ONE of the joys of holiday travel is having time to absorb the local interiors, and a recent trip to the South of France has put me in the mood to bring some of that sunshine home with me.

To my mind there are two quite distinct directions for interiors in Provence, and I love the way that clever people mix them up, which should be easy to do at home. We stayed in Benvengudo, a fabulous hotel near Les Baux de Provence (www.benvengudo.com), which was all cool, neutral colours with cream upholstery, stone tiled floors and bleached wood furniture. In fact, the sofas throughout the hotel were Ikea’s Ektorp design with white cotton covers, a design which I have mentioned before, and which was perfect for this hotel: comfortable, cosy, and in keeping with the traditional farm buildings which formed the heart of the domaine. The owners had mixed the neutrals with a few pieces of empire style furniture which stopped the rooms from being dull, and wonderful floral arrangements added a touch of colour.

Most of the places we visited had tiled floors with occasional rugs, and a few years ago we would probably not have done the same in the UK. However, the advent of underfloor heating means that we can happily pad about barefoot even in winter, and tiled floors are fabulously practical to keep. If you are going to have a tiled floor I suggest that you keep it simple. When you look at the modern French floors you will see that most of them have the largest possible tiles, even in bathrooms. Mosaics and small tiles may look wonderful, but they are not as easy to look after – all that grout to attend to.

I particularly like the very simple, billowing cotton panels used as curtains. Not for these houses heavy-lined and interlined curtains. If there are any curtains at all they are likely to be plain cotton or linen, and probably unlined, with a plain heading and lightweight lining for a more formal look. Of course, you do need shutters as well to keep out the heat: not a problem we encounter much in Scotland!

The alternative look, which I also love, comes from the highly decorated and colourful fabrics and ceramics which are quite folksy in design. You will see this in homes, cafes, shops and guest houses throughout the area. I think the colour combinations are so clever, and as I often say that nothing clashes in nature, I am delighted to have this borne out by these designs. Some of the ceramics are particularly colourful. I bought a simple spoon rest in blue, red, green, yellow and orange stripes in a market and it really livens up my blue and cream kitchen in Dornoch. Their ceramics are also great for fruit bowls or occasional dishes for snacks or dips. One shop we visited had shelves full of bowls, plates and tagines in plain green, ruby, mustard, blue and natural, which made me long to have a car to bring the stuff home in.

For the furnishing fabrics, you need look no further than Les Olivades or Souleiado. Their fabrics are so easy to use with their pretty, bright colours and simple floral patterns. They always look fresh, particularly as tablecloths, napkins and cushions. I enjoy mixing them with checks and stripes for a more traditional look. Many are the kitchens and conservatories where Provencal fabrics can be used for seat squabs and table linen. A house does not have to be cottagey to use these fabrics, and with a bit of attention to detail they can be combined with plain textures and colours to give a room a warm and welcoming feel.

Of course, the other thing which really inspires me about Provence is the flowers from the flower market. Those wonderful fields of lavender can be blindingly strong in colour and so abundant. For colour and scent, lavender is one of my favourite plants, and the rows of bushes in the south of France are stunning to look at. Even a hint of the scent in the linen cupboard takes me back. When we were in France this year, the roses and the bougainvillea were in full bloom, which was an equally arresting vision. While we may not be able to grow the latter in Scotland, we can learn a lot from the French way of planting and saturate our gardens with banks of colour just as they do.

We all appreciate that the French have an innate sense of style, and using these ideas for inspiration always makes me hope that some of it may rub off in my own work – vive the auld alliance.

Mary Leslie BIID practises at Mary Leslie Interior Design, The Bothy, Rait Antique Centre, Rait, Perthshire PH2 7RT

www.mhleslie.co.uk