For Lou, of @notaperioddrama, home has always been about colour, pattern and personality. Along with her cats Sirius and Luna, she lives in an enticing Edwardian villa that has been her passion project since 2022, with every room thoughtfully brought back to life to reflect who she is.
"I love spaces that tell a story and evoke a feeling, whether that's through bold colour, interesting textures or unexpected details. I've never been drawn to playing it safe with design, and I firmly believe our homes should be a reflection of who we are."
After transforming the house room by room, the garden became the last piece of the puzzle to accomplish. It now felt disconnected from everything Lou had built inside.
Her inspiration came from the environments she’d come across during her adventures abroad. The confidence, warmth, and personality found in those outdoor spaces were often missing from gardens closer to home.
"One thing I kept coming back to was how different outdoor spaces feel when you're travelling. Whether it's a Moroccan riad, an Italian courtyard or a tucked-away Mediterranean terrace, there is often so much confidence in the use of colour, pattern and texture. I found myself scrolling through endless pages of grey porcelain and neutral garden schemes, and none of them felt like me."
That realisation shaped her vision: a Mediterranean-inspired sanctuary, layered with colour and character, built for slow mornings and long summer evenings with friends.
"My vision became creating a garden that felt like an escape from everyday life. I wanted to walk outside and feel transported somewhere sunny and inspiring.”
Now having gathered so much inspiration, paired with a clear idea of what she was trying to build, Lou chose the Fez Decorative Porcelain Paving Slabs and it was an instant match.
"When I saw the Fez tiles, it genuinely felt like one of those rare moments where a design vision suddenly clicks into place. The pattern immediately captured the spirit of everything I had been trying to create. They felt authentic, characterful and full of warmth, bringing a sense of artistry you don't get from more conventional paving options."
Far from blending into the background, the garden finally had its own identity. The colours of the Fez tile inform the wider palette of Lou’s space beautifully, and instantly created that holiday at home feeling she’d been searching for. The result is a garden that feels entirely her own, giving it a new lease of life and becoming completely unique.
"The tiles gave me permission to be braver with the design and helped transform the garden from a standard outdoor space into somewhere that feels completely unique and personal."
"Working with Stone Store was a genuinely collaborative experience from the beginning. I thought I may have been steered towards safer, more conventional options, but the team really listened to what I was trying to achieve and understood the importance of finding a product that reflected my personality and vision."
"I was recommended the Fez tiles and absolutely loved them. They saw the potential of the project immediately and introduced me to a tile that perfectly captured the look and feel I had in my head but had struggled to find elsewhere. The quality is amazing, and they've become the standout feature of the entire garden. It's everything I hoped the space would be and more."
Follow along with Lou's ongoing personality-packed renovation journey on Instagram @notaperioddrama.
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Fez Decorative Porcelain Paving Slabs
