Ballroom glitz: Designer Helen David has given her historic sitting-room a riotous makeover

Helen David is a designer for the fashion and interiors firm English Eccentrics © Guy Drayton

This room used to be the ballroom in this late-Georgian house in Highbury, London. The original room has been divided up but it retains that sense of grandeur and it's lovely to have a place where you can picture what might have taken place in centuries past.

You don't have to look hard in this room to see how much I love flowers. They are a great way of injecting colour and interest into an interior. I've chosen lots of antherium flowers this week – they're a favourite of mine since they were the first flowers my husband bought me. The floral photographs are by the artist Marc Quinn; they are my favourite pieces in this room. His work is just so bold and striking in terms of colour and scale – these are actually very small pieces in comparison to his others.

The other prints are my own work. They are part of a series called "God and Goddesses" that I did for an exhibition. I took pictures of Hollywood stars and overlaid them with fabric prints relating to various Classical deities linked to their personalities; I have Sharon Stone as Diana, The Huntress, for example. The advantage of producing your own artwork is that you can create things with particular spaces in mind.

Murano glass is another of my passions and I have been collecting bits here and there for ages. Alfies Antiques Market in Marylebone, London, is a great place for interesting bits and pieces and I also go to the flea markets when I am in Paris. The quality is amazing but you don't get many bargains any more – you need to venture out into the French countryside for that.

My advice to anyone decorating a room is to choose any expensive large pieces in simple shapes and neutral colours as I have with my sofa. Everything else can be added around that. I like to change the look and colour scheme quite often and this makes it much easier.

www.englisheccentrics.com

How to be a bright spark: Make your home glow

Floral clock

Eternal springtime, £45, www.hiddenartshop.com

Butterfly rug

Designed by Nathalie Lete, £1,780, www.caravanstyle.com

Cast-iron pots

Tefal's Jamie Oliver range adds colour to kitchens, from £30, widely available