The renovation of an old vicarage in Sporle inspired an interior designer who was chosen to develop a show room at a national exhibition in London.

Steve Lait visited Fakenham auctions and antique shops to redecorate his new home, near Swaffham, instead of buying expensive new furniture when he moved from Hackney five years ago.

The Dulux interior designer for Norwich used this experience when the company set him a 'rediscovered heroes' theme for the Grand Designs Live 2012 exhibition, which ran from May 5-13, and gave him a colour scheme to work with.

The 53-year-old said: 'I felt I got really positive feedback from it. The colours for some people are quite challenging because it is bold, strong colours, but I quite like bold strong colours.

'It was trying to show people they don't have to over-design things – bringing a mix of things together and you don't want to end up with this really clean, almost cold look, because things look perfect.

'Our lives are not perfect, and it's nice when things do not look perfect.'

Mr Lait is a regular guest lecturer at University College Suffolk and at Ruskin University Cambridge, and an associate member of the British Institute of Interior Design.

Last year he worked with students at Watton Junior School to repaint their hall, a project that incorporated murals on the walls, and he is now designing decorative light fittings for a national care home company.

See steve.duluxdesignservice.co.uk