers, pubs, restaurants, delicatessens, florists and more.

Best of all, we're very proud to say that they're all independent, family run businesses. And some of these nice traders will also refund your parking charge when you shop with them - check out the signs in the car parks and individual businesses for more info. Eat, Drink & be Merry If all that shopping makes you thirsty, we have The Bull Inn on the High Street. Proper country pub with inglenook fireplace and a big welcome, live music at weekends and a B&B if you feel you should stay another day. Noble's Restaurant has deservedly gone and got itself another Michelin Award and serves amazing lunches and dinners. Their 10.66 (get it?) lunch menu is hard to beat - great service, good wine list and artwork provided on occasion by a fabulous local gallery, ahem! It's not just us, Marco Pierre White also rates them very highly - catch them on his Kitchen Wars show.EVENTS / THINGS TO DO / PLACES TO VISITAnnually in October Battle hosts the Battle Festival of Arts & Music, including performances by internationally renowned classical musicians drawn from premier UK and London based orchestras and ensembles.

Visual Arts exhibitions include work by renowned international and regional artists and informal Battle Fringe events will take place in many of the town's bars and restaurants, They say "You promised us world class musicians and you delivered!"Super group Keane are Battle boys and are regulars in the town. Check out their new No 1 album Strangeland and follow the lyrics of Sovereign Light Cafe from Powdermill Lane to the battleground, Marley Lane and North Trade Road by following the Keane Trail Visit Battle Abbey, built on the site of the Battle of Hastings. That's right, THE most famous battle in English history happened here, not in Hastings. English Heritage reckons the Abbey is No 2 in their Top 10 Must See National Treasures sites. Actually we think it's top! Lonely Planet consider Battle No2 in it's Ten Hidden Gems of Europe And then there are the events - the good folk of Battle will don fancy dress at the drop of a hat. Check out our Marbles Festival, Medieval Fayre, Scarecrow Festival and more - keep an eye on Battle Sussex for all the latest events and news.