Scatter brains: Wherever boutique owner Anna Park lays her cushions, that's her home

Light touch: Anna Park transformed a 'depressing' house into a Hamptons-style haven (James Deavin)

I hated this house when I first came to see it. The agent kept asking me to view it and I kept telling him to stop calling me, as I didn't want to live in Camden [in north London], but eventually I relented and came to have a look. It's had some interesting past occupiers – the jazz musician George Melly used to live here, and so did the director Stephen Frears.

I thought it was horrible – dark and depressing – but my mother convinced me that it had potential and it feels completely different now. The style in this room – and throughout – is Scandinavia meets The Hamptons. I like clean, airy spaces with lots of white and painted floorboards. Oddly, I hate wearing red myself, but I love it for furnishings and I use it all over the place.

Carpets and curtains are a definite no-no if you are as passionate about clothes as I am, as they're a great hiding place for moths; I prefer the look of American-style shutters. I do have a thing about cushions which drives my husband and sons mad. I must be the only mum who insists her teen sons have scatter-cushions on their beds.

As the only woman in the house I'm top dog when it comes to making decorating decisions, and luckily my husband [Fame Academy "headmaster" Richard Park] lets me get on with it. I'm not precious, though – I grew up in that sort of environment and I'd much rather let the kids have the run of the house. I like the place to look good, but it's not a show home and we don't have enough rooms to make any off limits.

I've grown to love the area, but I am more of a country girl than an urbanite at heart and I think the décor reflects that. Occasionally I go around to friends' modern apartments and think I might just move to some cool, minimalist penthouse, but I know in reality it would never work – I'd just end up filling it with cushions.

www.shopatanna.co.uk

Get the look: Red-hot furnishings

1. Glass 'bird' dish, £25

Great on a sunny windowsill, www.debenhams.com

2. Bloom rug, £1,600

Warm up bare floorboards, www.jocelynwarner.com

3. Ruby cabinet, £450

A striking storage solution, www.lauraashley.com