DECORATIVE interior artist and designer Diane Marsland has been recognised for her work at a regional awards ceremony held this month.

The Wark-based designer was crowned the winner in the Designer Maker category at the Northern Designer Awards for several interior projects including silk wallpapers, drapes and on site-murals, all designed and hand-painted at her English Decoratives studio.

Diane’s artistry impressed the judges with its eye-catching features.

Her murals are incorporated into wallpaper and textiles, including the ‘North Carolina Chinoiserie’ – a hand-painted silk panel which was one of the six projects nominated for the award.

Diane whose 40 years of experience has seen her travel the world, said it’s the first award she had ever won.

“I wasn’t initially going to apply but my friends encouraged me,” she said.

“I have always thought that you needed to have a super modern style to win and I felt my designs weren’t as cutting edge.”

However Diane explained that her old-school training methods and years of experience in her work stood out to provide a unique selling point.

She added: “Hopefully I can build on my success and create more exciting projects in the future.”