Today I want to talk about ‘faking it’ in interior design. I’m a strong believer in using clever little tricks to create the illusion of a particular feature, style or trend. We’re not all blessed with an endless supply of income and time, so faking it can sometimes be necessary. In fact, there are some areas where the imitation can be as effective as the real thing. Here are three examples:

Faux Plants

Image source: Abigail Ahern

House plants – particularly sculptural plants like cacti and succulents – are very fashionable at the moment. And it’s probably because they look great in every space. But there are a number of reasons why someone might not want to fill their home with real plants. In this scenario, faux plants are the best solution.

Designer Abigail Ahern has really raised the bar for faux plants. They’re not those shiny, plasticky things of the 90s that give themselves away as fake at first glance. Her plants are the (un)real deal; so authentic-looking they might even have you second-guessing.

Tile Stickers

If the tiles in your kitchen are a bit outdated but you can’t afford (or particularly be bothered) with a full refresh, I’ve got an excellent alternative for you. Vinyl tile stickers or decals are a cheap and cheerful way to update tired tiles.

Available in all sorts of shapes, sizes and styles, there’s bound to be a sticker to suit every taste.  Most are waterproof and so can be used in both the kitchen and bathroom. They’re also very easy to apply and remove, making them great in rented properties too.

Check out Not on the High Street for a large selection of tile stickers by a number of different designers.

Trompe-L’oeil Wallpaper

Image source: Debbie McKeegan

Thanks to some very, very convincing wallpaper designs, it is now entirely possible to cheat your way to an exposed brick, tin-tiled or wood-panelled wall. You can even fake an entire library of books or a woodland scene. The trick to a really authentic finish is extremely high quality wallpaper – it’s not cheap, but it’s more cost-effective and much quicker than having wood panelling installed.

Some of my favourite designers of faux surface effect wallpaper include Debbie McKeegan (pictured above), Mineheart, Piet Hein Eek and Murals Wallpaper.