One thing I have noticed travelling across the UK and Europe is that so many people collect stuff.

Britain is of course the most accepting country when it comes to eccentrics and it seems that everyone displays and celebrates some form of eccentricity. People not only collect weird and wonderful things, they also display their collection with creative abandon.

Some of the collections I have seen include a crazy collection of used drums attached to a large wall.

Another favourite is an embellished wall, and I have seen a few of these - usually in the kitchen - completely covered in plates. Often there's a theme, such as blue and white, or plates trimmed in gold.

The point is to collect what you love, there's no point collecting anything else. But I find that most people have already started a collection of sorts, be it books, paintings or china, but the design trick lies in how you display your collection.

Think laterally, is my suggestion when it comes to displaying. Why not place your fabric collection in a glass cabinet on full display, as a friend of mine does with her magnificent collection of saris?

Or hang retro, original street signs on a wall, or boating paraphernalia or musical instruments such as the drums, or brass bugles arranged artistically for drama and interest.