uFurnish.com Founder Deirdre McGettrick sat down with Anouska Lancaster - winner of Best Bathroom & Best Dining Room in the 2025 uFurnish.com Home Awards to talk all things interiors inspiration, design challenges and advice for those on their own interiors journey.
Name: Anouska Lancaster
Instagram Handle: @noushka_design & @penally_house_cornwall
Website: www.noushkadesign.com
Location: Cornwall
Sum up your home interior style in 3 words or less: Colourful, Joy, Personality
What's your favourite item in your home? My full-size antique carousel horse called 'Del Boy'
If your home had a theme song what would it be? 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams
Toilet roll over or under on the holder? Over
Do you place your cups and glasses facing up or down in your cupboard? Up
What inspired your home's interior style and how did you bring that vision to life?
My home is a period property built in 1836. When I renovated the house, I wanted to restore and celebrate its heritage. I reinstated its original features, whilst adding joy and colour with modern twist which reflects our style.
What has been your biggest challenge designing your home and how have you overcome it?
The biggest challenge whilst restoring my home was to make it seamlessly flow. I adore being experimental with my designs, mixing old and new, textures, colours and patterns, but all the rooms had to be cohesive and work harmoniously together. I chose a light pink colour paint by Farrow and Ball for all the hallways and landings, which beautifully leads one room to another and effortlessly ties the entire scheme together.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting their own home interiors journey what would it be?
My advice would be to follow your gut. Don’t be influenced by anyone else’s opinion about what to do with your home and especially naysayers who will make you doubt your ideas. Your home should be a direct reflection of you and your style – no one elses. Choose things for your home that make your heart sing and you can’t live without – whether it’s a wallpaper, fabric, or an antique piece of furniture.
Is there a particular space in your home that you're most proud of and why?
I am most proud of my basement renovation. When we bought the house, it was cold, dark and damp. There was no power or heating in the basement and it was inhabited by mice! Today, it is a stunning 2-bedroom annex with an exquisite cinema room and a bathroom. It is undoubtedly the biggest transformation of my career so far. Even I have to double take when I see the before and afters!
Where do you find your inspiration? Are there designers, Instagram accounts or brands that influence your style?
I take my inspiration from lots of things – often travel, artefacts, museums and books. If I had to choose one designer that I am most inspired by, I would say Kit Kemp. I love how her interiors are so much more powerful than simply making a space look beautiful. Her designs evoke feelings and create atmospheres by her use of storytelling.
What did winning Best Bathroom in the uFurnish.com Home Awards mean to you?
Winning Best Bathroom at the uFurnish.com Awards meant so much to me. That bathroom renovation was documented on Channel 4’s Renovation Nation, and anyone who watched the show could see the amount of hard work and creativity that went into that room. I design bathrooms like any other room in the house, with wallpapers, furniture and soft furnishings, so it was lovely that this bravery and non-conventional way of designing a bathroom was embraced by the public and the judges.
What did winning Best Dining Room in the uFurnish.com Home Awards mean to you?
I was over the moon to win the Best Dining Room at the uFurnish.com Awards. The Dining Room renovation at Penally House was also documented in Channel 4’s Renovation Nation. I would say that this room was the biggest risk of my career so far. I had a crazy idea to turn an original painting of an underwater world into reality, and I just went for it - it could have easily gone very wrong. Plus, I had a crew filming it so there was nowhere to hide if/when it did go wrong! I am so proud of myself and the amazing team who pulled this dream room together. It truly is a groundbreaking design and something that has never been done before and I am not sure if it will ever be done again!
What's the next interiors project you want to work on?
My dream interiors project would be to design a boutique hotel – every room would be totally unique and an escape from reality. If there is anyone reading this who has one, and wants my help, please contact me!
Any other information you'd like to share about your home interiors journey?
I was so excited to launch my own homeware collection last year with Wear the Walls. I am incredibly proud of the collection which is called ‘The Penally House Garden Collection’. The collection is inspired by my home and garden and the beauty of Cornwall. The collection includes wallpaper, paint, fabric, cushions, lampshades, trays, crockery and more. To see ‘The Penally House Garden Collection’, please go to www.wearthewalls.com Watch this space as I have 2 more exciting launches coming out this year!
Each month we'll be interviewing one of our uFurnish.com Home Awards winners asking them all about their home renovation journey, their inspiration and more so be sure to come back each month to learn more. Find out more about our Home Awards here, follow us on Instagram here for more inspiration and updates and subscribe to our emails here for weekly offers and more.
