Wake up to a happy home: how to design a feelgood house
A mirror brightens every room: Emil Humbert, designer Bringing natural light into darker spaces is always a good starting point when it comes to rethinking a room. Using a mixture of tints and styles creates a soulful atmosphere. Mirrors make a world of difference.
Sketch has ditched its pink walls
India Mahdavi reimagined the grand space with a textural, copper-hued de Gournay wallpaper and a paint tone called “Mandarin au Lait” that cleverly coordinates with the Yinka Shonibare Dutch wax batik pattern artworks.
- It’s so warm and delicious-looking it practically glows.
Box clever with better storage
Choose something that also brings decorative flair
Give your bathroom an upgrade
Flock to it: an inspiring bathroom interior as featured in Wonderland by Summer Thornton Think decorative objects, comfort and luxe.
- Invest in a portable light from Pooky in a pretty colour so that when it comes to working through your nightly routine before bed, you can switch off the harsh spotlights in your bathroom and bask in a soft (read: flattering) glow.
Shake it up and move it around
Laura Jackson, broadcaster and co-founder of Glassette
- Simple changes to your furniture and fittings can transform a space without needing a huge budget
- Rugs go a long way: a large one can feel like having a whole new floor put down
Develop a tidying routine
Find time in your own schedule to tidy. Tidy up in one shot rather than little by little.
Get stoned
Combine stones with essential oils
Roll up your napkins
Whether you like your dinner table high-octane or shabby chic, the details make the difference
Doormats needn’t be dowdy
Give your hallway an easy refresh by dispensing with tired old brush mats that have lost their lustre
See what you are drawn to: Lucinda Chambers, designer
You needn’t conduct a major overhaul, just a tweak, rearrangement or new addition can change your space.
- With shelves, imagine you’re creating a collection: start with the item you love most and build from there.
Have a thing for tiles
Daisy tiles, £135 psqm at ottotiles.com
Display your drinks in style
Have a place to set your G&T wherever you happen to be sitting.
Benvenuto Italia
Italian ceramics are to soft furnishings what pasta has long been to the kitchen – an import that is hot
Get the hang of wallpaper
Although it might be spenny for a whole room, it’s affordable in small spaces.
Choose upbeat colours
Think outside the box: paint windows in vibrant colors that reflect light to create a sunny hue.
- Interior doors leading to an outside space work fantastically well if painted in cheerful colors such as Breakfast Room Green, a botanic shade that invites you into the garden before you have got there.
Make an entrance and go 1970s
Gergei Erdei, the London-based artist and homeware designer, conjures ancient Rome and Greece by way of the 1970s.
Bring joy with a deep spring clean: Lynsey Crombie
Start with dry dust and cobwebs on the ceiling and work downwards
- Don’t pressure yourself into a full day of housework – who can be bothered? Simply set yourself a few tasks over time
- Make a good playlist, 10 tracks you can dance to
- When the music stops, call it a day
- Keep the windows open and work hard
Design books to inspire you
Pearl Lowe brings her laid-back style to coastal living with her book Faded Glamour by the Sea
- Laura de Barra takes us on a room-by-room tour of the home to understand the function of each space in Décor Galore, The Essential Guide to Styling Your Home
- Summer Thornton’s Wonderland: Adventures in Decorating (Rizzoli International, £32.50) is bursting with ideas that demonstrate her flair for the sumptuous and whimsical
- If you want to know the five timeless rules for transforming your home, take a look at A Modern Way to Live by Matt Gibberd
- DIY On a Budget by Toni Trevillion
- Is crammed full of decor hacks, tips and tricks
Rachel Vosper, candle chandler and scent expert
Choose the right scent to reflect how you want to feel in each room
- In the kitchen, fresh and light scents such as Ssage, Llemongrass or Eechinacea work well.
- For bedrooms, hints of patchouli, amber or sandalwood are sexy and mysterious.
Make storage a display feature
Brightly colored bookshelves to match upholstery, freestanding box shelves that help divide areas in a room, and peg-board walls can all be used to store clothes, accessories, etc
- Repurpose old furniture into storage solutions
Step on it
Christopher Kane’s More Joy mat
Tulipiere
A tulipiere is blooming marvellous
Frame to enhance
When it comes to framing, treat the frame as you would fabric on a chair – it should enhance the work of art.
- Forgo conventional white and go for black with photography, or look at the colours in the picture and bring those out. Add further details with linen or gilded inserts.