Kelly Hoppen’s top interior design tips: 18 dos & don’ts
For over 45 years, multi-award-winning interior designer Kelly Hoppen CBE has been helping people to transform their spaces. She believes that refreshing your home should be creative and fun – and it doesn’t need to cost the earth.
Speaking exclusively to w&h, Kelly has revealed her top dos and don’ts of interior design, from being in favour of experimenting with colour and pattern to saying no to chopping cushions and overspending on lighting.
Kelly Hoppen’s top interior design tips: 18 style notes
“My latest M&S collection started as a very neutral palette because I believe that neutrals are a good base,’ she says. ‘It includes bedding, cushions and accessories such as vases, and it’s all about layering of textures.
When you’re designing for millions of people, it’s good that there’s a choice for everyone. Your home should be a reflection of you. It’s not just about what it looks like, but how it makes you feel.”
From adding accent colours to creating displays here, Kelly shares her top tips to get the best out of your space.
Dos of interior design, according to Kelly Hoppen
- DO start with neutral shades. You can then add your colours in. People often get bored quite quickly when they design their homes, but by sticking to a neutral base palette, you create a movable space where the splashes of colour can be easily changed. If something’s neutral, it doesn’t matter what you put with it, it works.
- DO ask yourself how you feel in your home. Interior design is very personal. Your space should make you feel calm and uplifted.
- DO experiment with colour and patterns. Small cloakrooms or bathrooms are great to have fun with – you could paint the walls dark navy and have accents of white in there, or put some patterned wallpaper on the ceiling. You could even paint one wall in one colour and the other half of the room in another and hang lots of pictures up.
Band cushions, £25 each, pure brushed cotton panel bedset, from £65, throw, £79, nesting coffee tables, £199, all M&S X Kelly Hoppen
(Image credit: Marks & Spencer)
- DO create a calming bedroom. The bedroom for me is about serenity, so I’d recommend a neutral palette and lighting that can be dimmed.
- DO combine luxury items with high street buys. It’s all about balance, your budget and how you put things together. Think about what to invest in – a sofa needs to last, but you can buy cheaper cushions and no one will know the difference.
- DO consider mixing textures. Combining a plain linen with a patterned fabric, for example, the two of them are going to enhance each other. It’s the same as when you cook – adding spices will change the taste and bring out flavour.
- DO get creative with the kitchen. The floor could be wood, faux wood or stone, and your centre island could then be a different material to make a statement. I also love open shelving, perhaps with plates or pictures propped up. Closed cupboards are only really necessary for food items.
- DO create multitasking spaces. You might have a banquette that serves as a workspace and an eating area- it’s about considering the purpose of the space and what works for you in each room.
- DO think about lighting. There’s no need to have countless spotlights in the ceiling – they can be glaring and unflattering, particularly in the bathroom. Instead, consider uplighters behind sofas and tables, hanging lights over a dining or coffee table for a warmer glow or a floor light in a small, dark room to bounce light off the ceiling. Lighting is like the shading of makeup – it has to balance on both sides of the room.
Style note: Layered lighting is a must to ensure a balanced scheme of task lighting and ambient light in every room.
(Image credit: Future | Paul Massey Photography)
- DO use scent-scaping. Candles and reed diffusers can totally change the feel of a room and add a lovely personal touch. Go and smell some, and if you love it, buy it.
- DO shop secondhand. eBay is fantastic. The other day, I found some lights on there from a designer in France that I love. They’re normally £6000 a piece, but I paid around £400. You can find great vintage pieces, just make sure they are what they say they are, so that you don’t get conned.
- DO revamp rather than rebuild. Take every accessory in your home, put it on the floor in one room, then start moving things into other rooms. Switching up rugs, cushions and throws can make a big difference to your space.
Don’ts of interior design, according to Kelly Hoppen
- DON’T throw away the furniture you already have. Instead, think about how you could incorporate it into your new theme. If you have a dark coloured sofa, you could add lighter colours or a geometric pattern to the room, for example. With a light sofa, you might want to add deep reds, orange or turquoise.
- DON’T chop cushions. Instead, think about how you arrange them. Mix square ones with longer rectangular shapes – and remember that comfort is key.
Of course, Kelly’s M&S collaboration collection is filled with stylish cushions of assorted sizes.
M&S X Kelly Hoppen
Velvet Panel Bolster Cushion
RRP: £22.50 | The sophisticated green of this velvet strip beautifully elevates the understated luxury look of Kelly’s cushion designs.
M&S X Kelly Hoppen
Pure Cotton Double Layer Bolster Cushion
RRP: £25 | Classic, understated and effortlessly chic this neutral cushion is a signature Kelly Hoppen accessory.
M&S X Kelly Hoppen
Cut Square Cushion
RRP: £29.50 | Perfect for introducing pattern without it overpowering the wider decorating scheme.
- DON’T overspend on lighting. Having loads of overhead spotlights is a huge waste of money – you don’t need them.
- DON’T be disillusioned if your budget is small. Costing everything out and planning carefully can make all the difference.
- DON’T buy things at random. In the same way you’d try on different outfits, lay out design ideas on a piece of paper or screen to see how they work first.
- DON’T rely on baskets for storage. They take up floor space, so it should be a last resort. Instead, think about shelves or creating cupboards under staircases. And remember, you probably need less ‘stuff’ than you think.
Armed with Kelly’s invaluable interior design secrets, we’re ready to make seasonal tweaks to reset our homes for autumn.
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