Stone House
Step 4: Research and choose wiselyWhen it comes to picking materials, hardware, appliances, furniture and soft furnishings, you could go the personal shopper way and entrust your designer to make the selection that brings the design to best light. If you prefer to pick your own, consider brand reputation, warranty, spare parts and service and maintenance. Some choices will be easy; others will not. Call upon your designer for advice.A designer’s input is very useful when it comes to sanitaryware says Yvonne Tan of Vegas Interior Design: “Some water closets are designed to minimise leakage but may be a little more costly and should always be considered if the budget allows. Basin material and finishing impact the ease of maintanence.”
Match storage accessoriesEven when your laundry area is tucked behind closed doors, it’s still nice to have a good-looking view when you open the cupboard. Keep everything neat and attractive by choosing your storage items carefully.Here, a selection of baskets from the same range are lined up along the shelves. There’s a home for all the essentials the owner needs, and it looks gorgeous to boot.
The doors concertina open to reveal a laundry zone containing a washing machine, small sink, drawers and a practical hanging rail.To ensure the utility area looks attractive when open, the designers have continued the terrazzo floor surface up the wall, forming an on-trend background for the black shelving, which chimes with the steel-framed glazing.
7. Include hanging spaceIf you want to avoid tripping over wet towels in your bathroom, ensure you have sufficient hanging space to dry them. The key to a tidy family bathroom is to make it easy for children to hang up their bath linen, rather than leave it strewn at ground level.Install hooks at a height they can reach, or go for a heated towel rail with bars at different levels.
9. In the corner of an L-shaped kitchenSkipping the upper cabinets in exchange for having a more open-looking kitchen is a popular trend, but obviously this eliminates some storage. Balance the two priorities by using a full-height cabinet at the end of an L-shaped layout to get a little extra storage (as a doored pantry, open cabinet or both) without drastically shrinking the room.
“I decided to transform my business after seeing a video in which people tortured dogs to get their skin for trade. Today, I don’t know any other designers that are 100 percent vegan,” says Deborah DiMare, founder of the Miami-based interior design studio DiMare Design and the digital platform VeganDesign.org, whose motto is “Healthy and Humane Interiors”. The association has already brought together firms and professionals from more than 60 countries, offering online training courses for those involved in ethical interior design.While veganism has boomed in recent years, as Emily Turnbull of the British design firm Studio Can-Can said in an interview with Dezeen, design is still far behind the food industry when it comes to the vegan movement. But maybe that’s about to change.Find an interior designer or decorator to give your home an ethical, cruelty-free makeover
Backsplashes1. Ceramic and porcelainLike their flooring counterparts, ceramic and porcelain tile backsplashes are virtually maintenance-free. Most options feature a protective glaze that resists stains and doesn’t require any sealing (there are exceptions, of course). These two nonporous materials excel at water resistance, too.
Flooring1. Ceramic and porcelain tileKitchens are both wet zones and high-traffic areas, so proper flooring material is key. Ceramic and porcelain tile have moisture resistance that is superior to natural stone or wood (especially porcelain, which absorbs less than 0.5 per cent of moisture when wet). They’re also highly resistant to scratching and staining. Unlike natural stone, you don’t have to seal ceramic and porcelain tile. They also don’t require special cleaners and can handle almost any type of sanitising agent.
When you have two sofas or any larger seating arrangement, a big coffee table might seem like the obvious solution. But also consider a pair of matching coffee tables. They will keep the focus off one large piece of furniture and let your eye move around the room more easily. One classic coffee table size is 122 centimetres by 61 centimetres, so you can plan on that when thinking about your furniture arrangement. A large coffee table is often double that: 122 centimetres square.
8. You want to make your dream wardrobe a realityDo your daydreams include visions of a glorious walk-in wardrobe, complete with custom shoe storage and a glamorous dressing area? If you’re ready to treat yourself to some pure wish fulfilment, a wardrobe or interior designer can make those dreams a reality.TELL USWhat storage challenges do you face in your home? Share in the Comments below.
Wardrobe designer or professional organiser?Like professional organisers, wardrobe designers are well versed in using space efficiently. But while a professional organiser is a bit like a life coach for your stuff, a wardrobe designer’s work is more tightly focused on maximising the use of space in your wardrobes and cupboards. If you still need to do a fair amount of decluttering, you might want to tackle it on your own – or hire a professional organiser – before moving on to a wardrobe designer. If you have already pared back and need a hand in getting what’s left beautifully organised, a wardrobe designer can help.
Choose carefully When putting together a blue and white look, especially when there’s a lot of white, as in this scheme, small details contribute a lot to the overall aesthetic. Rather than standard ‘brilliant’ white, look for emulsion without optical brighteners. These fluorescent whitening agents absorb invisible ultraviolet light and re-emit it as visible light in the blue region of the spectrum, creating icy undertones that can deaden a space. Shirting by Little Greene is one example of an alternative, mineral-based white.Tell us…Are you a fan of classic blue and white schemes? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Tweak your tile choicesIf you feel a large expanse of white metro tiles might feel a bit sterile in your bathroom, try a wall or two of blue. This shower, lined in airforce blue tiles and surrounded by fresh white, gives the space depth and zones the room.A painted vanity unit in a slightly paler shade sets off this chic bathroom, ensuring the perfect colour balance. Using a marble surround for the basin and contrasting hexagon floor tiles builds a luxe, layered look.
Try alongside timber If blue’s a little on the cool side for you, try introducing lots of texture via natural materials, such as wood. The colour palette in this immaculate open-plan living space is warmed nicely by the oak chevron parquet and the rustic dining table, which bring the subtle shades to life. Other organic elements that can add warmth are woven baskets or lampshades, neutral-coloured leather, linen upholstery and plenty of leafy houseplants.
1. Master neutralsThe classic Scandi look is muted and minimal – a style this monochrome living room does beautifully.Jet black contrasts with bright white and pale grey, while hints of beige keep it soft and natural. If you’re going for a neutral look like this one, the trick is in the layering of tones and texture. Start with a large expanse of pale shades and add smaller areas of darker hues, with the black features bringing in more striking accents.
Size up your spaceThe ideal amount of space required for your utility room depends on the expert you speak to. ‘The smallest size you can make a utility room with a sink is around 1900mm long by 1600mm wide,’ advises Findlater. ‘An ideal space is 3000mm by 3000mm, which will allow for tall storage cupboards and appliances, but it is possible to fit one into a much smaller space,’ says Edmonds.A general rule of thumb is to take the size of your family and its needs into consideration. Also, think carefully about how you wish to use the space.
House at a GlanceWho lives here? A woman and her two small childrenLocation Barnes, west LondonProperty A three-storey Victorian townhouse Size Five bedrooms and three bathroomsDesigner Beth Dadswell of Imperfect InteriorsBuilder Surrey Hills ConstructionPhotos by Chris SnookThe owner of this beautiful period property had already hired a builder when she brought in Beth Dadswell to design the interior, and an architect had drawn up basic floor plans for the kitchen. “So we pretty much had a blank canvas,” Beth says. “The owner had a brilliant builder and was very open to ideas, so it was a really great job to work on.”The designer was keen to emphasise the elegant features of the property, while also making the home suitable for a young family. Period elements were all restored, radiators were replaced with cast-iron column versions, and the whole house was rewired and replumbed.
Enter in another wayIn a more modern home the staircase may well be positioned differently, allowing access to the cloakroom below via an alternative route. Here, the loo is still nestled under the stairs, but the doorway to the room is at the tallest point. The space for the basin moves to a side wall in this layout. It is necessary to ensure that the basin is slim in depth, so as not to protrude too far into the room. There are some very sleek basin designs on the market for just this purpose – often as wide as most hand basins, but half the depth. Consider also whether you will leave the pipework visible, as they’ve done here, or if you’d prefer to hide it within a useful storage cabinet.
Exploit top light in a narrow spaceIt might be that, with the aid of a sliding door and partition wall, you can just about squeeze a windowless shower room to one side of your bed. But how to stop it feeling like an airless cupboard? By exploiting light from above. For best effect, fit a roof light; failing that, investigate whether a sun pipe could be installed. For night time, good artificial lighting will work wonders – as will light-reflective surfaces, such as white tiles.
Use concrete for an industrial vibeIf you’re a lover of retro style, concrete worktops are an easy win: pale, tough looking and chunky, they’ll make even the most inexpensive kitchen look upmarket. Concrete too pricey for your budget? You can buy convincing, less expensive composite lookalikes that require none of the maintenance of the real thing.
4. Work in a few elements with characterPeriod-style lighting has already been mentioned, but here it’s used in quite a different setting.This kitchen is proudly modern, with handleless units, slick ovens, a large, contemporary island and LED under-cabinet lighting strips. There are, however, a couple of characterful touches that nod to a heritage kitchen without jarring. Along with those island lights, there’s also the dark grout and flat metro tiles (very Victorian bathhouse), and the industrial bar stools. More subtly, the KitchenAid mixer has a pleasing vintage feel, too. Take away these four elements and you’d be left with a very blank canvas. Choose three or four items you can work into your contemporary kitchen design that deliberately add character. These can be substantial if you’re at the planning stage – tiles, lighting and so on – or they can be quick add-ins if it’s already done but feeling a little soulless – try an interesting artwork, displaying some beautiful chopping boards or a striking kitchen table and/or chairs.
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