And so I decided to draw my first piece of furniture. In my design I created a bedside table with just one drawer and an open shelf below. I have always really liked the effect of tongue and groove as it gives a real seaside feel to furniture, so I designed the bedside table with a tongue and grooved top and sides. This piece is now known as the Manhattan Bedside Table – and over the next few weeks the range slowly evolved with the Chest of Drawers, Wardrobe and Blanket Box.

A year or so later, New England Lifestyle was born as a company. I had a dream one night that I was standing in a very large warehouse, full of furniture as far as I could see. This vision gave me the idea that we should always keep our furniture in stock for delivery as quickly as possible, as most of the furniture companies I visited in the beginning had a 6-14 week lead time.

Since then, I have found that many of my designs have come through necessity. When my children were born, so was the Maine Range beginning with the Sleigh Bed, child’s size wardrobe (known as the Maine Wardrobe), Maine Bedside Table, the tall white chest of drawers and white bookcase.

It is great fun and very rewarding to see my drawings brought to life in the 120 or so items – both furniture and accessories – we now sell.

When I had finished the building work and interior decoration I looked around for furniture to compliment the seaside setting. I had my heart set on white furniture, but no matter where I looked – Laura Ashley, John Lewis, New Heights, The Conran Shop, Habitat, Heals, The White Company – I couldn’t find anything suitable. I decided to design a white bedside table with tongue and groove detail, and hence the Manhattan white bedside table was created. Then came the white chest of drawers now known as the Manhattan white chest of drawers, and the white blanket box which became the Manhattan white Blanket Box. I then thought about a headboard, and once again decided it should be made of wood with tongue and grooving, and so the Manhattan white headboard came about.

My second bedroom didn’t have built in wardrobes and required storage. Sticking to the tongue and groove design, I created a white wardrobe and large white chest of drawers – now sold as the Manhattan White Double Wardrobe and Manhattan Multi Drawer.

Turning my attention to the dining room I created the New England Dining Table, made of solid oak, and mirrored the fluted detailing of the legs in the solid oak New England ladder back dining chairs. Again lacking storage space, I created the large white dresser, now known as the New Hampshire Dresser.

When I came to sell the house a year later, everyone wanted to buy all the furniture and accessories with the house. I realised that a company selling white furniture could be a good idea, and so New England Lifestyle was born.

When I moved into my new home recently I chose to mix the white furniture with existing pieces I already had. All the walls were painted white to create a blank canvas. In my bedroom I have hung a white mirror over an oak chest of drawers; next to my oak framed bed is a white bedside table. I am still saving up for the white Manhattan Double Wardobe which will stand next to an oak storage box. I love the overall effect, the light bounces cheerfully off the white surfaces whilst the warm oak gives a welcoming homely feel.

My living room is the next project – the white bookcase and white mirror already sit alongside the oak fireplace. The next addition will be a white desk… and maybe a white dining chair to go with it?! Maybe time to speak nicely to the boss!!!