There is an element of time travelling in the work of Irish rug designer Luke Irwin, and an eagerness to embrace textiles as a means of weaving distant geographies closer together. This isn't only palpable in the vibrant, heritage-inspired patterns and palettes of his rugs, designed by Irwin in London and knotted by hand by traditional artisans in the Indian workshops of Jaipur and New Delhi, and Nepal's own, located right in the foothills of the Himalayas. But it reflects in his stellar clientele, too, which ranges from U2 and The Rolling Stones to Barack Obama and British Royals, to name a few, uniting pop culture, politics, and the monarchy into one eclectic fandom.

For Irwin, a rug is an indispensable addition to every room, a quiet backdrop against which the entire scheme unfolds, and "a foundation on which all the disparate elements and personality within a room are bound together," the designer writes on his website. But only years of experience — he's had 23 and counting — make choosing a rug a no-brainer. He talks to us about that, the "dispiriting" realization that people still struggle with finding the right-sized rug and the right pattern for their home's atmosphere, and what to do to ensure you stay away from the most common mistakes. We promise: it's easier than you'd think.

What's One Thought You Can't Shake When It Comes to Rugs?

"Every evening I spend some time wandering the streets of London, staring into the windows of various estate agents. This is not some wistful (or whimsical) search for the ideal property, but more a taking of the temperature of how houses and flats are decorated."

"What always strikes me, and what I am particularly looking at, are the rugs in every room. Mostly, they are totally the wrong size (far too small) and the wrong design (traditional antique in very contemporary settings). I find this to be very dispiriting."

What Elements Make or Break the 'Perfect' Rug for You?

"There are three key elements to rugs: the pattern or design, the colors, and the size. Pattern and design are the easiest elements; you can tell very quickly if you like it and whether it would work with your room.

"Color is rather more subjective, and you can spend days picking different poms and agonizing over whether one tone would be more successful than a very similar tone. In my long experience, it is always the combination I choose first that is the winner — the agonizing is all for nought."

What Is the Hardest Part of Choosing a Rug?

"Picking the right size is probably the most critical element, as too big is overwhelming and too small is absurd. As a general rule of thumb, in a large open-plan space, all the furniture should sit entirely on the rug to create a room, and in other settings, at the very least, the front legs should be on the rug. To me, it looks very odd if furniture is half on and half off the rug."

What Are Your Tricks to Getting It *Just* Right?

"A great hack for being able to visualize the perfect size is to lay out an old copy of the Financial Times on the floor, as the color of the paper is perfect for visualizing scale. I have yet to buy a property, but the exercise is very instructive."

What Is a Room Without a Rug, Then?

"Rooms with no rug at all are the oddest ones to me. This had me thinking about that pearl of wisdom that Cicero wrote to his long-suffering nephew: 'A room without books is like a man without a soul.' Except that I would substitute books for rugs. Actually, both are true."

Continue browsing for more expert advice, or hear how to choose a rug from our very own executive editor, Pip Rich.

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It may only be October, but I'm already planning for winter. No, I don't mean buying Christmas presents; I'm talking about how I'm going to be tackling those long, dark days ahead. Every year it creeps up on me, and then suddenly I'm waking up to pitch-black skies, and leaving the office to them too. It's easy for these limited sunlight hours to get to your head, which is exactly why this year, I'm turning to the experts for some advice.

Living in the UK, it's hard to imagine our winters being much darker than they already are, but compared to the folks over in Norway, we've got it positively easy. In December, Norway can expect a maximum of 6 hours of daylight per day, dropping to zero in its most northern points, where winter pretty much entails months of complete darkness. So, it's safe to say they know a thing or two about planning a lighting scheme for dark days.

For Norwegian designer Gudbjørg Simonsen, every aspect of her design is informed by her country's climate. With such dramatic shifts from season to season, every home Gudbjørg designs needs to be as prepared for a bright summer as for the dark months of winter. "I don’t think we can design homes as though light remains constant throughout the year. Nor do I think the answer is to fight the darkness," she explains. "We have to design with it. A home should be allowed to change character with the seasons, and light, shadow, color and materials will all be experienced differently throughout the year."

Once you know the right techniques, these dark months don't need to be approached with fear and apprehension. In fact, Gudbjørg says, "In many ways, darkness makes us more aware of light."

Why Home Lighting Is So Important In The Winter Months

"Lighting is absolutely essential," argues Gudbjørg. But light, to her, is a multifaceted thing: "There is light that allows us to see, and there is light that makes us feel. I am interested in both, but especially in the latter."

Understanding how lighting can affect your mood is the foundation of designing a space that supports you through those cold, dark days. Just a little bit of light can completely shift your whole mindset. "On a dark Nordic winter evening, seeing a warmly lit window from a distance can give an immediate sense of warmth and human presence," she says. It's not just about how your brain reacts to light, though; it's about what the light signifies, too. "It says: someone is home. I think there is something very deeply rooted in us Norwegians about that."

This approach goes far beyond a purely functional understanding of lighting. It's about what lighting means, and how it makes you feel in your space. "Good lighting is therefore not simply about making a room brighter. It creates intimacy, depth, contrast and atmosphere. For me, the best light is the kind that makes a room feel inhabited, warm and welcoming — almost as though the light itself is saying: come in."

1. Play With Variation

You may think you want your room to be evenly lit, with a smooth wash of light coating the entirety of your space. But according to Gudbjørg, this is exactly where so many rooms get it wrong.

"Variation is very important to me," she says, stating, "I don’t want a room to be evenly illuminated."

We've been taught to watch for dark corners and make sure every little nook and cranny of your home is equally illuminated. But, in reality, this can make your space feel flat.

Instead, look towards how light acts in nature, and try to replicate that within your space. "Nature never gives us completely uniform light; it gives us brighter areas, soft transitions, and shadow. I want to bring some of that same variation indoors."

So instead of frantically searching for ways to brighten dark corners, try embracing them instead, allowing your home to benefit from the same variation in light that you'd find in the outside world.

2. Layer, Layer, Layer

If there's one thing any lighting designer will tell you, it's the importance of layered lighting, and this only becomes more integral when lighting for winter.

At the core of this approach is the understanding that different lighting fulfils different needs. First, you'll want to think about your functional, task lighting. As Gudbjørg explains, "Technical lighting should solve the practical needs of the room while remaining as discreet as possible. It might provide precise light over a work surface, guide us through a space, or draw attention to a piece of art. Here I prefer concealed or integrated fittings, so that you experience the light rather than necessarily seeing its source."

Then, you can begin to think about the more decorative, accent lighting. These are the things that build warmth and character in your space. "Pendants, wall lights and floor lamps can be visible and become part of the architecture and the interior itself. They add character, create focal points, and make the light part of the expression of the room."

For the best results, you'll want to use a blend of both. "In some places we need precise, functional light; in others, perhaps only a soft glow in a corner or across a wall."

3. Think About Your Materials

"Materials are very important," Gudbjørg tells me. This doesn't only pertain to the purely aesthetic qualities of the material and what kind of mood and atmosphere they will bring to your home, but also to how they respond to light. Different materials can work to either intensify or dim any existing light, so in homes where you want to maximize the light, you'll want to think carefully about your materials of choice.

"I am drawn to natural materials because they reflect, absorb, and transform light in such a living way," says Gudbjørg. For example, "Wood can appear pale and almost cool in clear morning light, then become much warmer and deeper later in the day. Natural stone may seem quiet in even light, then suddenly reveal its veining, texture and lustre when light strikes it from the side."

This is just as true when it comes to your soft furnishings as well. More tactile finishes, like wool or linen, will receive light in a softer, more diffused way, bringing more depth to your room, even when the light levels are low. Even limewashed walls can help create a greater sense of warmth and light in your space. The tactile, textured nature of these materials and finishes allows the space to shift throughout the day, responding to the available light.

"It is precisely these changes that I love," says Gudbjørg, "I don’t want a material to look exactly the same throughout the day or throughout the year. A living interior should be allowed to change with the light."

4. Adjustability is Key

Another lighting tip that's useful year-round, but will really become transformative in the winter months, is the importance of an adjustable lighting scheme. So, if you've found yourself questioning whether dimmer switches are worth it, the answer is always yes.

As Gudbjørg explains, "The ability to dim the lighting and create different lighting scenes is important, so that a room can respond to the season, the time of day, and the situation — whether we need energy and activity, or calm and stillness."

This becomes especially important in dual-purpose rooms, like a living room-dining room combo, where you'll need the atmosphere to shift depending on what you're using it for. It's also ideal for dark evenings, when soft, warmly lit spaces help add some coziness to your life.

5. Call On Curtains

"Curtains are also important," shares Gudbjørg. We can often overthink our window treatments, especially in colder, darker climates, but oftentimes, the simplest approach is the best one.

It may seem counterintuitive to block the light, but in reality, they can actually make your space feel more considered.

"They do not create more daylight, of course, but they can make a room feel far softer and warmer when natural light is limited," Gudbjørg explains.

However, this is not to say that every window in your home should be covered up — you'll want to consider where a curtain will add, and where it will detract. As she explains, "At the same time, they should be planned so that they do not unnecessarily take away the daylight that is available."

The shorter, darker days can take some adjusting to, but with the right tricks, they don't have to feel quite so unbearable. We have plenty of ideas for coping with the lack of sunlight, including helpful tips on how to wake up when it's still dark outside.

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Kogei (工芸) is the Japanese word for objects made for everyday use — a cloth, a bowl, a kettle — that are rooted in a particular place, draw on materials and techniques handed down over generations, and still depend on a person making judgements.

This concept of Japanese design is not a synonym for craft, and the difference changes what you look for. I asked Nakagawa, which has made and sold Japanese craft since it was founded in Nara in 1716 and now works with more than 800 workshops across Japan, how they define it.

Two characteristics separate kogei from craft as it's usually understood in the West. Firstly, it has little to do with whether an object was made by hand. And secondly, it's seldom one person’s work. To see art in these monotonously regarded items, here's a closer look at what makes them special.

What Is Kogei?

I grew up between Nara and Kyoto, Japan’s first permanent capital and the city that succeeded it for a thousand years. Objects like these were simply what we used.

Tasuku Ogino, executive vice president at Nakagawa, defines it precisely. "Kogei means tools for everyday life, shaped by the practical wisdom that generations before us developed in response to their local climate and way of living, together with the materials found in each region and the skills of its makers," he says.

Japanese has separate words for art, craft, and everyday craft. And kogei is firmly the second. It is not applied art, made to be appreciated, and it is not industrial production, where uniformity and efficiency rule.

"What defines it is that these objects are used daily and keep evolving, adapting to changing lifestyles while holding the knowledge built into them," says Tasuku. An object does not become kogei by being rare, expensive, or signed. It becomes kogei by being useful enough that people kept making it. The same logic behind most small design lessons from Japanese homes.

It Has Almost Nothing to Do with the Hand

Whether something is kogei depends not on whether it was made by hand or by machine.

"What matters is whether the object is rooted in its local environment and in accumulated wisdom about daily life," says Tasuku. "Whether it draws on materials and techniques passed down over generations, and whether human judgement stays integral."

The Hana Fukin Cloth from Nakagawa best illustrates this. What began as kaya, the mosquito-net fabric Nara was once known for, was reimagined as a kitchen cloth because the weave is breathable and quick to dry.

Like a split noren in a Japanese doorway, it earns its place by working. It is woven on machines. But the people running them adjust constantly for humidity and for the habits of each loom, and it is that judgement, not the absence of machinery, that keeps it kogei.

It's Rarely One Person's Work

The misunderstanding Nakagawa meets most often is that Japanese craft means one master artisan making one piece. That tradition is real, as Japan has a formal register of Living National Treasures. However, the craft that runs through ordinary Japanese life is collective.

One piece of ceramics may pass through specialists for the clay, the glaze, the molds, and the firing, all in the same production region, in a division of labor centuries old. Lose one specialist in that chain and the others cannot continue.

The risk is not abstract. Japan’s traditional craft industries employed 288,000 people in 1979. By 2022, the figure was 48,334. "What Nakagawa hopes to pass on is not individual products or techniques," says Tasuku. "But rather the regional ecosystems that make kogei possible at all."

What's the Importance of Kogei?

If you ask me, the difference is not refinement. It is ordinariness. These are objects made to be used by people who never call themselves collectors, and the government’s criteria for a traditional craft begin there — primarily for use in everyday life.

There are 244 crafts on that list, at least one in each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, and behind each is a region and a chain of people. It is the same instinct as the luxury of enough.

In our own projects, we specify Japanese kogei where we cannot find an equivalent closer to home. It is never put on display. It is used daily, exactly as it would be in a house in Japan.

With homes yearning for a tactile representation of life through design, the DIY revival is real. And for more interior inspiration, sign up for the Livingetc newsletter.

What sets a great dinner party apart? Is it the wine? The conversation? Perhaps. But more likely, it's the lighting. It may not be the first thing you notice; in fact, it shouldn't be. A beautifully lit space seems almost incidental. Getting it right is a subtle yet transformative art that forms a backdrop for every beautiful event. Lighting creates atmosphere; it's what makes your guests feel welcome and relaxed, inviting them to sink in and enjoy themselves. And no one knows how to light a room really well better than expert lighting designer Maxwell Barlow.

After five years at Barlow & Barlow, the design firm he founded with his sister, Maxwell started his own practice, dedicated solely to the art of lighting. Having started his career at award-winning lighting specialists John Cullen Lighting, Maxwell has long understood the power of a good lighting scheme. And while his designs cover a range of settings, it's entertaining spaces where he really shines (pun intended).

His secret is understanding the relationship between lighting and atmosphere. After all, it's the atmosphere that truly defines an event. It's that ineffable quality that the best hosts seem to have an intrinsic understanding of. "Atmosphere is a feeling; it's intangible, much like light itself," explains Maxwell. "Because lighting defines how we experience a space, it has more influence over its atmosphere than anything else in the room. For me, an atmospheric room is one that makes you feel comfortable, is interesting, and makes you want to stay a little longer."

"Designing spaces for entertaining is the part of my job I enjoy most," Maxwell shares. It's a challenge that exists alongside the everyday task of planning your home's lighting scheme. While there's typically a split focus between form and function, when it comes to entertaining, the balance shifts towards the aesthetic side, with a heightened emphasis on building atmosphere and warmth in your space.

"It's a chance to transform a room that's light, spacious and airy by day into somewhere warm, cozy, and intimate in the evening," Maxwell explains. It's about how lighting makes people feel, and developing a design with your guests' experience in mind: "The aim is to make people feel comfortable around each other, and the best way to do that is with warmth and lower light levels."

There's a logic behind this approach, too. Just think about it — do you ever see bright, sterile overhead lights in a good restaurant? No, it's all about soft, dim, candlelit warmth. As Maxwell explains, "Nobody looks or feels good in an operating theatre, so switch off the overhead lights."

Instead, the designer suggests leaning on overhead lighting alternatives to set the scene. "Let shaded lamps do the heavy lifting, then add accent lighting: within joinery, uplighting architectural features, or tucked behind a piece of furniture," he says. It may sound like a lot, but when it comes together, a layered lighting approach will always make your space feel more inviting. "You're aiming for small pools of light, with shadow and darker areas in between," he says.

This soft approach is the same one Maxwell uses in his own home. Having purchased an old stone house, the designer had to find ways to adapt the lighting that was already there. "It's what my father would call a 'Heath Robinson' approach, and involves me rushing around switching lots of things on," he jokes.

Working with the home's unique period features, the lighting accentuates the natural beauty of the property. "The house has very deep windows, all slightly wonky and all different sizes, so I've made small linear uplights from leftover samples in my office," he shares. "They sit in the windows, backlighting objects and pictures, including a pond yacht." This trick helps build atmosphere before guests even set foot in the home. "When guests approach at night, the windows glow warmly, which makes the house feel so inviting."

Inside, these lights help turn the windows into little display cases, illuminating the silhouettes within. From there, it's all about the soft, layered accents. "In the room itself, I have warm lamps on, some joinery lighting, and two picture lights focused on the art," says Maxwell. "That contrast between focused light and the soft ambient glow of the lamps is what really adds to the atmosphere and is worth remembering for all lighting schemes."

The Biggest Lighting Mistakes That Kill the Atmosphere

As a certified lighting expert, Maxwell has a keen eye for spotting any lighting faux pas when out and about, though there's one particular lighting mistake that he says will instantly ruin the atmosphere of any room: cold color temperature.

"I don't want to see anything above 2,700K, and if we're entertaining I'm aiming for 2,200–2,400K," he says. No matter how beautiful your living room design is, a bright, cold overhead light will instantly make your space feel harsh and unappealing. "Glare is the devil's work and destroys everything that makes lighting feel magical," says Maxwell. "And for God's sake, don't put spotlights over people's heads — it's both unflattering and unnerving."

Understanding bulbs and how color temperature works will go a long way when designing your hosting spaces, but, in short, Maxwell says, "Nothing above 2,700K, no exposed bulbs unless they're dimmed to almost nothing, and no downlights over anyone's head."

It's also worth considering how your lighting scheme will shift and adjust throughout the course of the evening. What feels right at 7pm will likely feel overly bright by 9pm, so ensuring your lights are dimmable will make a surprisingly impactful difference.

Surprising Lighting Tips Only The Best Hosts Know

If you've ever entered a beautiful event or luxurious design hotel and wondered how exactly they've made the space feel so elegant and inviting, it's likely down to one of these lighting tricks.

According to Maxwell, the place most people are going wrong is relying too heavily on overhead lighting and not paying attention to the other light sources you could be using. As he explains, "Most people's lighting comes from the ceiling, from downlights and pendants."

One of the key aspects people overlook is the importance of uplighting. "An uplight adds another layer and is easy to place: hide one behind a piece of furniture, or use a pair to wash light up a fire surround. I've just designed a low-glare plug-in uplight for exactly this reason. It really adds to the atmosphere of a room."

This is not to say, however, that overhead lighting is always a complete no-go; it's just about how you do it, and, according to Maxwell, it often comes down to the fitting. "The type of ceiling light or pendant is often the problem, and the worst offender is a badly used glass lantern. They look great by day, and they look great with candles in them, as they were originally designed to."

The problems start when you swap these softer, warm light sources for modern LED lights. "LED bulbs have many benefits, but looking directly at one isn't one of them," says Maxwell. "Put a standard 4W LED candle bulb in a glass lantern, and you'll destroy your retinas, and with them whatever atmosphere you were hoping to achieve." Instead, he says, "Use a very low-output candle bulb at 2,200K or lower instead, and keep it dimmed."

And though a pendant light over your dining room table seems like the classic choice, it's actually one Maxwell suggests avoiding. "When I'm dining, I want candlelight — it's low, warm, and flattering at face height. I think there is something primeval about candlelight. We're drawn to it. A pendant works much better over a kitchen island in my mind."

Now that you've got the lighting down, you're well on your way to perfecting the art of hosting.

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As a stylist for Design Lab by Livingetc, whether the sofa should sit on the rug or just in front of it is something I get asked all the time. So, I thought I'd share my answer once and for all. So, if you've ever stood in the middle of your living room wondering whether your rug is quite big enough, here's what you need to know.

In short, my answer is yes — in most setups, I’d recommend placing the sofa on the rug. But the right arrangement depends on the room. As Bainbridge Island architect Matthew Coates of Coates Design Architects + Interiors explains, "When it comes to sofa placement on an area rug, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer — it really depends on the space, the size of the rug, and the look you’re going for."

When rug placement is right, it helps the seating area feel connected, rather than like an afterthought. So, how do you get the size and position right in your space? Let me break it down.

How Much of Your Sofa Should Sit on the Rug?

If you have the space, I love placing the whole sofa on the rug. It helps anchor the seating area and gives the room a natural focal point. "In a living room, placing a sofa on the area rug along with alternative seating and accent tables integrates those pieces and creates a zone dedicated to a sole purpose," explains Alexis King, owner and lead designer at 2117 Collective in California.

That doesn't mean every piece of furniture has to sit fully on the rug. I like a little variation — the sofa can sit on the rug while an accent chair sits just beyond it. "Mixing the placement can add interest while keeping the seating area connected," notes Laetitia Laurent, principal at Laure Nell Interiors.

If the rug isn’t large enough for the whole sofa, I’d aim to get at least the front legs on it. Janelle Patton, lead designer at Lark Interiors, recommends this in almost every living room layout, and it’s my go-to solution, too — the sofa helps hold the rug in place, and the furniture feels connected rather than like it’s floating around the room.

Try to leave around 15cm of rug visible on either side of the sofa so it doesn’t feel undersized. If you’re placing the whole seating area on the rug, Laetitia suggests letting it extend roughly 30-45 cm beyond the furniture, where the room allows. These are helpful guides, but not measurements I’d follow too strictly if it comes at the expense of a layout and flow that feels right.

Can the Sofa Sit Completely Off the Rug?

Yes, although I’ll admit this isn’t my favorite rug layout. That said, I can see it working beautifully when it’s done with intention. In this instance, Kanika Khurana, principal interior designer and founder of Kanika Design, suggests using a smaller accent rug beneath the coffee table when you want to define a seating area without committing to a large rug — there's a rug-to-coffee table ratio to follow, too! It can be especially useful in an open-plan room, where the rug helps distinguish the living zone while keeping the overall arrangement feeling lighter.

Laetitia Laurent used a similar approach, placing a smaller rug under the coffee table so the flooring could “remain a focal point”. The rug still brings texture and color to the seating area, but lets the floor have its moment, too. It may not be my first choice, but when I see this layout handled thoughtfully, I’m reminded that a rug doesn’t always need to sit beneath the sofa to make the room feel stylish.

What to Do If Your Living Room Rug Is the Wrong Size?

Choosing a rug can be quite a challenge, but getting the size and placement right can make all the difference in a living room. Before deciding it’s too small, try pulling it closer to the sofa. A few centimeters can make a surprising difference to how connected the arrangement feels.

If it still doesn’t reach, you could layer it over a larger rug. A natural-fiber or neutral rug underneath can give you the coverage you need, while the smaller one on top brings in the color, pattern, or character. It’s a useful way to make a much-loved rug work harder, too.

If you’re still choosing, it’s worth measuring your seating area before you fall for a particular design. I like to mark out the proposed rug size on the floor with masking tape first — it’s a very unglamorous trick, but it saves you from guessing.

The next step is to consider the best rug and sofa color combinations⁠. If you’d like a hand choosing pieces that work with your room, style, and the way you live, explore our design services at Design Lab by Livingetc⁠.

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Wine 'snobbery' seems to be a recurring theme across my Instagram feed at the moment, and while I do enjoy a crisp white in a thin-stemmed glass, contemporary forms with chunkier silhouettes (gasp, I know) have swayed my stance of late.

But before you tut-tut-tut, I slid into the inboxes of some top restaurateurs with wine backgrounds to ask them what actually matters when choosing the perfect glass. And it turns out that while most ritzy venues demand a slim-stemmed style, the best wine glasses for your table should actually depend on the setting.

If there's something to pay astute attention to, it's shape and its immediate correlation to the type of wine you're drinking. (Did you know it can actually impact its taste?) So, here's what you should know to impress your self-professed sommelier friends.

How to Choose a Wine Glass

Michael Mackenzie, lead on wine at Poon’s at Somerset House, tells me, contrary to table-setting trends, wine glasses with thin stems are not necessarily always the best. "What is key is the overall feel and balance of the wine glass, including the stem length and the tactile impression of the stem on your fingers," he explains.

"There are beautiful antique wine glasses (like this Patrician Hand-Blown Crystal White Wine Glass Lobmeyr), which have thicker stems than we find today, often ornate, and which enhance a special occasion," he explains. "A well-designed glass is to be admired in its entirety."

So, what makes the perfect wine glass? "Balance in the design and proportions, not only for the visual pleasure but also for tasting," says Michael. "To concentrate on a wine, you want a glass that does not distract you and is a pleasure to hold. It is the vehicle to convey to your eyes, nose, and palate the intrinsic qualities of a wine. Here, of course, the size and curvature of the bowl are key. Overblown, in every sense, wine glasses are a total distraction."

At Poon’s, after testing a wide range of wine glasses, Michael says that the Schott Zwiesel Vina Burgundy Glass [available at Amazon] meets every criterion.

Anna Patrowicz, sommelier at Akub, tells me that she personally adores thin-stemmed glassware. "It feels more sophisticated, elegant, and modern, but I think the choice should always correspond to the overall setting and style of dining," she adds.

"The decor, atmosphere, and even the furniture should influence the choice of stemware," Anna continues. "At Akub, for example, we chose slightly less delicate glasses that sit safely on the organic surfaces of our tables and feel much more integral to the overall character of the restaurant."

When Anna decided on a glass to set the table with, her main focus was the rim. "I like the rim to be as thin as possible, creating as little of a barrier as possible between the wine and the person drinking it. Ideally, you should almost forget that the glass is there," she says.

"The size and shape of the bowl are equally important," she adds. "It should comfortably accommodate a 125ml pour while leaving plenty of space for the wine to open up, allowing you to swirl it properly and experience its aromas."

Although Anna doesn't have a single favorite, she tells me that the Zalto Universal Wine Glass [available at Selfridges] has been a reliable go-to for a long time.

Abe Drewery, co-founder and wine expert at Teal by Sally Abé, is of a similar opinion that thinner wine stems are better. "The perfect wine glass allows the aromas to express themselves, looks great, and allows you to enjoy the wine to the max," he says.

"And the best wine glass, hands down, is the Richard Brendon x Janis Robinson Universal Glass [available at Harrods]," Abe shares. "It's absolutely perfect for white, red, and fizz."

However, if there's one thing I've come to learn, it's that the thickness of your wine stem is really a matter of personal taste, while the bowl and its rim should be chosen more carefully depending on your vino of choice. So really, the question of whether you're styling skinny stems or chunky glassware should be up to the vibe of your table.

Shop Wine Glasses

For the Non-Particular, Contemporary Eye

Another style of drinkware that requires careful consideration and might be a more regular part of your routine is coffee mugs. So you're not caught lacking at your next dinner party, sign up for the Livingetc newsletter.

As a (mostly) reformed people pleaser, I can attest to the fact that my past spaces often catered to the likes of others more than they did to my own. I only truly understood how deeply this trait infiltrated my design eye after hearing from Amy Roebuck, founder of AIRE Studio, a psychology-informed design practice.

Overthinking can impact your home. And in this case, safe colors, a socially-led living room arrangement, good tableware saved for hosting, a guest room nicer than the primary, and pockets of trends and tastes that feel impersonal to you while suited to the mainstream are just a few signs your home is people-pleasing.

And after hours (and hours) of therapy, I've learnt that it isn't all bad. A controlled sense of charming others allows you to balance the scales — and the same should go for your home. So, if your home relates to these characteristics, maybe it's time to invite pockets of your personality into each space and create lore in your home.

Warm, Easy to Live With Colors

"You might find warm neutrals, soft terracottas, and gentle blush tones in a people pleaser's home, as these colors feel approachable and easy for other people to be around," says Amy Roebuck, founder of AIRE Design Studio.

"As a color psychology practitioner, I find the more interesting question is not which color, but who it was chosen for. Did they pick it because they love it, or because it was the shade nobody could object to, or because it was on trend?"

Even introverts and extroverts choose different paint colors. So your home's color reveals more than you'd expect.

A Living Room Arranged Around Everyone Else

Amy tells me that in a people pleaser's living room, you'll often find generous seating arranged for conversation, soft rounded forms, and light that makes people want to stay.

"The tell with this furniture placement is where the owner sits. The best chair, with the view or the warmth of the fire, may be quietly kept for guests while they perch on the end of the sofa," she notes. "I'd always give that chair back to the person who lives there."

The Good Tableware, Saved for Guests

People-pleasing homes are notorious for skimping on the owner and going all out for the guest. "You might see plenty of beautiful tableware, more place settings than the household needs, and an extending table so nobody is left out," Amy notes.

"Picture a curated tablescape for a gathering where the best plates and glasses only come out for the visitors, while everyday meals happen on the chipped set. Using the good things for yourself on an ordinary Tuesday is a small but meaningful shift."

A Guest Room Nicer Than Their Own

"Twenty years of designing luxury hotels have taught me to recognize hotel-level hospitality, and in a people-pleaser's home it often lives in the guest room," Amy points out.

"The best linen, fresh flowers, thoughtful extras. You might find their own bedroom is the last room to be finished, or becomes the place everything else gets put. I'd reserve that priority, because the room you recover in every night deserves the most care."

Everyone's Taste Except Their Own

If you look closely at a people pleaser's home, Amy says you may find gifts displayed out of obligation, compromise pieces chosen to keep the peace, and the things they truly love tucked away in a drawer or a room no guest enters.

"The home can end up reflecting everyone else's taste. I'd bring those personal pieces out and create at least one corner that is unapologetically theirs," she advises. It's a small step to reclaim your taste and give it pride of place.

"At AIRE, I use an approach I call 'Parts-Informed-Design'. We all carry different, sometimes competing needs, and our homes tend to be shaped by whichever is loudest. The people-pleaser's side of us values warmth and hospitality, and I would never design that out," she explains.

"Instead, I'd pair it with a salutogenic lens, an idea from health research that asks whether a space genuinely supports the person who lives in it, day to day and under pressure. A people-pleaser's home can work beautifully for everyone who visits, but not quite as well for the person who actually lives there. The message I want the home to give back is simple: 'You are also someone who lives here'."

And if you're having trouble finding your way back to a home that feels personal, Design Lab by Livingetc offers styling consultations that could help you feel connected to your space.

I used to be pretty terrified of buying new bedding, as silly as it sounds. The good stuff from luxury brands is expensive, with king-size sets running into the realm of several hundred pounds or dollars. Spending that on something you don’t vibe with when it comes to actually getting a good sleep? Less dream, more nightmare.

However, over the last few years, I’ve gotten serious about learning what makes ‘good’ bedding. I’m an interior stylist by trade, so I’m already pretty comfortable with which textiles deliver on what you want your bedroom to feel like. Yet, for a lot of my work, I’m making beds up that are never slept in, with sheets that are fresh out of the pack, and that I never see washed.

So, over the last year, not only have I personally tested lots of the best bedding brands for Livingetc, but I’ve also made it my business to talk to experts in the industry to give my suggestions for bedding some real credibility. For this guide on how to choose bedding, I’ve talked to scientific researchers who specialize in textile comfort, industry veterans who have worked for almost every bed linen brand worth knowing over decades, and even color consultants to help better understand what effect your stylistic choices have on how you actually sleep.

So, this is how to pick your next bedding set and not end up with buyer’s remorse.

Materials

Before we delve into the different types of bed sheet materials you have to choose from, I want to dispel a few things about them. Some of these ideas, often stemming from marketing myths, you may already know, while some I even discovered myself when talking to experts in these topics.

So, Does Thread Count Really Matter?

You might have heard this before, but the idea that the higher the thread count, the better the quality of the sheets is a myth that you need to dismantle in your mind before you buy. Thread count refers to the number of horizontal and vertical threads in a square inch of the material, so it certainly changes the characteristics of the textile itself, but not necessarily for the better.

“Thread count matters, but it's only one part of the quality equation,” Paul Donegan, founder of The Linen Consultancy, tells me. “As a general guide, 200 to 400 thread count already represents good quality cotton bedding. 600 to 800 and even higher thread counts are commonly found in premium products, provided high-quality fibres are used.”

Higher thread counts may sound attractive, but they can be misleading. Some brands offering 1,000 thread count sheets can legally advertise as such, but they may be made of cheaper materials and by slightly misleading ways of counting fibers of ‘multi-ply’ yarns. In fact, I read an interesting story about a class action lawsuit against Bed, Bath & Beyond back in 2008 specifically against this way of classifying thread count.

“Above thread count, the quality depends far more on the fiber itself and the manufacturing process than on the number printed on the label,” Paul explains. If you want a reference point for what top-quality 1,000 thread count sheets would actually cost, a full set of Frette’s Ultimate sheets will set you back over £3,000, but it’s quality you can feel — well, apparently. I’ve unfortunately not had the pleasure of testing, but reviewers say they’re incredibly smooth and soft, but also ‘heavy’, down to that weightier thread count.

So, if not thread count, what else should we be looking for? “Buyers should consider fiber quality, weaving, finishing and overall craftsmanship,” Paul explains. “It's also worth looking at how responsibly the product is made, including sustainable production methods, environmental practices and the manufacturer's commitment to social responsibility.”

What Does ‘Breathable’ Mean in Relation to Bedding?

You’ll often hear bedding referred to as ‘breathable’ on retailers’ websites, and it’s something that we can all sort of imagine, right? We know that feeling of sleeping in bedding that feels hot and sticky, so breathability feels important. We want that airflow through to keep us feeling cool, and apparently, some textiles are better than others at doing so.

But, keen to understand what it really means, and how textiles are actually ‘breathable’ are defined, I ask Dr Rachel McQueen, a professor of Textiles & Apparel Science at the University of Alberta, on a Zoom call to help me better understand.

“In both apparel and bedding, ‘breathability’ is a bit of a misnomer because all woven fabrics are porous and allow air to escape,” Rachel explains. “The real comfort factor isn't breathability; it's whether the fibers are physically taking in your insensible moisture. Polyester doesn't do that much at all, but water-loving fibers like cotton and silk do, which drastically improves your sleeping comfort.”

Therefore, ‘breathable’ is an imprecise marketing term because it can refer to several different mechanics of heat and moisture at work, including absorbency and wicking.

Okay, so What Does Moisture Wicking Mean in Terms of Bedding?

Over to Dr McQueen for the science part on this one. “When we talk about bedding for hot sleepers, we’re often looking at how our body’s moisture interacts with the fabrics surrounding us,” Rachel tells me. “Moisture-wicking fabrics relate to the idea that when you perspire to the point that you have liquid sweat, the fabrics next to your skin draw that liquid away.”

There’s a slight difference between absorption and wicking. Absorbent textiles hold onto moisture more, while wicking textiles move it away faster so it can evaporate. Cotton and linen are both ‘hydrophilic’, meaning they love water, but cotton absorbs, while linen wicks, and it’s all down to how their fibers are structured.

The real benefit of textiles that wick moisture? “You may not feel as much liquid sweat right up against your skin,” says Rachel. “By taking that sweat away from your body, bedding can really help improve your comfort. When our skin is wet, we feel discomfort — it feels sticky, and the wetness triggers thermal receptors, which can then even make you feel cold due to evaporation.”

“People sometimes say wicking fabrics cool your body,” Rachel says, “but I don't necessarily know how true that is because cooling requires evaporation directly on the skin.” The science isn’t quite there to back the idea that bedding can actually cool you down, but, rather, it can increase your overall comfort level.

Cotton

Good for: Crisp, hotel-style bedding, affordability, easy to care for
Bad for: Absorbs rather than wicks, varying quality, can look cheap

When you start looking at cotton bedding, you’ll almost immediately come across the terms percale and sateen as differentiators, and the main difference lies in the weave.

“Percale uses a simple one-over, one-under weave, creating a crisp, cool fabric with the classic fresh feel often associated with luxury hotels,” Paul explains. “Sateen uses a different weave, allowing more threads to float on the surface. This creates a softer, silkier fabric with a subtle sheen and a slightly warmer, more enveloping feel.”

So are percale or sateen cotton sheets better? “Neither is inherently better. It simply comes down to personal preference,” Paul says.

You’ll likely also be tempted by Egyptian cotton when it comes to cotton sheets, but is this another marketing term taken hold, or is it worth investing in? Well, it’s all down to long vs. short ‘staples’, basically the length of the cotton fiber.

“The longer the fiber, the smoother, stronger, and more durable the fabric tends to be, while also producing less pilling over time,” Paul says. “Extra Long Staple (ELS) Egyptian Cotton is widely regarded as one of the world's finest cottons precisely because of its exceptionally long fibers.”

Muslin bedding is also a type of bedding, generally made from cotton, but characterized by a looser, more open weave.

Linen

Good for: Relaxed, lived-in look, better comfort for hot sleepers, effortless luxury
Bad for: More expensive for quality sheets, more regular washing to keep comfort levels up

Linen bedding is known for its beautiful natural texture, where even a slight wrinkle (I still wouldn’t go overboard) feels luxurious and elegant. It’s a more lived-in look, for sure, but knowing that linen often means quality and expensive, it feels elevated at the same time.

So, what to look for. Is thread count as important for linen as it is for cotton? “For cotton, both thread count and fiber length are important quality indicators,” Paul explains, “But with linen, quality depends much more on the flax fibers, the weaving process, the finishing techniques, and even the garment washing applied during production. Linen and cotton also use different measurement systems, so comparing their thread counts directly can be misleading.”

Flax fiber is naturally hydrophilic, but it also wicks this moisture away, absorbing from your skin and releasing quickly so that sheets never feel damp, heavy, or cling to the skin.

The one thing I’ve noticed during testing of linen sheets that I don’t think enough people talk about? Linen fibers are stiffer and have less elasticity than cotton, so you’ll find they don’t ‘bounce back’ so much after use. That means, I find, linen sheets stretch and can soon feel loose from your duvet after only a few nights’ sleep, something that, in my experience, reduces comfort significantly. If you’re the sort of person who likes to change your sheets twice a week, you won’t notice, but if you’re a once-a-week person, you might find comfort starts to dip by the end of the cycle.

Bamboo

Good for: smooth textiles, moisture-wicking.
Bad for: hard to find in a range of colors, often expensive

If you don’t like that slightly crisp feel of cotton, or the initial roughness of linen, bamboo is loved for its almost-silky softness. I’ll be honest, I haven’t tested bamboo bedding at all, but Livingetc’s Amiya Baratan regularly refers to them as among the most comfortable sheets she’s tested. It sounds very ‘natural’, but largely it’s been highly processed by the time this material has become a good bed set.

Lyocell / Tencel

Good for: silky feel, ‘cool’ feeling
Bad for: Harder to care for, more expensive

Lyocell is a type of bedding material made from harvested wood pulp that, like bamboo, has a soft, silky texture. Because of this surface, it has the sensation of feeling cool to the touch, so it is often touted as bedding brands' ‘cooling’ sheets.

Tencel is a specific brand name for lyocell, and another type of material called Modal, and can be a sign of superior fiber origin, processing, or manufacturing standards using this material. This, however, is not guaranteed and should still be given some research.

Care instructions can vary, but while this material can be tough, its washing requirements may be more demanding, and it won’t necessarily outlast a good quality cotton sheet in comparison.

Silk

Good for: luxurious-looking finishes, debatable ‘skincare’ qualities
Bad for: hard to care for, not a texture for everyone

So, we all know that silk is the pick of skincare gurus for keeping your skin clear and wrinkle-free, but does science actually support it? “It seems to be more marketing hype than actual science,” says Dr McQueen. “I've had first-year textile science students want to base their assignments around how silk pillowcases are great for your hair and how cotton is terrible, but trying to actually explain that using textile science is pretty thin.”

“I would say the reason silk is touted as beneficial is primarily due to its physical form. Silk bedding is manufactured using a long filament, and silk is a very fine fiber, which makes it feel incredibly smooth. It's often made into a satin weave, making it very shiny and sleek. Those manufacturing elements give it those smooth properties.”

“Silk is also a protein fiber, so it is absorbent and helps with thermal regulation by taking in and releasing moisture. But I wouldn't necessarily say a silk sheet is fundamentally better for your skin than a really high-quality cotton sheet. High-quality cotton can also be spun into very fine yarns and woven into a dense, smooth satin weave. The main challenge with silk is that you have to be so much more careful when washing it.”

Polyester

Good for: affordability, easy to clean
Bad for: hot sleepers, static

You might have noticed that, so far, I’ve largely referred to polyester and other manmade materials with disdain, and realistically, while they’re often more affordable, you’d be better investing in something equally affordable, like cotton, than polyester sheets.

So, why are they not a good choice? “If you have polyester bedding, you create massive static charges,” says Dr Rachel McQueen. “Because the environment is dry and the polyester fiber doesn't take in moisture, you can literally see sparks when you flick the sheets back at night.”

“But mostly, it's the fact that it doesn't absorb moisture,” the academic continues. “People might think a non-absorbent sheet is great if they sweat, but you actually want your bedding to absorb some moisture. Even if you aren't a hot sleeper, your body is constantly releasing invisible moisture vapor as you sleep. If your bedding isn't absorbing that vapor, liquid moisture will start to build up. This is what makes polyester sheets feel so clammy — especially where your body is pressed heavily against the mattress with no airflow.”

Style

As much of your choice of material should be based on your sleeping habits, how you want your bed and your bedroom to feel is as much of a criterion for the Livingetc reader. As a stylist, I’ve dressed hundreds of beds in my time, so this is where I step up with my advice.

Below is a quick guide to which material I’d choose, based on the type of bedroom atmosphere you’re looking to create, plus my verdict on common bedding styles and whether you should choose them for your room.

How Do You Want Your Bedroom to Feel?

RELAXED
Linen, linen-blend, or muslin

HOTEL-LIKE
Cotton percale, Egyptian cotton if you can

LUXURIOUS
Silk is a little much, but a cotton sateen can elevate a room

COZY
Linen, or if you’re a cold sleeper, something like a brushed cotton

MINIMAL
Linen, cotton percale, bamboo, or Tencel

RUSTIC
Washed linen or bamboo

FRESH
Cotton percale or a crisper linen

SOFT & DREAMY
Muslin or brushed cotton for texture

POLISHED
Cotton sateen, or a crisp percale

Common Styles, Explained

What Bedding Colors Should You Choose?

From a style perspective, this is a hard question to answer, but don’t leave your choice of bed sheets until last when designing a bedroom. They take up quite a lot of your scheme.

My personal opinion? Don’t choose pure white. They show dirt quickly and can feel a little stark. A very soft off-white or beige is my personal pick.

However, if you need more of a steer, think about how you want your bedding to make you feel.

“The best bedding colors make you feel tranquil and ready to unwind in the evening and energized in the morning,” says Daniela Araya, an interior designer and color consultant. “Typically, we associate bedrooms with cool-tone colors like blue, green, and purple because of their calming properties, but warm colors can also work for bedding. It’s all about selecting the right undertone to work in your room.”

Interior stylist and design psychology coach Amber Dunford also suggests that the best bedding color depends on your body's overall temperature when you sleep. “If you tend to run hot in temperature as you sleep, you may want to incorporate bedding in colors found on the cooler side of the color wheel,” says Amber. “Colors like blue and green can psychologically cool down your bed and provide the perception of a cooler sleeping environment.”

She continues: “The opposite is true for those who feel cold throughout the night or sleep in cooler rooms. In this instance, layering warm colors like rust orange or red can mentally warm up bedding.”

Honestly? That might all depend on how suggestable you are to your surroundings, but it’s an idea worth considering.

How Do I Know If Bedding Will Last?

Many indicators of whether bedding is good quality and will pass the test of time is in the textile and manufacturing process itself, but aside from reading the assurances, these can be pretty hard to identify for yourself.

However, in the testing process of bedding for Livingetc, I was given a rigorous testing brief by editor Hugh Metcalf to better understand whether the manufacturing of the sheets showed signs of durability and attention given to the finer details. Hugh is a former editor of Love Sewing magazine, so he knows his way around a stitch. Here’s what he asked me to look out for when testing bedding.

How are seams constructed? The joins of sheets don’t really take as much stress as clothes, but they’re still a good sign of the care and attention given. You’ll find high-strength French seams in top-quality, luxury bedding, while most mass-market styles will likely have an overlocked edge. “A French seam fully encases the raw edge of the fabric so it won't fray in the wash, but it takes longer to construct and costs more than a simple overlocked seam,” explains product developed Lucy Guy. .Be wary of sheets with single-stitched seams, and look for neat, small stitches wherever overlocking hasn’t been used.

Are stress points reinforced? Corners, openings, and areas around buttonholes, for example, are the areas most likely to be stressed when using bed sheets. Look for reinforcing stitches, like bar tacks, which again suggest a well-constructed bed linen.

Is the weave even? I suggest holding the fabric up to the window and looking for consistent density in the fabric. Thin patches, irregularities, snags, or skipped threads would suggest a poorer quality of fabric.

Buttons and buttonholes: the first place I look. Often, even expensive bedding has rudimentary buttonholes and simple clear plastic buttons. Zips, push closures, and even fancier button finishes all suggest an attention to detail.

Which Bedding Type Is the Most Hygienic?

Dr Rachel McQueen thinks we’re a little too obsessed with hygiene around our sheets (but more on that later), but her only warning is about manmade materials when it comes to the oils we secrete from our bodies. “Polyester will attract and absorb oils much more heavily than natural fibers,” the professor says. “Oils will still end up on cotton and linen sheets, but if you sleep against polyester, it tends to take up our natural body oils much faster. Crucially, it is also much harder to clean those oils out of polyester than it is from cotton or linen.” This isn’t a hygiene problem, per se, but it will create conditions that make your sheets feel less fresh over time.

“The oils coming out of our skin are often what produce odor. As those oils break down, they produce a distinct, unfresh smell.”

Price vs Quality — This Is What You’re Paying for

Bedding brand Rise & Fall caught my attention, as it offers like-for-like costings of its own products against other brands, such as Piglet in Bed and The White Company, on its wbsite. So, if we’re looking at very similar products, how can prices afford to vary so much?

“When people are shopping for bedding, I think it’s easy to focus on the material and thread count, but those are really just the starting point,” says Lucy Guy, a senior product developer for Rise & Fall. “There’s a lot that goes into how a fabric feels and performs, from the quality and length of the yarn through to the way it’s dyed and finished. Even things like color matching and seam construction can make a real difference to the finished product.”

As well as the construction itself, harking back to that French seam costing more than an overlocked edge, testing, quality control, and certification all cost money, and aren’t something that you necessarily get from cheaper sheets.

“I think the biggest misconception is that if two products have the same material written on the label, they’re necessarily comparable,” Lucy says. “Cotton is a good example: the quality and length of the fibers can vary significantly, which has a big impact on the softness, smoothness, durability and overall feel of the fabric.

The way that material is processed matters too. Dyeing, washing and finishing can all be done in different ways, and there can be significant differences in the chemicals and treatments used. Organic and non-organic materials may look very similar once they’re made into a sheet, but the standards and processes behind them can be very different.”

Lucy also refers to production volumes, which allow bigger brands to bring the unit cost down, however, small production runs can be efficient as they’re more precise, and avoid wastage.

Marketing Myths to Beware

According to Paul from the Linen Consultancy, there are plenty of ways that brands drive up prices, with dubious marketing claims. “Consumers should also be cautious of claims such as ‘Egyptian Cotton’, ‘Hotel Quality’, ‘Luxury’, ‘Premium’, or ‘1000 Thread Count’ when they're not supported by clear information about the fiber origin, cotton grade or manufacturing process,” Paul explains. “It is important to verify the origin of the raw materials and the certifications that support them, particularly when it comes to the yarn.”

“A reputable manufacturer should be able to provide evidence of the origin and quality of the raw materials used, most of which should come from fully traceable sources and recognized quality classifications,” he adds. “Ultimately, outstanding bedding is defined far more by the quality of its fibres, weaving and finishing than by an impressive marketing slogan.”

FAQs

What Certifications Should You Look for in Bedding?

Some of the most recognized certifications include:

“OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 confirms the product has been tested for harmful substances,” explains Paul Donegan, founder of The Linen Consultancy; however, this doesn’t necessarily mean it qualifies as ‘organic’. A better certification is GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), which “certifies organic fibers together with strict environmental and social standards,” Paul explains. This certification applies not only to what the plants are treated with, but also to the entire supply chain, and fair trade labor is also part of its requirements.

How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?

People often fall into one of two camps when it comes to washing their sheets. Nervous regularity, or nonchalant sporadicity. But what’s the real answer to how often you should wash your sheets? “I feel it's really important that people don't get freaked out thinking bacteria has gone into their bedding and is just growing rapidly,” says Dr Rachel McQueen. “They're mostly just surviving or persisting. Unless they have a major nutrient source, they aren't necessarily going to increase a whole lot.”

“Odor is a really important trigger for people deciding it's time to wash their items,” she adds. “With bedding, you have the transfer of skin cells, which is a potential nutrient source [for bacteria], but you also have body oils.”

“How often people want to change their sheets is very individual. People have different thresholds for cleanliness. Sometimes it's a learned behavior — you wash them once a week because that's what your mother taught you. Other people may have skin sensitivities and need to wash their sheets more frequently.”

Are ‘Antimicrobial’ and ‘Antibacterial’ Bedding Worth It?

When it comes to bedding that’s labeled as ‘antimicrobial’ or ‘antibacterial’, it's more than a marketing term, “provided they have actually added an antimicrobial agent to the fabric,” Rachel explains. “However, my skepticism comes from questioning how effective they truly are outside of a lab. In a lab test, it shows antimicrobial properties, but in reality, a lot of bacteria will likely still survive on the fabric.”

“I'm also cautious about whether we actually need it. Is it impacting our natural microflora? Is that good or bad? I am quite cautious around the use of antimicrobials in consumer textiles. The supposed benefits probably don't outweigh the concerns. I am a much bigger proponent of simply washing your sheets when they need washing.”

"An engawa (縁側) is a strip of timber flooring that runs along the outside of a Japanese house, sheltered by the eaves, sitting between the paper screens of the rooms and the garden beyond," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden.

Now you have a clear picture of this element of Japanese design. But to truly understand its charm and its beauty as a true blue in-between space, let's take a closer look at what it adds to a home.

And, more importantly, how to bring it into your home. So, without further ado, let's get into why you might want to add this to your moodboard.

What Is an Engawa?

"The best description of an engawa depends on where you're standing. Seen from the garden, it reads as part of the house. Seen from indoors, it reads as part of the garden," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden.

"It belongs to both and to neither, and that ambiguity is the point. Inside, shoji (translucent paper screens) separate it from the rooms. Outside, by sliding wooden or glass shutters. Take the screens out along an L-shaped engawa and the garden arrives as one uninterrupted view."

Yoko explains that there are two kinds of engawa and the difference is practical. "An irikawa-en sits inside the outer shutters, so it is sheltered and usable in any weather. A nure-en sits outside them, and the name is honest about the consequence, where nure means wet."

"Open plan took out the internal walls but left one hard boundary at the back of the house — a single line of glazing, inside on one side of it and outside on the other, with nothing in between," she notes.

"What has gone is the zone that has no purpose assigned to it. An engawa is where you sit to put your shoes on, where you talk to somebody standing in the garden, where you watch rain without being in it."

Yoko explains that none of those are activities a floor plan allocates space for, and a house in which every space is a destination gives you nowhere to pause.

How to Bring It Home

An engawa non-negotiable, according to Yoko, is that it has to be roofed. "An overhang deep enough to keep the rain off is what makes the space usable through autumn and winter, rather than only on the days you would sit outside anyway," she advises.

"It has to be deep enough to sit on. Six hundred millimeters — about two feet — will do it. A meter is better, and leaves room to set a cup down beside you."

Secondly, she recommends working in two layers rather than one. "A traditional engawa sits between paper screens on the inside and shutters or glass on the outside, which lets the space be opened in stages rather than all at once. Sliding doors with a second screening layer behind them do the same job," she notes.

"Carry the floor through. The same materials, or a close match, running from the room out onto the deck, so the eye reads one continuous plane instead of a line where the house stops."

And finally, she suggests marking the change with a level rather than a wall. "A single step is enough to tell you that you have moved from one condition to another, without closing anything off."

If you have more than a couple of footsteps of space, there's always room for some Japanese outdoor furniture to tie the vibe together. A cozy chair to perch on, a side table for your warm cuppa, and a throw to wrap yourself in during those stolen moments of solace.

If you want to open up your home to the outdoors, then a tsuboniwa might be more your style. And don't forget to sign up for the Livingetc newsletter to keep up with more global design ideas.

My sofa might be the hardest-working piece of furniture in my living room. It hosts dinners, movie nights, reading hours, siestas... and the list goes on. And if you're like me, you've probably put off deep cleaning your couch due to its overwhelmingly arduous reputation.

However, after speaking to the experts, it's not as difficult as it's made out to be. It does take effort and has its own intricacies depending on the fabric you're dealing with, but these cleaning tips will help you make the most of your designer couches and sofas.

So, whether you're wondering how to get red wine out of your sofa, dry it after cleaning, or make it smell nice, here's everything you need to know.

How to Clean a Sofa

According to cleaning expert Marla Mock, you can clean most sofas with a simple five-step method. Here's what you'll need to do.

Step 1: Brush the Couch — First, Marla recommends prepping the couch by brushing it with a clean white hand towel or a stiff brush (like this Soft 100% Horsehair Upholstery Brush from Amazon or these Microfiber Cleaning Cloths from MR.SIGA). This will help loosen anything that has dried onto the sofa.

Step 2: Apply Baking Soda — "Next up, sprinkle the entire couch with baking soda, and let it sit for at least 20 minutes, up to an hour," she says. "Then, using a brush attachment, vacuum the couch to remove the baking soda." This Baking Soda from GrowChem and the Cyclone V10 Total Clean Vacuum from Dyson will come in handy.

Step 3: Make an All-Purpose Couch Cleaner — "While the baking soda sits on the couch, make this simple cleaner to tackle any remaining stains," says Marla. "Combine a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, a tablespoon of white vinegar, and a cup of warm water in a small spray bottle. Next, add one teaspoon of baking soda and quickly screw the top onto the spray bottle to prevent the reaction between the ingredients from making a mess." I like to use this Antibacterial Washing Up Dishwashing Liquid from The Lab Co., this Eco White Vinegar from Miniml, and this pretty Empty Ever Spray Bottle from Kinfill.

Step 4: Wipe — "Spray a white cloth with the cleaning solution, and gently dab and rub any stains on the fabric," she says. "Alternatively, you can wipe down the entire couch with the solution for a deep clean."

Step 5: Dry — Lastly, air it out and refrain from sitting on it for a few hours or until the sofa has completely dried out.

How Often to Clean a Sofa

Elizabeth Shields, a cleaning expert and the operations manager of Super Cleaning Service Louisville, says that it's best to deep clean your sofa once a season.

"I don’t vacuum my couch every day, but I do use a lint roller to grab pet hair," she adds. "Then every week, I do a quick pass with a vacuum cleaner just to make sure there are no bugs, and it gets some UV-C light. If you have sofa covers, then you only need to do a deep clean twice a year."

This Sage Lint Brush and the Sandalwood Fabric Spray from Steamery are perfect for a refresh in a pinch.

How to Clean Couch Cushions

Similar to when you're tending to the rest of your couch, cleaning expert Tanu Grewal recommends brushing your pillows first. Once you're done going over the surface with this Starmann Upholstery Brush from Amazon, you can go in with a diluted stain solution and spot-treat your cushion. Instead of soaking the surface, use minimal amounts of water to gently dab at the fabric.

As an alternative option, Tanu says you can often throw couch cushions and pillow covers in the laundry. "Just unzip the cover, and you should be able to find the manufacturer’s laundering advice on the label," she says. "This will tell you if your couch’s covers are suitable for the laundry or if they have to be washed by hand."

And if your couch cushions are washer-friendly, this Delicate Laundry Detergent from the Steamery is a gentle choice.

How to Clean Sofa Covers

According to Rocky Vuong, founder of Neatbrite, the most important preliminary step to cleaning sofa covers is to read the label. So what do the letters on your sofa tag actually mean?

'W' or 'WS' — Use water-based cleaning agents dedicated to upholstery.
'S' or 'SW' — Solvent cleaners are safe to use on the fabric.
'X' — Vacuum and light brush only. Avoid any solvent and water cleaners.

"If you can pop your sofa covers in the washing machine, avoid hot water as it can shrink and fade your fabric. Cold water is the way to go, unless specified otherwise," he advises. "I also recommend using mild detergent formulated for delicate materials. And instead of throwing it in the dryer, consider naturally air-drying indoors to preserve its quality."

How to Remove Red Wine Stains from a Sofa

Muffetta Krueger, founder of Muffetta’s Housekeeping, insists that with the right tools and method, it's possible to remove red wine from a couch.

"Acting promptly can prevent the red wine stain from setting deep into the fibers of your couch. Delays or improper cleaning can spread the stain or even damage the fabric. Always start stain removal as soon as the spill happens," says Muffetta. Depending on what you have at home and the severity of the stain, here's what you can do.

"Start by blotting the stain using a clean, dry cloth or paper towel. Blot the stain to absorb as much red wine as possible. Avoid rubbing, as this can push the stain deeper into the fabric," she warns.

"Then pour a small amount of cold water over the stain to dilute it and blot at it again. Next, you can apply a cleaning solution to it to help lift the stain."

The Dish Soap Method
For light stains, she recommends mixing mild dish soap with cold water. Then dip your cloth in the solution and slowly work at the stain.

The Baking Soda Method
"You can also combine baking soda with water to create a paste. Apply to the stain, let it sit for 15 minutes, then vacuum the residue."

The White Wine Vinegar Method
Muffetta also recommends pouring white vinegar over the stain and blotting with a clean white cloth until the stain diminishes.

The Hydrogen Peroxide Method
"And lastly, you can also try mixing hydrogen peroxide with dish soap," says Muffetta. "Test on an inconspicuous area first. If safe, apply to the stain and blot gently."

What Should You Consider Based on the Type of Sofa?

How to Clean a Leather Sofa — "When cleaning a leather sofa, the key is to apply your cleaning solution to a cloth instead of spraying directly onto the surface. And it's equally important to wipe down the surface evenly," says Dionne Livingstone, cleaning expert at Home Spritz.

"Next, you should apply a leather conditioner, just as you did with the solution, by dipping it onto a cloth and wiping down the couch. Move through the sofa using the same top-left to bottom-right method until all sections of the sofa have been treated."

Last but not least, she recommends polishing your sofa for that fresh-from-a-gallery finish. "I'd wait for at least an hour before giving it a quick buffing with a cloth, and then you're done," Dionne adds. This Complete Leather Care Kit from the Furniture Clinic and this La Droguerie Leather & Wood Care Lotion from Diptyque are perfect if you have a leather sofa in need of a little TLC.

How to Clean a Velvet Sofa — "It’s best practice with velvet to start on the edges of the stain and work your way into the center," says Ken Doty, cleaning expert at The Maids. "Once the stain has been treated, you can then dry it off with a different cloth."

Rather than focus on a certain area, Ken recommends spraying the entirety of your couch with something like this velvet-safe Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner Spray from Furniture Clinic. "Then, with your brush, gently apply the solution to the fabric," he adds. "This should help restore the velvet’s texture."

How to Clean a Suede Sofa — "If there are any stains on your sofa, I recommend pulling out your suede eraser," says Milly McEwan, furniture expert at RJ Living. "Run this over the area, and then wipe with a clean white cloth. This will help lift the stain from the material."

This Suede Cleaner from Furniture Clinic, paired with this Suede Brush & Eraser Kit from Amazon, is an unbeatable combination.

How to Clean a Microfiber Sofa — As one of the most low-maintenance couch materials, you can refer to the basic deep cleaning process at the top of this guide to clean it. The only thing to keep in mind is to use a brush (like this Fabricoat Soft Bristle Brush from Amazon) to dry-brush the couch once it's completely dry. This will restore softness to the surface.

How to Clean a Linen Sofa — When it comes to taking care of a linen couch, it's important to avoid the typical sofa cleaning mistake of scrubbing the stain. This faux pas can damage the fabric and spread the stain. Instead, gently blot it, moving inwards.

How to Clean a Bouclé Sofa — Since this material is beloved for its looped texture, the key to preserving its volume is to use delicate and diluted detergent for spot treatment. It's also important to steer clear of drying it in direct or strong sun, as this can distort the fibers. Rather than using a brush to prepare the fabric for cleaning, lift off dirt and pet hair by carefully lint rolling or using a damp rubber glove to clean the surface.

How to Dry a Sofa After Cleaning

The key to properly drying a sofa is to thoroughly and repeatedly blot it with a clean, absorbent towel to speed up the drying process. Then, place it in a well-ventilated room and use a fan (like this Levoit Quiet Pedestal Fan from Amazon) to help it dry faster.

I also recommend unzipping your cushion covers and placing the cushions on their side for maximum exposed surface area. And if you're in a small space with few windows, add a dehumidifier (like this Pro Breeze Osmo® Dehumidifier from Amazon) to the mix.

How to Make Your Sofa Smell Good

Being disciplined about regularly cleaning your sofa is always the golden rule. However, another way to make your couch smell fresh is to sprinkle it with baking soda. Then leave the baking soda to deodorize your sofa for 15 to 20 minutes and vacuum it up.

Although slightly tricky, sunning your sofa is another clever hack. But if that's not feasible, use room sprays to make your sofa smell amazing. Spritz this Rose & Musk Fabric Spray from Steamery, Fabric Refresher Spray from Made For Living, or La Droguerie Room Spray from Diptyque from a distance of 30 centimetres.

How Much Does It Cost to Reupholster a Sofa?

Typically, standard materials cost around £20 to £60 per meter, but you're looking at around £75 to £180 per metre for patterned fabrics or premium materials like leather.

"Higher-end materials like leather, velvet, and mohair not only increase the fabric cost but also require more expertise to work with, adding about 15% to 20% to the overall labor cost," says Ella Hall, founder of Stitchroom, a workroom that offers custom reupholstering.

"Couches with intricate designs — like curved sofas, tufting, or traditional details — are more time-consuming to work on, leading to higher labor costs. On the other hand, simple, modern designs tend to be easier and faster to reupholster, which can reduce labor costs."

And lastly, Ella explains that the age of the piece can be a significant factor. "Older furniture, while often well-constructed, may contain historical materials like horsehair or springs, which can complicate reconstruction."

FAQs

Can You Use a Steam Cleaner on a Sofa?

If your sofa's tag reads 'W' or 'WS ', it's safe for water and steam cleaning. And if you don't have a steam cleaner at home, then you can try the viral TikTok hack for cleaning your couch that requires a laundry capsule, some hot water, a saucepan lid, and a microfiber cloth.

To start, add the capsule or a dash of liquid detergent to a large bowl of hot water, stirring until it dissolves. Next, wet your cloth in the solution and ring out the excess. Then lay the cloth out and place the pan lid over it, securing it in place with a knot at the top.

Then, you can simply swipe it over your sofa, remembering to get into every nook to get all the dirt out. Once done, you'll notice a surprising amount of grime trapped in your DIY cleaning tool.

How Do You Keep Sofa Cushions from Sagging?

Eventual wear and tear of a sofa might leave your cushions looking lifeless. To fix this, it's recommended that you fluff your sofas, rotate them, and switch your spot on the couch for a more even surface.

Can You Use Fabric Softener on a Sofa?

No, fabric softeners should not be used on sofas. They tend to leave a sticky residue and can damage the elasticity of the fabric. Instead, it's best to regularly clean your couch to keep it looking and feeling fresh.

Next to sofas, the second most important and equally nerve-wracking element to care for in your living room is your floor covering. That's where our guide to rug care 101 comes in handy.

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Shopping for someone who favors simplicity in design, practicality in form, and neutral palettes isn't always an easy task. In fact, I'd say it's often more difficult than gifting someone with maximalist tendencies.

"Sometimes, I find that a well-intentioned gift is more of a burden than a joy, especially when you have to find somewhere to store, or worse, display it in your home," editor Hugh Metcalf, a self-proclaimed minimalist, tells me. Finding that sweet spot of minimalist design and actual utility is only tricky if you're not paying attention. And when you don't, you might find yourself brown paper-wrapping an impractical storage accessory, patterned textiles, faux foliage, single-service appliances, or novelty homeware.

When actually, you should be showing up with a thoughtful organizer, tonal soft furnishing, real flowers, hard-working gadgets, and pragmatic designer gifts. So, here's a lesson in minimalist gifting that'll save you from bad gift karma.

1. Impractical Storage

A decorative tray or a purely ornamental box might earn you a hearty thank-you from some people, but minimalists aren't among them. Since they curate their lives around thoughtful organization, you're much better off buying them home storage that genuinely serves a purpose. If they spend a lot of time flipping through glossy pages, consider a sleek book rack. Or, if they're often dishing up elaborate recipes, then a spice rack will serve the space well.

2. Patterned Textiles

"I’d never buy a minimalist a really busy, heavily patterned rug, throw, or any soft furnishing," says Design Lab by Livingetc stylist Iokasti Sotirakopoulou. "It can easily become the main focus of a room, whereas a minimalist is more likely to appreciate something with subtle texture instead. I’d go for a tonal, textured, timeless rug in a neutral shade, which still adds warmth and interest without feeling visually busy."

3. Faux Foliage

Interior designer Samantha-Jane Agbontaen says one of the things you should never gift a minimalist is fake flowers or plants. "They take up space and collect dust, but don't bring the same life to a room as the real thing," she explains. "Fresh stems or a simple plant will fare much better in a pared-back space." And with it, I recommend throwing in an elegant vase or a stylish indoor planter.

4. Single-Service Appliances

I have heard many of my minimalist friends criticize single-use appliances. So trust me when I tell you it's not worth gifting them a culinary gizmo worth a pretty penny that they'll never touch or eventually rehome. Instead, consider quiet luxury appliances that work hard. The 6-in-1 Wonder Oven from Our Place and the stacked cast iron from the M&S x Tom Kerridge collection are unfailing recommendations for your cheffy friends.

5. Novelty Homeware

"If its only job is to sit on a shelf, I would probably avoid it," says Samantha. "Minimalists are usually quite protective of clear surfaces. I'd choose something that gets used instead, such as minimalist scented candles, haute food, fresh flowers, or something practical they already buy for themselves."

If you have friends who throw around words like 'sun', 'moon', and 'rising' (and actually know what they mean), then our zodiac gift guide should be your next scroll. And sign up for the Livingetc newsletter for more design-y advice.

"You're such a changer," my mum said to me as recently as last week. Every time she visits my home, she notices something (or many things, I should say) that I've changed since she last visited. This is nothing new, either — I moved furniture around my bedroom as soon as I was physically able to; my mum was always amazed I could move such large pieces by myself. I was just interested to see if a new layout would look and work better and, in my impatience, just decided to get on with it straight away as soon as the idea sprang into my head.

But this hasn't stopped in my adulthood — much to my husband's dismay, might I add. And it's undoubtedly got worse since I began working in the interiors industry, presented with an endless stream of inspiration and new trends every day (along with the many things quickly going out of style, too). I second-guess every design decision I have ever made in my home, and now often find myself in decision paralysis for any new projects we're due to take on for fear of regret; as there are, unfortunately, many design decisions I've made over the years that I truly do regret (don't get me started on my kitchen).

And it doesn't come down to just simply always wanting to redecorate, but more so that my 'overthinking' brain seems to re-analyze rooms again and again and find fresh faults with them, and what I've now begun to realize in my later years is that this, in part at least, comes down to what other people might think about my home rather than me. As behavioral color and design psychology expert Karen Haller explains, "A homeowner can think they're obsessing over a design decision, when what they may actually be struggling with is what that decision says about them."

How Being an 'Overthinker' Can Impact Design

"For some people, perfectionism can be tied up with how they think their choices will be judged. Will other people like it? Is it tasteful? Am I making the right choice? What if I get it wrong? When they're looking for that external reassurance, it can become very easy to lose sight of what they actually want and need from the space," explains Karen Haller.

This 'reassurance-seeking' is certainly something I can resonate with — there's an element of feeling judged in your home by the choices you've made, which seem all the more poignant when you work for an interiors brand. When I move a table lamp to a different spot in my home, I like to think it's because it's the better spot for it, rather than what guests will think when they next come over — but, truthfully, I think there's a bit of both at play.

"It's not uncommon for a client to come to me with piles of paint and fabric samples, magazine tear sheets and Pinterest boards and tell me they're completely confused or overwhelmed," Karen says. "They may have started with something they really liked, but then they've seen another room, another color, or another fabric and started questioning it. Suddenly the decision they were happy with is being measured against something new. The original choice may not have been wrong at all. They've simply created another standard against which to judge it."

In a world of Instagram interiors, there's a constant source of comparison between our homes and 'picture-perfect' — and, in many cases now, AI-generated — interiors that display a level of perfection that is entirely unachievable. But, thankfully, showroom-esque, highly stylized homes are no longer what we aspire to. In 2026, we seek homes that are authentic, lived-in, and deeply personal. Therefore, in reality, who cares what anyone else thinks? Easier said than done, of course.

What it comes down to, as Karen says, is "bringing the decisions back to the person who is going to live there. When you understand who you are, how you live, and what you need from your home, you have your own point of reference for making those choices rather than continually looking outside yourself for reassurance that you've got them right," she explains.

When Perfectionism Helps Design

Much of my design regrets and overthinking boils down to three things: 1. Making decisions too quickly to begin with. 2. My taste having changed over time. 3. My fear of judgement having increased over time.

As for the former, if you dedicate enough time at the start of a project to pore over the details, you're unlikely to want to change them quickly afterwards.

As Eris Koutsoudakis, co-founder of Meraki Design, explains, "As a perfectionist and an overthinker myself, I have never regretted taking the time to find the perfect color, material or finish, even if that means going through many options. For me, that process is what prevents regret later."

And this is absolutely true. It's also why being beholden to the latest interior design trends isn't sensible for a home that should serve as visual and physical self-representation. While taste can evolve, if you pick something you truly loved in that moment, you'll never truly regret it — it's just part of the storytelling. It's even what I think about my tattoos.

"I also think there is a difference between carefully considering a decision and continually reopening it," says Eris. "Exploring options is valuable when it helps you understand what you want. It becomes unhelpful when every new image makes you question a choice you already loved. This is where having a clear overall design direction becomes essential, as it gives you something to return to and helps you recognize when the right decision has already been made.

"Ultimately, the aim is to feel completely comfortable with your choices and enjoy your home. I see real value in taking the time to reach that point," Eris says.

How to Find the Right Balance

"There is nothing wrong with looking outward for inspiration," explains Karen. "Magazines, social media, trends, and other people's homes can introduce us to things we might never otherwise have considered. The difficulty comes when we start relying on what's outside of us to tell us what's right for us, because there will always be another opinion, another trend, or another beautiful room that makes us question whether we've got it right."

It comes down to having confidence in your decisions, and understanding that you are making them for you and your home. While hosting friends and family is undeniably a consideration for some of those design decisions, it shouldn't define them, and a space that truly reflects you will shine brighter than any copycat design.

"That's also where some of the regret can come from," Karen explains. "Someone can end up living with choices that were influenced more by what other people might think than by what was actually right for them. They may have been influenced by friends, the aunt who visits once a year, worries about future resale, something they've repeatedly seen online, or simply an idea of what a beautiful home is supposed to look like."

So while I won't stop tweaking little bits and pieces in my home, I won't allow regret to define how I feel about it — because nothing will ever look perfect, and it's absolutely not meant to.

And if you're one of those people who always likes to rearrange furniture around your home, psychology says you may also do these five things — which actually highlight the positive side of this otherwise predominantly negatively associated habit.

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A few weeks ago, we held the inaugural Livingetc Unlocked, a new event that combined real house tours with live workshops and talks. Having walked the houses around the Clapham neighborhood of London myself, I picked up a lot of design lessons. But maybe the one that stuck with me most is that I very much might be buying the wrong size table lamp.

The wrong size? Well, the wrong scale. In my own home, I choose table lamps that I feel are appropriate for the size of my house, but having seen some of the incredible lighting in the Unlocked houses, the majority from our sponsor Lights & Lamps, I think I might need grander ambitions.

But, what's the right size to light a room well? Let's investigate, with the help of our in-house stylist.

Because, realistically, the bigger the lamp is not always the better. "As a stylist, I always judge a lamp’s scale against the furniture beneath it," explains Design Lab by Livingetc stylist Miaad Latoof. Large homes with large pieces of furniture can, it stands to reason, take larger decor, but when you're working in a smaller space, you want to make sure things don't feel out of balance in the interior design.

"You want enough breathing room around the base and shade so it feels balanced, even when you’re going big," Miaads adds. "I like to treat an oversized lamp almost like sculpture, using it to add height, texture, and bold, dramatic shape, especially when the rest of the room feels low or a little flat. It gives the eye another place to land and brings a stronger sense of balance to the room."

What I've taken from the examples I saw? Don't do 'top-heavy', but you can do balanced. An oversized table lamp that has similar proportions to the table it's sat on can work, because it gives you this 'totem pole'-like effect that can work. If you have a big chunky lamp on a table with a slight, thin base, it's going to look uneasy, as if it could topple at any time. And that's the sort of disruptive feeling you don't want for your home.

So, would you consider looking at a bigger size next time you shop for a table lamp?

To learn about our next Livingetc Unlocked, why not sign up now to our newsletter, and you'll be among the first to hear about next year's event?

Do you remember the days when everyone's kitchen was completely unique? A distinct display of personal style, shaped by the person living within it. No? Neither do I.

For so long now, there's been such a clear blueprint for what a modern kitchen should look like, so much so that every design ends up feeling like a copy-paste of one another. Just look at Pinterest or scroll through Instagram; you'll see what I mean. Sure, the dimensions might be different, or the exact materials used, but at the core, they're all just reworked versions of the same model. I don't say this to shame you — quite the opposite. It's just the way the trend cycle works. When you're designing your kitchen, it's only natural to be inspired by the designs you've seen online or in a magazine. What you mightn't realize, however, is that everyone else is looking at the same references.

That's the magic (and in a way, curse) of social media. Once you see something enough times, you start to forget that other options exist. It's something Matthew Andrews, the head of design at bespoke kitchen company Cor Domi, has noticed. "It’s very easy to become too attached to a particular account’s aesthetic, materials, appliance sizes, sink, or tap," he says, "but just because something works beautifully in someone else’s space doesn’t necessarily mean it will work in yours."

So, if designers were to pull out one detail that strongly suggests your kitchen has been copied from a social account, showroom, or particular style, what would it be? What's making our kitchens look exactly the same? I asked designers, and while they shared a few, there was one that they all agree it is time to retire: waterfall edges. Here's why.

Why Designers Are Over Waterfall Edges in Kitchens

I'll be honest, I was surprised to hear how united designers were against the humble waterfall edge, once a signifier of polish and style. But when I really thought about it, it began to make some more sense to me.

It's one of those kitchen trends that became so popular, so quickly, that it practically became the default choice. So much so that I didn't even notice every quiet luxury kitchen sported the same straight-lined edge. But now, I can't unsee it.

Now, this isn't to say there's anything wrong with a waterfall edge; it's more that it's become an 'expected' choice. "The waterfall island has become almost a shorthand for a high-end kitchen, and I think we’ve become so focused on making the safe or expected choice that many kitchens are starting to feel interchangeable," explains interior designer Chanel Sansregret of Studio Miles Design. Instead of taking the time to explore what resonates most with your personal taste, or what would work best in your space, we've all defaulted to the design we think is most desirable, leaving us all with kitchens that lack any real identity or personality.

It's understandable why this happened. There's an obvious appeal to the look of a waterfall edge on a kitchen island. When the trend first came about, it felt like a real statement-maker. It was a way to draw attention to the beauty of the material, turning the island into a real focal point in the kitchen. And when you've invested in a beautiful kitchen worktop, like a natural stone or marble, it makes sense that you'd want it to be the main event.

But, according to designers, it's time to find something new. "They had their moment, but I think we’re ready to move on," argues Brianna Untener, from Brianna Scott Interiors. She always prioritizes her clients' unique point of view for design over trends. "When every kitchen has the same waterfall edge, it can start to make spaces feel a little too similar," she says.

What To Do Instead Of a Waterfall Edge

There are plenty of ways to make your island feel like the main event, or at least a special feature, without having to revert to a waterfall edge.

Chanel suggests treating it like a piece of furniture, rather than a traditional island. "Beautiful legs, thoughtful millwork, an interesting edge profile, or a material with character can make it feel much more considered and specific to the home," she says. Even a subtle fluted or bullnose edge can help elevate it without overpowering your space, and feels much more unique than a classic waterfall edge.

Brianna agrees. "I love a more classic island paired with a beautiful countertop or an unexpected edge detail," she says. "It gives you an opportunity to make the island feel more custom."

Introducing unique millwork is another beautiful way to add more interest to your island, and you can change it according to your style for a truly unique design.

How To Avoid Designing A Kitchen That Looks Like Everyone Elses

Before you even begin to design your space, it's worth taking some time to consider where you've found your inspiration. As Holte co-founder Fiona Ginnett says, "Instagram and Pinterest are brilliant for inspiration, but they can also be a bit of an echo chamber. The algorithms naturally serve up what’s already popular, so before long, you’re seeing the same colors, finishes, and details repeated everywhere. It’s easy to start thinking that’s what a kitchen should look like, when there are so many other directions you could take it."

Instead, go straight to the source and look for the kitchen materials and finishes that speak to you. Zooming in on the specifics can help you get a better grasp on the line between your personal style and the trends you've consumed.

You want your kitchen layout and design to be a true reflection of your lifestyle, so take the time to map out what that looks like. At Roundhouse, this is always the first step. Allison Lynch, one of Roundhouse's many talented designers, says, "I like to ensure the design reflects the client’s personality and will complement the rest of their home. Discussing this from the outset will allow you to produce a design tailored to the individual and follow through to the other rooms."

Diving into what makes your interior design unique, and what materials and finishes appeal most to you, is also a valuable step when designing a kitchen. It may lead you towards things that aren't necessarily 'on trend', but are truly reflective of your tastes, which, ultimately, should be the goal. As Chanel so aptly puts it, "The goal shouldn’t be to create a kitchen that appeals to everyone — it should feel like it belongs to the people who live there."

It's not just a style thing, either; there are problems with waterfall countertops that are really worth considering before you commit, like being more prone to chipping and the lack of seating options.

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Adding lighting into your kitchen cabinetry doesn't just make your space more functional; it makes it feel more stylish, too. Providing that lovely, atmospheric warmth after dark and a little extra light to help you identify the abandoned back-of-the-cupboard goods, it's become an absolute must-have for any new kitchen, but that doesn't mean it's always done right.

In fact, perfecting your kitchen cabinet lighting can be trickier than you might expect, requiring some serious attention to detail that's all too often skimmed over or altogether abandoned. As lighting expert Vanessa Macedo from John Cullen Lighting tells us, "LED strips can transform open kitchen shelving, but their position is key to creating a considered look rather than simply adding more light. The best location depends on the desired effect, as even moving a strip a few centimetres can significantly change how the shelf and objects displayed on it are perceived." Should LED lighting go at the bottom or the top? The front or the back? How bright should they be? How many do you need? They're all valuable questions, and ones that can be the line between a perfect finish and one that just about gets the job done.

Thankfully, no one knows this better than our experts, and they were more than happy to lay out the facts for us and lead us towards a better-lit kitchen. They've shared the three essential spots to add a little light, so you can give your cabinetry the upgrade it deserves.

The Most Aesthetic Choice for LED Lighting

In kitchens, your lighting can fulfil either a practical role or an aesthetic one, and in the best designs, there's an even balance of the two. Identifying what lighting is for function and what lighting adds atmosphere is one of the easiest ways to begin to define your design. And when it comes to getting the most visually pleasing effect from your LED lighting, the answer is all in the positioning.

"For a soft, atmospheric glow, I would generally position the LED strip towards the back of the shelf, ideally concealed within a recessed channel where possible," suggests Vanessa. "This allows the light to wash gently across the wall behind, creating depth and a subtle halo effect without making the LED itself the focus. It works particularly well when highlighting decorative objects, ceramics or glassware, giving the shelving a warm, layered quality."

For Matthew Andrews, head of design at Cor Domi, which specializes in creating luxury, bespoke kitchens, atmospheric lighting is all about softness and subtlety. "If the aim is more aesthetic, you can point the lighting upwards to create a soft wash of light on the wall above the shelf," he suggests. Opting for this upward wash, as opposed to a downward-facing light source, can help create a more diffused warmth, ideal for highlighting the material of your kitchen backsplash.

This doesn't have to be done in isolation, though. Oftentimes, Matthew will combine this upward light with some accompanying downlights, too. Or, he says, "If you're clever with the design, as we have been, you can light both up and down from the same LED strip. With a truly floating shelf, where there's nothing connecting it to its surroundings, I'd point the light upwards, which again creates a lovely wash up the wall."

The exact lights you use will also make a difference: "If you choose the right LED detailing, you can also add color temperature control or a dimmer to get exactly the mood you're after."

Where to Position LED Lighting for Task Lighting

While aesthetic lighting will lend your kitchen that inviting, welcoming look, it's task lighting that will make your space function at its best.

Task lighting is all about making the cooking process easier, so finding ways to keep your prep surfaces illuminated will be key. For this, Matthew recommends directing your lights downwards, which he says "is particularly helpful when you’re prepping and cooking food or using the sink."

Installing LED strips beneath your upper cabinets is a technique that almost all designers swear by — you could use something like these Under Cabinet Strip Lights at Amazon. It brings an extra, atmospheric warmth to your room, while also acting as task lighting for the countertops beneath to aid the cooking process.

When the goal is to light your kitchen worktops, it's always best to position your lights towards the outer edge of your cabinets. By positioning the strip towards the front edge of the cabinet, Matthew says, "You get better task lighting, and it shows off your belongings. It can also make the shelf feel deeper than it is, because the light creates depth and shadow where the shelf meets the wall." If you place the strips towards the back of the cabinet, it will do a good job of lighting your backsplash, but will offer you little in the way of functional task lighting. Generally, most experts will recommend somewhere between two to three inches from the front edge of your cabinet.

Strip lighting is often a better choice than concentrated spotlights for this area, says electrical expert Marvin Adams, who frequently turns to LED strips in his kitchen designs. As he explains, "LED strips generally work better than individual spotlights here because they give you a much more even spread of light without creating lots of bright and dark patches." An even spread of light will also prevent any awkward shadows along your countertops, which can quickly detract from your design.

Where to Position LED Lighting in Drawers and Pantries

While almost all experts recommend installing lights underneath your cabinets, opinions aren't quite so united when it comes to adding lights inside your cabinetry.

Unlike under-cabinet lighting, this technique is far from essential, but there are exceptions — most notably, if you have large, deep cabinets where you constantly find yourself losing things. In these cases, adding in some LED lights can be a true game-changer.

Having worked on several luxury kitchen remodels, Shelly Yoder is very familiar with this issue. When faced with deep drawers that don't receive any light, Shelly opts for hidden, sensor LED strips. As she explains, "A motion-activated LED strip inside a pull-out pantry or a base cabinet with deep shelves means the back of the cabinet is visible when the door opens."

By using motion-activated lights, you can cut out any unnecessary energy use while still benefiting from the convenience of a fully illuminated cabinet or pantry. These Motion Sensor LED Lights at Amazon are rechargeable, magnetic, dimmable, and have three color temperatures.

The Most Common LED Lighting Mistakes

First of all, one of the most important lessons you can take from this is that not every kitchen cabinet is equally deserving of lighting. In the aforementioned circumstances, the addition of LED lights can transform your kitchen, but adding lights into every cabinet just for the sake of it can actually end up making your space look more cluttered and confused. Only include lights where it actually serves a purpose.

Shelly explains this point further, saying, "Interior lighting inside solid-door base cabinets for storing pots and pans isn't worth specifying because you open them, grab what you need, and the light makes no practical difference." Instead, focus on fewer, more intentional placements for your kitchen lighting. "The locations that justify the cost are undercabinet strips above work surfaces, interior lighting in glass-front or open display cabinets, and lighting inside pull-outs or pantries where depth makes the back of the cabinet hard to see." These additions make a difference to how your kitchen looks and operates.

Placement and positioning aside, the other element that can make or break your design is the temperature and brightness of your lighting, which is where understanding lightbulbs comes into play. The tone of your bulbs will dictate the feel of your space: "Warm white, between 2700K and 3000K, works with most cabinet finishes and reads as inviting. Cool white at 4000K and above looks clinical in a residential kitchen and creates a visible mismatch if the overhead fixtures are warm," explains Shelly.

Adjustable lighting is key to a successful kitchen lighting design. If you can, it's always best to have your cabinet lighting on a separate dimmer from the rest of your kitchen lighting, so you can control and adjust it for the time of day.

The best kitchen lighting comes down to finding a balance between form and function, blending task lighting with decorative pieces for a space that works hard and looks beautiful. And when it comes to adding a little extra design flair, there's no better place than your kitchen island lighting. Keep it simple with a pendant, or opt for a striking chandelier; this is the spot to get a little creative.

And for more design ideas for your space, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.

Rugs are an instantly room-altering investment. Whether monotone, patterned, fringed, shaggy, or flat, these floor coverings don't always receive the care they deserve. And while it can seem like a Herculean task, once you understand the basics of rug care 101, you'll wish you'd learnt sooner.

So, I asked cleaning experts and rug professionals about how to clean, vacuum, dry, store, and scent a rug. Plus, you'll find tips on how to remove stains, prevent moths, and care for your rug based on its type, too.

This detailed guide will help you keep your best rugs looking immaculate. So, instead of hiding marks by rearranging furniture or flipping your floor covering around, here's what you should do.

How to Clean a Rug

Delah Gomasi, managing director and cleaning expert at MaidForYou, tells me the preliminary step to cleaning any rug involves checking the label. Consider the material before you begin cleaning the fabric. For less finicky materials, this is a step-by-step approach to follow.

Step 1: Remove — For a thorough deep clean, Delah says it's best to take your rug outside and clean it on a tarp in your garden. "Especially if you don't have access to a professional carpet cleaning machine," he adds.

Step 2: Vacuum — Next up, thoroughly vacuum your rug using an upholstery attachment to comb through deep fibers. This Vax Air Stretch Pet Max Corded Upright Vacuum Cleaner from Amazon is a highly rated choice.

Step 3: Wet and Soap — Once you've vacuumed all the excess dirt, Delah recommends wetting the rug with a solution of pH-neutral dish soap (like this Attirecare Dishwashing Liquid from Amazon) and water. "Or, use a gentle carpet cleaner to spot treat any deep-set stains," he advises. "Then, gently go in with a soft-bristled brush and push out excess water."

Step 4: Rinse and Repeat — Delah suggests repeating the process until the water runs clean.

Step 5: Dry — Last but not least, "leave on a rack in a well-ventilated room, not directly exposed to the hot sun but enough that the rug can dry quickly."

How Often to Clean a Rug

The time between each rug cleaning heavily depends on the kind of household you live in. A home with pets and children might require more frequent cleaning. However, as a general rule of thumb, it's best to clean your bedroom and living room rugs every six months.

For bathroom rugs, wash them every two weeks at the very least. This is important since they trap more moisture than other rooms. And for rugs in entryways and kitchens, consider washing them once every three months.

How to Vacuum a Rug

"Unlike when you vacuum your floors, tending to your rug is a different ball game," says Liza Garrison, rug expert and director of Ruggable.

"Instead of simply running a vacuum over your rug, hang it flat and sprinkle baking soda over the fabric first." Then leave the baking soda to sit in the rug and absorb the grime and bad odors for a couple of hours.

During this time, ensure your room is well ventilated. Then, once sufficient time has passed, slowly run your vacuum cleaner over the rug until all the baking soda is removed.

The V8 Cyclone Cordless Vacuum from Dyson is a sleek choice for low- to medium-pile rugs. And if you live in a home with a combination of high-pile rugs and pets, this Ball Animal Upright Vacuum Cleaner from Dyson is a hard-working alternative.

How to Clean Red Wine Out of a Rug

With most stains, you can follow a spot treatment method by gently scrubbing the stained area with a soft brush and a carpet cleaner or a warm, pH-neutral soap and water solution. But this technique will not help with tough wine spills.

So, to help avoid any rug-cleaning mistakes, here's a step-by-step guide to rescuing your floor covering from wine stains from Daniel Brown, cleaning expert and CEO of Handy Cleaners.

Step 1: Act Quickly and Blot — The key to removing red wine stains is to act as quickly as possible. The longer the wine sits, the harder it will be to remove. As soon as the spill occurs, begin to blot it with a clean, dry cloth or paper towel. Avoid rubbing, as this can spread the stain and push it deeper into the fibers.

Step 2: Apply Water and Dilute the Stain — Pour a small amount of cold water onto the stained area to prevent the wine from setting. Now, blot it again to help dilute the wine. Continue watering and blotting until the wine stops transferring.

Step 3: Apply Cleaning Solution — "There are several effective solutions you can use, depending on what you have on hand," says Daniel. "And in most cases you’ll need to use a clean cloth to apply the solution to the stain."

Dish Soap and White Vinegar Solution
Mix one tablespoon of dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. Then, apply this solution to the stain. Gently blot, working from the edges toward the center to prevent spreading. I'd recommend a combination of this pH-neutral Antibacterial Washing Up Dishwashing Liquid from The Lab Co. and this Eco White Vinegar from Miniml.

Club Soda
You can also try pouring club soda directly onto the stain. The carbon in the club soda helps to lift the wine, while the water dilutes the color. Blot with a clean cloth until the stain fades. "This is the cleanest and most effective method I've found to get red wine out of rugs or carpet," says Lucy Searle, content director at Livingetc.

Baking Soda Paste
If you don't have white vinegar or club soda, mix baking soda (like this Pure Baking Soda from Arm & Hammer) and water to create a paste. Apply it to the stain and let it sit until dry. Once dry, vacuum up the residue.

Step 4: Blot Again and Rinse — After using the cleaning solution of your choice, rinse the area with cold water to remove any residue. Pat the area with a dry cloth to absorb as much moisture as possible.

Step 5: Dry Thoroughly — Once the stain is gone, ensure the rug dries completely to prevent mildew or odors. You can lay a dry towel over the wet area and press down to absorb moisture, or use a fan to speed up the process.

What Should You Consider Based on the Type of Rug?

How to Clean a Shag Rug — Since shag rugs have a fuzzy quality about them, Andriy Neborak, founder and CEO of Luxury Cleaning NY, recommends taking it outside and shaking it to remove any loose dirt. "For larger rugs, use your vacuum's upholstery attachment to scoop up any dust on the floor," he adds.

You can then sprinkle it with baking soda, as usual. And for tougher stains, Andry recommends a vinegar rinse. "Fill a spray bottle (like this Empty Ever Spray Bottle in Kyoto Green from Kinfill) with half water and half white vinegar, and spray over the spot," he says. "Be careful and spot-test it beforehand to make sure it doesn't discolor your shag."

How to Clean a Wool Rug — When it comes to refreshing your wool rugs, Ken Doty, COO and cleaning expert at The Maids, explains that the less you wet it, the better. "You must avoid drenching a wool rug and blot any excess water with clean towels," he says. "I'd use multiple fans or a dehumidifier (like this Arete® One Dehumidifier & Air Purifier from Meaco) for up to 24 hours if needed to ensure that the wool dries fully."

How to Clean a Sheepskin Rug — "For larger sheepskin rugs, you can use a front-loading washing machine on a gentle cycle with cold water to avoid any shrinkage or damage," says Logan Taylor, founder of Dazzle Cleaning Company. "Be sure to skip the spin cycle, as this can also cause damage to the rug."

After the rug is completely dry, Logan recommends using a brush (like this Sheepskin Wool Brush from Amazon) or comb to gently fluff up the fibers and restore its natural texture and softness.

How to Clean a Jute Rug — "Water and jute don’t mix. So try to use as little water as possible when cleaning," explains Samantha Gann, rug expert at Rugs.com. "Jute rugs easily absorb moisture and often hold on to it for a long time. This can then lead to problems with damp and mold since the thick weave of the material takes a long time to dry."

How to Clean an Outdoor Rug — This style might be the easiest to freshen up, considering they're made to withstand rain and shine in an al fresco setting. Cleaning expert Hyacinth Tucker from Laundry Basket explains that you can even go as far as to pressure wash your outdoor rugs. "Just start on a lower setting so you don't damage the rug," she advises. "And test a small hidden spot first."

And if you're not keen on investing in a pressure washer just yet, this CarpetXpert Deep Clean Carpet Cleaner Bundle from Shark is a versatile alternative.

How to Dry a Rug

The best way to dry your rug is by hanging it outside. Putting it on a sturdy clothesline or a heavy-duty drying rack is the best way to air out both sides of your floor covering at the same time.

However, since some rugs are far too large or heavy, the next best thing is to lay them flat in a ventilated room. You can also speed up the process by crowding the rug with fans and dehumidifiers.

Bosch's Dry 1000 Dehumidifier on Amazon is ultra-quiet, energy-saving, and has a 2.5 liter capacity.

How to Store a Rug

Once your rug is clean, you might be wondering whether it's best to roll or fold your rug before storing it. Elizabeth Shields, a cleaning expert from Super Cleaning Service Louisville, says that rolling is always the better way.

"If you choose to fold, expect to see creases. And those lines just won’t go away once they’re there. But if you roll a rug instead, the pressure spreads out evenly, reducing wear and tear. Rolled rugs are just easier to store, too."

As for whether you should store your rug horizontally or vertically, Elizabeth favors the latter. "When you store a rug horizontally, it can get squished and creased from the weight of the rug and anything else sitting on top of it," says Elizabeth. "But if you do it the other way, there’s less chance it’ll be out of shape."

Now, on to the best storage ideas for your rug. "I recommend placing it in a closet or storage room, under the bed or large furniture, in the attic or basement," explains Elizabeth. "Closets, in particular, offer a nice, controlled environment that shields your rugs from sunlight and moisture, which can be pretty damaging."

You can also use these Large Rug Storage Bags from Amazon to keep them from unfurling. And if you don't have a dedicated room to store your floor covering, then you can always use the DIY wall hanging hack to turn your rug into a statement art piece.

How to Prevent Moths in Rugs

After you've given your rug a good vacuum to get rid of surface-level dust, debris, and possible moths, Ken recommends applying a natural repellent, such as cedar oil or lavender sachets. "These scents are unpleasant to moths and can help deter them from returning," he explains.

"If you're worried about moths making a home in the rugs that you've stored away, I'd also add some sticky moth traps. You can also use diatomaceous earth or a specialized carpet moth killer kit, following the manufacturer's instructions carefully."

This Cedar Multi Pack from John Lewis includes hangers, balls, blocks, and rounds. Or, you can use these Inovida Dried Lavender Flowers Bags from Amazon and these Clothes & Carpet Moth Monitoring Traps from Manchester Mothmen as a last resort.

How to Make a Rug Smell Nice

Regularly cleaning your rug is the best way to keep it smelling fresh. Once you've done that, a few other tips can add extra freshness. Believe it or not, spritzing your rug with an equal-parts recipe of white vinegar and water is ideal for getting rid of bad odors. These Green Cleaning Spray Bottles from Amazon are the perfect accessory for this home remedy.

Alexander Matson, owner of Shine Pros, explains that the strong scent of vinegar doesn't last long and it takes the other smells with it. "Steam cleaning your rug is another trick to maintaining a fresh, unworn smell that's long-lasting," says Alexander. "This treatment tightly packs and warms the fibers, further removing dirt and bad odors."

Jarred Fajerski, cleaning expert at Stratus Clean, recommends using essential oils to finish things off. "Add a drop of your favorite essential oil to the baking soda for a pleasant and lasting fragrance," says Jarred. "Not only does this trick remove any musty odors, but it also replaces them with a subtle perfume."

Pair this Duzzit Amazing Baking Soda from Amazon with this Essential Oils Blends Bundle from Nikura or this Daily Wellbeing Essential Oil Gift Set from MUJI for an unbeatable combination.

And of course, airing out your rug in the sun is a brilliant way to naturally refresh your rug and make your living room smell good.

FAQs

Can I Steam-Clean a Rug?

Delah strongly recommends checking the label of your rug first to determine if it's safe for steam cleaning. In general, synthetic fibers like nylon, polyester, and polypropylene can be steam cleaned. This Upright Steam Mop from Russell Hobbs is Amazon's choice.

On the other hand, natural fabrics like seagrass, jute, and sisal are prone to shrinking and warping when exposed to steam. Although wool rugs can be steam cleaned, it's best to operate your cleaner on a low heat level.

Can I Put a Rug in the Washing Machine?

Unfortunately, most rugs are not machine-wash compatible. However, some brands, like Ruggable, are adept at designing floor coverings that can be thrown in the washing machine after the slightest mishap.

Can You Clean a Rug Without Carpet Cleaner?

Yes, you can clean a rug without carpet cleaner. As mentioned earlier, a sudsy solution of warm water and pH-neutral soap or detergent (like this Wool & Delicates Detergent from Clothes Doctor) can be used in its place. Or, you can use baking soda as a cleaning agent for less offensive stains.

Does Beating a Rug Work?

While it might seem unusual, depending on where in the world you live, beating your rugs outside is a brilliant way to rid it off dirt that's sitting below the surface. You can hang it on a clothes line and hit at either side to remove as much trapped dust as possible. And in the winter, you can clean your vintage rugs in the snow.

How Often Should You Vacuum a Rug?

Rugs in rooms with high foot traffic should be vacuumed at least twice a week. For other living spaces with less commotion, you should tend to vacuuming your rug once every seven to ten days to keep dust and allergens from embedding further into the fabric.

Are Rug Pads Really Needed?

Yes, rug pads are a small but impactful addition to your home, and you only need to replace them every five to ten years. Picking the right rug pad can protect your floors from scratches and prevent your rug from sliding at the slightest contact.

Next, before your home opens its doors to hosting, read our guide to cleaning a sofa to cover all your bases. And sign up for the Livingetc newsletter for more tips to keep your designer home in tip-top shape.

"Color drenching has really landed: walls, mouldings, ceiling, and maybe the joinery too, all in one shade, rather than color being confined to one surface," says Jessica Gibbons, an interior designer whose spaces are often full of bold color. And it has; since color drenching took hold, we've become more and more daring with its application. Darker hues, tonal variations, bolder finishes — so why is your color-drenched room not reading as stylishly as you imagined?

As seemingly simple as this approach appears (slap a color across every surface and call it a day, right?), it actually requires clever technique and nuance. Neutrals can easily read as flat, and strong saturations quickly become overwhelming, so what's the fix? Well, leaning into the more contemporary variations of color drenching is a good way to start — adding trim in a slightly different tone, adding accent finishes on the doors or ceiling, and styling decor that ties the color around the room.

For design lovers like you and me, there is a universal experience of constantly seeing interiors you admire and garnering inspiration for your own space. For me, I've always loved a bold color-drench, but it's a hard one to really pull off. So, if you're not quite satisfied with how your drench is sitting, here are a few expert tips and tricks for getting it right, according to designers.

The first part of nailing a beautifully color-drenched room is understanding where it can go wrong. Interior designer Jessica Horton, founder and creative director of London-based studio Deorling, explains, "A lot of people think that drenching a room will work in every color, but color choice is so important. Get it wrong, and drenching can feel overwhelming and claustrophobic."

So, the color you use for color drenching matters. Nature-inspired greens will create a grounding space that feels serene yet vibrant, while a deep brown or aubergine drench is for those who want a more maximalist space. Think about the mood you want to create or the environment you want to exist in within the room.

And another easy trick is to choose a shade slightly lighter and darker for detailing. "I like a slightly darker shade on the skirting, architraves, and ceiling," says Jessica. "This gives the eye a break without using a different color." Many paint brands do shades in different strengths to easily achieve this (Little Greene's Portland Stone comes to mind).

"Another tricky thing is making sure the 3D space doesn't feel 2D, which can easily happen," warns Jessica. Switching up paint finishes throughout the room creates contrast and visual depth. A glossy finish here, a matte or limewash there — these subtle variations will keep a room from feeling flat. Or, take a note from this Atelier Zero Milanese apartment and opt for a more geometric spin on color drenching.

"My typical rule of thumb is eggshell on the walls, satin on all millwork, and flat on the ceiling," says interior designer and founder of Silo Studio, Gabriela Eisenhart. This combination builds a livable base, but you can always increase the intensities if you want something bolder.

And, more than just choosing between the aesthetics of a gloss versus matte finish, think about how it will sit in the room. "If you're using a darker color, I like to lower the opacity of the ceiling paint by about 30-40 percent to help reflect more light and keep the room from feeling too heavy," says Gabriela.

Next, you want to think beyond just the walls — a truly effective color drench will bleed into every part of a room's design. "Adding textiles, architectural detailing that matches the heritage of the house, and raw, natural materials are a great way to add depth to the design while complementing the cocooning feeling of the drench," says Jessica.

For instance, "patterned fabrics, tiles, wood, cornicing, and rattan can all add contrast to a drenched scheme without feeling too stark," she adds. These also help to break up the room visually so that your design details don't get lost in the drench.

Lastly, pay attention to the details. "You can't have white recessed can lights staring down at you in a rich, dark color-drenched room," says Gabriela. "Make sure you're painting vent covers and recessed lighting to blend in, and change your switch plates to a finish that works with the wall color you selected." Those small details make a huge difference in how finished the space feels.

And just because you are doing a color drench doesn't mean you can't experiment. Sometimes, a characterful element, like a tented ceiling, colorful carpeting, or a bold sofa, is what really brings the space to life. "And don't forget the window treatments. I love to go monochromatic with those as well; it adds so much texture, depth, and drama to the room," says Gabriela.

Color drenching is a beautiful paint technique when done well, and these expert tips make for a more nuanced application.

For more inspiration and design tricks like this, be sure to subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter.

It was with huge excitement that Livingetc took over the wonderful Karndean showroom in Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, for another fascinating In Session event. This time, we'd gathered color psychology expert Karen Haller, designer Alex Dauley and paint maker Cassandra Ellis of Atelier Ellis to share their wisdom. And boy was it revealing.

I knew it would be. All three speakers are hugely knowledgable and just as opinionated, with different approaches to all doing the same thing - making liveable spaces that make the people in them feel good.

Here are the key lessons the audience - and I - came away with.

1. Color is more than just color

When you're picking a tone for your walls, furniture or floor, it's key that you're not thinking purely visually. That instead you understand the deeper resonance each color has.

'Color is emotion,' said Karen Haller. 'It’s that emotive connection we have to color that has an impact on us, rather than the color itself. The impact is personal. If we decorate our homes for other people to like them, or we follow trends on Instagram, then we're missing a huge trick. Instead, you have to think about context. Ask yourself what the space you're decorating will be used for, what it does to your energy levels when you see it. And choose your palette accordingly.'

2. The best colors for you come from positive memories

If you're unsure where to start or how to find a color that makes you feel good, you might not be looking too far back. The answer is often locked inside our favorite childhood memories, that time we felt happiest and most safe.

'My first color memory is from when I was aged four, and my mum was a seamstress,' said Cassandra Ellis. 'She always had offcuts of fabric, and she made my clothes from them. I remember wearing a pale blue-green dress and I remember smoothing it with my hands and just feeling so ultimately pleased and loved and safe. That exact hue has since followed me everywhere, it has become part of our palette at Atelier Ellis - it's now in our paint collection as Tamaki - and it’s always my colour. It’s in my living room, it’s in a bedroom, it was the colour of my first flat. Everyone has that color somewhere in their mind, and when you work out what it is it will make decorating decisions so much easier.

3. There's an easy trick to realising what colors you like

Understandably, many of us struggle to know or name the colors we like, perhaps not giving it enough thought or being overwhelmed by the choice. But Alex Dauley has a straightforward way of pulling this information out of her clients, which can help anyone struggling with indecision.

'When clients can't tell me what they like, I always tell them to go to their wardrobes and take a look at the things they wear,' Alex said. 'Those tend to be the shades that make you feel comfortable, and they might end up being the accent color or even the base of a scheme.'

She points out that response to color is very subjective, and only you can really articulate what you like and what you don't. 'Another good place to start is to look at what colors you've used in your home before - what did you gravitate to?' she says. 'How brave are you? How much saturation can you live with? Previous schemes should at least hint at that.'

4. The tone is more important than the color itself

'People might say "oh, I hate pink," but no one could possibly hate all the variations of one color - there are so many!' Karen says. 'And a softer pink is so nurturing, it's like a hug. If cuddles were a color it would be pink. Whereas magenta is feisty, independent, and strong. It's possible that someone hates either one, but unlikely that they really hate both.'

So dig deep into what versions of color it is you don't like, and then into what tones and saturation levels you do.

5. Color is the most important factor in how a room feels

'There is no simple equation for how one color equals one emotion - everybody has a different response,' Alex says. 'But generally creams and beiges are calm while warmer colors tend to be energising.'

She says that color palettes come very early in her schemes, before the more specific pieces she plans to choose. 'I'll be thinking about the walls and floors and what color they will be and how they will affect the mood of the room long before I've chosen a sofa,' she said.

It was at this moment we pointed towards Karndean's new Knight Tile Curio collection, on display in the showroom. Its tiles comes in sage, terracotta and black, and are a wonderful opportunity to layer color into a space, that dynamic palette meaning there will definitely be something for everyone.

I've always been especially envious of Carrie Bradshaw's iconic writing desk window and her tendency to productively WFH with all the manic excitement of New York happening right outside her window. But turns out, it can actually be a productivity booster.

I spoke to psychology and behavioral experts about the work habits shared by people who favor a window-anchored layout in their home office. If you can relate, you probably favor micro-breaks, rely on natural light as a cue, and prefer less enclosed spaces.

And just like that, let's get into what each of these habits has to do with what might have been just a convenient study setup.

1. You Take 'Micro-Breaks'

"Working in front of a window gives people an opportunity to stop periodically and watch something outside (trees, clouds, other people, cars, etc.) for just a minute," says licensed psychologist Dr. Shannon Franklin.

"This is a natural way to take a mini-break while you are working, and it can help your mind get ready to focus again on what you are doing." So even closet offices can stimulate short resets if they have a window to spare.

2. You Use Natural Light as a Cue

Dr. Robert Davies, a certified psychiatrist at Chroma Wellness Center, tells me that people who face the window in their study tend to use natural sunlight as a cue to organize their WFH routine for the day.

"This layout allows them to make the most of the sunshine," he adds. "It's one of the main environmental cues that provide signals to your body's circadian rhythms as to when you should be awake or asleep."

So, when winter rolls around, rethinking your home office lighting to include sun lamps is a clever idea. The Halo Light Therapy Lamp from Lumie is my favorite design-y desk feature.

3. You Prefer a Less Enclosed Space

"For many remote workers, having a window to look out of their home office space is as much, or even more, about giving them an open feeling than it is about reducing distractions," says Robert.

"A view from outside helps create the feeling that you are not 'stuck' in your house. This is highly beneficial if you aren't used to spending multiple hours seated in one spot."

In such a case, brighter seasons might feel more uncomfortable than productive. This is where decorating with sheer curtains comes in handy. It offers a splash of sunshine with a diluted harshness.

Decor for Your Home Office

On the other hand, if you can't relate and you prefer a layout with no distractions, people who face the wall when working from home also share some work habits.

While you're here, subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter to learn more about design and its relationship to you.

From personal experience, I can truly say that the renovation projects I have carried out have been some of the most exciting and rewarding parts of my life. In the same breath, however, I'd also point out that they have been amongst the most financially and, subsequently, emotionally draining too.

While living on site with kids while renovating contributed to the stress, so too did the overspending. The budget — which was hazy at best to begin with — just kept getting stretched. According to the 2026 UK Houzz & Home Report, I am not alone in failing to stick to my original financial plan. The report found that 38% of homeowners exceeded their initial home renovation budgets, while only 3% of renovators completed their project under budget — and approximately 26% started their renovation with no set budget at all.

To get to the bottom of all this overspending, I spoke to a leading psychologist as well as a couple of experienced project managers who explained to me the leading causes of going over-budget — as well as the steps renovators can take to remain in control of their finances while enjoying the experience of creating their dream home. Here's what you need to know.

1. Set a Realistic Budget From the Offset

It sounds so simple, yet it is surprising how few people actually sit down and set a firm budget for their project, be that a renovation or extension. Shamefully, I am one of them — rather than having a fixed amount to spend, we just kind of took a 'pay as you go' approach, which, as you can imagine, meant we overspent horribly.

According to Dylan Gould, founder and director of design at Cargo Workshop, when setting a budget, some really honest, perhaps uncomfortable, conversations need to happen. "Overspending is usually a clarity problem. Homeowners sometimes hesitate to share their actual budget, believing that by lowering the target, they’ll protect their investment. But that muddies the water for the design process. A budget is as much a design tool as a Pinterest board is. Knowing the parameters lets the design team help the homeowners understand where spending will actually change the experience within the home and where it won’t."

"A strategy we use to solve this is to test costs while the design is still active," continues Dylan. "The traditional project process is to design the entire project, bid it, experience sticker shock, redesign it, and re-bid it. We’d rather have some of those uncomfortable conversations while the ink is still wet. It’s much simpler to erase a part of a drawing than to move an entire wall filled with framing, electrical, and plumbing. In a design-build process, decisions are made with the desired outcome in mind, rather than designing the dream first and then cutting pieces away to make the spreadsheet work."

NYC-based neuropsychologist Dr. Sanam Hafeez, founder and director of Comprehend the Mind, agrees that having a set figure for the renovation before any work gets underway is key to staying on budget. "The best thing you can do is decide on a firm budget before the project starts and be very clear about what that number includes. Give yourself a number you will not go beyond."

2. Do Nothing Until You Have a Clear Plan

In all the excitement of getting started on a renovation project, it is all too easy to rush the planning stages, yet it is this stage that determines how likely you are to be successful in sticking to your budget.

As Anna Vasiltsova, founder of Anna Design LA, an architectural interior design studio in Los Angeles, explains, "I'm currently building my own home and ADU, so I'm going through the budgeting process as the designer and the client at the same time. My biggest piece of advice on budgeting? Plan it first, build it after. Everything needs to be planned on paper first — and precalculated. What exactly are you doing? When you know that, you will be able to stay within the budget. This is the most important rule."

"When you don't have a plan, that's where you start having a lot of extra spending," continues Anna. "Homeowners overspend because they only have half a plan — or sometimes because they don't have a plan at all. So they are just going with the flow, then later they find something better or something different and try to change it. Or they have an 'open budget', start spending, and then realize they are going way above the figure they set. It's simple — no plan in the beginning will leave you overspent."

Dylan Gould also highlights how early planning allows you to prioritize and break the project into stages. "Renovations are ultimately a series of consequential decisions, and the design phase is the place to weigh up which consequences are worth it," he says. "It’s also worth designing around what can be changed later. You can always install the beautiful chandelier or stand-out kitchen lighting next summer, but the wiring needs to happen now."

"Emotional stress comes when homeowners feel surprised or trapped by decisions they didn't fully understand when they made them," adds Dylan. "That’s when excitement turns into anxiety, resentment, or decision fatigue. Spending more than you originally anticipated can still feel like a good decision if you understand what you’re gaining in return and have consciously chosen the trade-off. The goal shouldn’t be to spend the least amount possible — it should be to avoid surprises and spend deliberately on the things that matter most."

3. Have a Contingency Fund With a Clear Purpose

A contingency fund should really be non-negotiable during a renovation project, or even when remodelling a small kitchen — it will prevent the project from grinding to a halt in the face of unexpected yet unavoidable expenses and gives peace of mind as the project progresses, too.

Whitney Hill, a licensed general contractor and CEO of SnapADU, suggests organizing your budget into distinct categories to prevent overspending. "The best protection is to divide the budget upfront into three buckets: committed scope (what you have actually decided to build); contingency (money reserved for true unknowns); and optional upgrades (the things you'd like, but can cut without compromising the project.) The mistake is letting the contingency become an upgrade fund."

"I'd also set a clear scope-freeze point," continues Whitney. "After that, every new idea has to replace something already in the budget rather than simply adding to the total. Otherwise, a series of seemingly small decisions can turn into a very large overrun."

Dr Sanam Hafeez wholly agrees that a contingency fund is vital to keep a project on track financially. "Renovations rarely go exactly as planned. Decide ahead of time which things are most important to you and which upgrades you can/cannot live without," she says. "Once work begins, it can be tempting to think, 'It’s only another £500,' but those smaller decisions can quickly add up. Try to avoid changing plans halfway through the project unless there is a real reason to do so."

4. Try To Not Let Emotions Over Rule Good Sense

Renovators tend to fall into two categories — those that are simply aiming to make a quick profit before moving on and those designing a forever home, with a view to living in it for a good chunk of time. If you fall into the latter category, you may well find yourself letting your emotional attachment to the house cloud your good financial judgement.

"A home is very emotional for people, so decisions about it are not always made based on money alone," picks up Dr Sanam Hafeez. "They picture their family living there, entertaining friends, or finally having the kitchen or backyard they have always wanted. Once they become attached to that picture, it can be difficult to scale it back."

"Social media can add to the pressure because people are constantly seeing beautiful homes and renovations that make their own space feel inadequate," adds Dr Hafeez. "Whether it is worth it really depends on what someone can comfortably afford without sacrificing their financial security."

5. Avoid the "We've Already Spent This Much..." Trap

We've all been there (I certainly have anyway) — you've got so used to pouring money into your renovation project that it can become really easy to think 'what does a little more matter?'

According to Whitney Hill, this is a common cause of going over budget. "Once someone has already committed six figures and months of disruption to a project, another few thousand can start to feel insignificant in isolation. That's where homeowners can get themselves into trouble. Each individual decision feels reasonable, but the cumulative total isn't."

Joe Matejka, founder of Walk Your Plans, fully understands the emotional connection homeowners have with their project, but also points out the effect this can have on their budgets. "Buying a home is a very emotional purchase. It’s where you’ll raise your family, celebrate holidays, and spend a significant part of your life. This emotional connection causes budgets to become flexible because people say to themselves: 'If we're already doing this, we might as well...'".

"Those extra costs might not seem significant at the moment, but they compound quickly," continues Joe. "And the few thousand here and upgrade there means that suddenly the project looks extremely different from what was originally planned. Are the decisions intentional or reactive? It’s worth it if it’s intentional, and it usually isn’t if it’s reactive."

The Real Impact of Overspending on a Renovation

Whether you are budgeting for a bathroom remodel or renovating a home for life, it seems that the main causes of renovation overspends are a combination of poor planning and emotional attachment to a property. Once you are aware of this, it should, theoretically, be easier to catch yourself in the act of either — but if you still find yourself pushing your budget's boundaries, understanding the psychological impact it can have might help.

"Financial stress has a way of following you around because money affects so many parts of everyday life," explains Dr. Sanam Hafeez. "Someone may start feeling anxious every time another bill comes in or another unexpected expense appears. It can also cause regret, especially if they begin wondering whether the renovation was really worth what they spent."

"People may become irritable, have trouble sleeping, or find themselves thinking about money throughout the day," continues Dr Hafeez. "Overspending can also create tension between partners. In some cases, the home that was supposed to make someone happier can actually become a reminder of the debt or stress they are carrying."

"Financial stress takes away the most rewarding experience and instead of enjoying this process, homeowners find themselves second-guessing every decision, arguing over priorities, and wondering whether they should cut corners to make numbers work," adds Joe Matejka. "I’ve also seen decision fatigue become a real challenge — by the time people are making their 100th decision, they're mentally exhausted, and that is when rushed decisions happen. The ones people regret the most."

While living on site while renovating might sound like a good way to keep a budget under control, it is vital to ensure that by doing so, you are not slowing the process up by getting in the way of any contractors or trades trying to get their jobs done quickly and efficiently — good communication is key.

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In his foreword to Nathan Orsman's debut monograph, Light: Illuminated Interiors and Architecture, trailblazing fashion designer Marc Jacobs writes: "I once visited a house designed by one of my dear friends, the late Paul Fortune, and everything in it was perfect, so comfortable and stylish, bathed in this light that made everything feel positively cinematic. I realized, that's how life should be: you should always feel like you're in the perfect still from the movie of your life. That's what Nathan helped us create."

It is a statement that confirms what the Australian designer, the founding principal of namesake interior and architecture lighting practice Orsman Design, which counts Jacobs and fellow A-listers Oprah Winfrey, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ina Garten among its clients and has collaborated with stellar industry staples like Kelly Behun, Ashe Leandro, Gil Schafer, and Steven Gambrel, has been trying to tell us since 2009, when the studio launched — that lighting holds the power to make us travel through space, time, and, yes, even fantasy.

As Light: Illuminated Interiors and Architecture, a first-of-its-kind, 320-page visual survey of Orsman's projects across cinematic homes, gardens, and commercial spaces, co-authored with architecture critic Ian Volner and published by Rizzoli, releases September 29, we sat down with the Sydney talent and asked him to share an underestimated trick that can make his moody yet sophisticated schemes more easily achievable by all. A hint: it all comes down to (creative) direction.

As the Lighting Designer for Some of the World's Leading Tastemakers, What's One Lighting Trend You Think Is Coming Back?

"I'm particularly interested in the return of the monopoint. It isn't a new idea, but the technology has become so much more refined. The fixtures are now incredibly small, with connections that nearly disappear into the ceiling. Some can even be added when needed and removed afterward, leaving very little behind.

"What I love is the control they give you. A downlight tends to illuminate a space more generally, while a monopoint lets you place light exactly where you want it, keeping the source out of the eye while creating contrast, depth, and a little drama.

"The best spaces have a quality that is difficult to describe. Nothing calls attention to itself; nothing feels wrong or missing. The whole environment just feels incredibly right. That search for visual calm has been a constant throughout my career, and I think the new generation of monopoints gives us another very beautiful tool for achieving it."

What Makes the Monopoint an Especially Desirable Feature to Include in Your Home Right Now?

"The return of the monopoint feels closely connected to the way interiors are being designed today. There is a real desire for more restrained ceilings and fewer visible fixtures, but also for lighting that feels layered, flexible, and intentional. Their small scale keeps the ceiling visually quiet, while the adjustable light lets you highlight art, architecture, or specific areas of a room with precision.

"Advances in LED technology have made this possible, but they have also introduced far more variables. Color temperature, color rendering, optics, dimming, and consistency all matter, and two products with the same specifications can still produce very different light. In our practice, we test and compare products side by side in our Light Lab. For a homeowner, it might be as simple as trying one lamp before committing to 50.

"That flexibility is especially relevant now, as rooms are expected to change and evolve. A monopoint can be adjusted, added, or removed without redesigning the entire ceiling, allowing the lighting to respond to the space while remaining considered."

What Are Some of the Concrete Ways Monopoints Are Integrated in Your Projects — And to Which Effect?

"We use monopoints to focus light on art, sculpture, tabletops, and architectural details where a conventional downlight would be too broad. Because monopoints can be aimed so precisely, we can build contrast into a room and give individual elements their own presence without lighting everything equally.

"I started using them early in my career, when the fixtures were considerably larger and clunkier. Some clients and designers are still initially hesitant about having something hanging slightly below the ceiling, which I completely understand. But today's monopoints are so small and refined that they can feel like an intentional part of the design.

"The real turning point is seeing them at night. Once clients and designers experience how focused and dimensional the light feels, that hesitation usually disappears. After completing a house with them, many of the designers we work with become very receptive to using them again."

What's More General Piece of Advice You'd Give to People Wanting to Get More Intentional With Lighting?

"The biggest takeaway is to think about light and how it interacts with the space. Pay attention to where it falls, how it plays across different surfaces, and most importantly, how it makes you feel in the room. Don't choose a fixture only because it looks good in a catalogue or technically produces enough light.

"We think of lighting as painting with light. It allows you to decide what should be illuminated, what should remain quieter, and where the eye should travel. That balance of light and shadow is what gives a room atmosphere, depth, and a sense of calm.

"Practically, the advice is very simple: look, test and compare. Try a fixture or lamp in the actual space before committing to it, and experience it at different times of day. Technical specifications are useful, but your eye will often tell you what the numbers cannot."

Nathan Orsman's Light: Illuminated Interiors and Architecture is out September 29.

Feel like revisiting some of our previous interviews with designers to take notes on their hot takes? Write down the four questions designer Brigitta Spinocchia Freund always asks her clients that hold the secret to a home that's "rich, personal, and full of interest", or pick up advice for an artful restyle from leading collectors Friedrich and Johanna Gräfling.

For more reflections on the interior space, but not like you know it, explore our ongoing series, The Meaning of Home, for long reads crafted with care to be enjoyed slowly over tea or coffee. Subscribe to our newsletter today to ensure you are not missing any of our stories and become part of our community of culture pioneers, globetrotters, and tastemakers.

I made a strange discovery recently. I'd have thought the social media app I spent the most time using on my phone would be Instagram, surely, or TikTok, perhaps. But upon checking my phone's app usage, it turns out it's actually Pinterest.

Pinterest doesn't lead to endless doomscrolling as much as the previously mentioned apps, and it feels a little more additive to life. It's about inspiration more than comparison, and I often use it to moodboard my own home projects.

However, it's not without its own problems, especially when it comes to designing a space like a kitchen. Yes, we're all, often, served a lot of the same images algorithmically speaking (and if we're all taking the same inspiration, that specially curated kitchen color moodboard is going to look awfully similar to a lot of other people also in the process of planning a kitchen), but Pinterest only gives you the inspiration, not the 'context', kitchen designers warn.

"Relying too heavily on Pinterest or Instagram rather than letting the house speak for itself is a risk," says Matthew Andrews, head of design at kitchen design studio Cor Domi. "There's a real tendency to try to recreate something you've seen online because you can see it works — but it works for that space, which might face a completely different direction, in a different part of the world, with completely different lighting."

So, how do you choose a scheme that will really work for your space, while feeling personal, original, and right for the context of your home. Let's figure it out.

What Does the 'Context' of Your Home Mean?

Ignoring the context of your wider home is one of those kitchen color mistakes you'll come to regret. " Not considering the flooring, worktop, and tiles alongside the color is one example," says Allison Lynch, senior designer at kitchen design brand Roundhouse, of the biggest mistakes she sees. "Not considering daylight, evening light; north vs. south facing. Not considering the rest of the home; the colors do not have to match other rooms, but they should speak the same language."

It's not quite as simple as just whether you have a north-facing kitchen or south-facing space — it comes down to details including how the light enters at different times of day, how it reflects off of other materials and colors, and how the colors that sit near it change your perception of it.

Ignoring the 'context' when choosing a color is one of those things that sometimes works out; sometimes it doesn't. "Going into a project with your heart set on one specific color or aesthetic before it's even begun can go either way," Matthew Andrews of Cor Domi explains. "You're either thrilled because you got exactly what you pictured, or disappointed because the reality doesn't quite live up to the image in your head, and that's heartbreaking after everything a renovation can take to get over the line. You can be standing in a beautiful, brand-new kitchen and still feel deflated."

How to Choose a Color With Context in Mind

Figuring out what a color will look like in your kitchen isn't really something you can do with imagination alone, unless you've got a lot of experience. "My advice is always the same: trust the professionals you appoint to assess the site properly and advise on a scheme that actually works with the house," Matthew suggests.

If you're not working with a designer, or a studio that offers home visits for the design consultation, then you can often borrow sample packs to assess the colors at home yourself, though you're still at the mercy of fluctuations of light at different times of day and year, and what you already have in your kitchen. However, you will get a better read on how a color will feel, and which undertones are most prominent in your space.

You might think that the answer lies in AI mock-ups, as many people turn to generating images of what their kitchens might look like in different colors; however, the issue remains the same. "AI can be helpful too, up to a point, but its idea of 'photorealistic' is fairly loose," Matthew says. It will faithfully recreate whichever color you feed it, but again it can't recreate the lighting context of your home. Well, yet, anyway.

But most of all, you need to keep an open mind. "Some of the most successful kitchens I've designed ended up completely different from what the client walked in wanting," Matthew says. "We found what actually worked for the space as we went through the process together. That's the fun part."

How to Detach Your Moodboard From the Algorithm

Relying on Pinterest isn't just an issue of context though; it's about separating your own taste from what the algorithm is feeding you. "The current bold kitchen color trends are here today and gone tomorrow," says Jayne Everett, founder of Naked Kitchens. "Yellow reared its head recently; this can look fresh and vibrant, but I'm not sure you'll feel the same about it in a few years. It's not easy to change the color of a kitchen, and it can be quite a costly exercise, so you need to be confident with your choice."

My advice? Try to figure out if you really love the color and it appeals to your personality, or it just feels right for now. If you find a color that has meaning to you, or is ingrained in a memory, then you'll be able to make choices that skirt the Pinterest machine.

And look for that inspiration away from your phone screen. "At art exhibitions, I’m drawn to color combinations that shouldn’t work on paper but do in real life," suggests Design Lab by Livingetc stylist Iokasti Sotirakopoulou. "Deep, saturated tones next to something faded, how a single color is given space to breathe."

"When I travel, I focus on light and material, how the sun warms up surfaces, how shadows move across a room, how stone, wood, or plaster picks up tone throughout the day. That's where depth comes from, not from adding more, but from how everything interacts," she adds. It's those real world interactions that give you more of a sense of how it feels to live with a kitchen color palette, not just how it looks.

Timeless kitchen colors are, perhaps, what you want to look for, but only if they're timeless for you. Often, those colors referred to as timeless are the least adventurous, too, which might not suit your own decorating spirit.

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I've been dreaming of courtyards all summer. It's a common architectural element in many traditional Asian homes, but it takes on a different style depending on where it lands on the map. And tsuboniwa is the Japanese iteration of this grounding design moment.

Essentially, it gifts the middle of your home the warmth of light, breathes fresh air into the space, and offers a view that begs a pause. The best part of this Japanese design idea? It does not unfairly discriminate on the basis of square footage.

In fact, interior designer Yoko Kloeden reveals that a recent project measured in a tsuboniwa at around four meters. So, let's talk about what a tsuboniwa is and its ability to improve a living space.

What Is a Tsuboniwa?

"A tsuboniwa (坪庭) is a courtyard garden of only a few square meters, set at the heart of a building rather than at its edge. The name is literal, where tsubo is an old unit of area, roughly 3.3 square metres, and niwa means garden," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden.

"The idea is more than a thousand years old, but became essential in the Edo period, from the seventeenth century, when Kyoto’s density forced townhouses wall to wall with no access to open ground.

"Walk through one of those houses, and the effect is striking. The building is narrow — sometimes barely four metres wide — and deep; the rooms dim. Then, halfway back, the walls fall away to a pocket of sky, a stone, a single tree. It was never decorative. It was a device."

What's the Purpose of a Tsuboniwa?

Yoko tells me that a tsuboniwa serves three purposes at once, which is how it earns its footprint. First, she considers it a light well that brings daylight to the middle of a deep plan, reaching rooms a rear window cannot serve.

"Secondly, it acts as a ventilation shaft by driving the stack effect. Shaded ground and planting stay cool, warm air in surrounding rooms rises and escapes through the opening, and fresh air is drawn in behind. A continuous draught with no mechanical system and no running cost," she notes.

"This matters more each year. The UK passed 40°C for the first time in 2022, and summer 2026 brought three more widespread heatwaves in what was provisionally the hottest UK summer on record. Period houses built to hold warmth now trap it."

And aside from it being a clever design trick to cool homes in hot countries, she commends its ability to channel a view. "It gives an enclosed room a borrowed horizon," she adds. "Even a metre and a half of planting changes how a room reads: the eye travels past the wall and registers weather, depth and movement."

Does It Work in a Small House?

If you live in a small home, then you might have begrudgingly ruled out the possibility of a quaint courtyard, but Yoko explains that a tsuboniwa might still be in the cards for you.

"This style of courtyard in a recent project measures 2.5 by 1.6 meters — four square meters — and serves three rooms. Namely, a door from the second reception room, a bathroom window beside it, and a picture window from the new dining area. It sits where a side return extension would normally begin: the building pauses, then resumes two and a half metres beyond the original rear wall," she explains.

"The obstacle is rarely space. It is the willingness to leave part of the footprint unbuilt when every instinct says to fill it. One objection to our planning application called the courtyard alien to the area. The council’s approval noted that it allows for improved light penetration and reduces the perceived sense of enclosure to the adjoining property. Four square metres left open, giving three rooms light, air and a view — and improving the house next door."

The key is to avoid looking at this small garden as lost space. Instead, treat it like a visual pause gained. Once you have a tsuboniwa, you'll wonder how your home ever lived without it.

Courtyard Decor to Shop

If you're taking in the end of the outdoorsy weather, then tsukimi, the Japanese moon-viewing festival, is a beautiful opportunity to bring meaning to this turn of the season. And it'll further inspire you to design a tsuboniwa.

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One evening you realize you're reaching for a blanket before you've even thought about it. The lamps are going on earlier; there's a chill in the air, and the evening that might have stretched outside a few weeks ago is now happening indoors. It's that familiar desire to hunker down in our homes that we often describe as wanting to hibernate.

We don't hibernate in the literal sense, of course. But as the weather and daylight change, we may start using our homes differently without really thinking about it. And those changes in how we're living can tell us something about what we're looking for from our homes.

So before changing anything for autumn, I'd start by asking: what do you need your home to give you as the season changes?

Why Are We Drawn to Hunkering Down in Our Homes?

Wanting to hunker down can mean very different things. We might be looking for comfort, warmth, connection, or time on our own. None of those needs belong exclusively to autumn.

What changes are the conditions we're living in. Research into seasonality suggests that changes in daylight, temperature, weather, and our routines can all play a part in how we think, feel, and behave. It isn't a single universal ‘hibernation instinct’, and we won't all respond to those changes in the same way.

We can start to see our own response in the small ways our behaviour at home changes. A living room that was part of life spilling out into the garden during summer can become somewhere we now spend the whole evening.

You might find yourself choosing the same chair each night because it's tucked into a corner, close to the fire or beside a lamp, somewhere you can have a little time to yourself. Or perhaps you find yourself lingering in the kitchen while something cooks on the stove, drawn to the warmth of the room.

Those small changes matter because our relationship with our homes can change with the season too. We experience our rooms at different times of day, under different light and potentially for much longer stretches of time.

So pay attention to how you're actually living in yours. Where are you naturally choosing to spend your time, and what are you seeking out when you're there? The clues can be in the things you find yourself doing without really thinking about them.

How Can Your Home Support the Desire to Hunker Down?

What you notice can give you a starting point for thinking about what might need to change at home. You might find yourself craving greater physical warmth, seeking out more light, wanting to spend more time gathered around the table with other people, or looking for something to lift a gray day.

For me, one of the first things I notice when the days start getting shorter is how much I seek out light. During the day, I'll make the most of the natural daylight. Then, as the daylight starts to fade in the late afternoon, I'll put the lamps on. As the evening progresses, I'll light candles too and prefer warmer light to bright overhead lighting, which I find too intense.

It's also worth looking again at the colors you already have. As the daylight changes and the lamps come on earlier, you're experiencing them under different light and at different times of day. A color you loved on a bright summer afternoon may look quite different when you're sitting with it for several hours on an autumn evening, so look at your colors at the times you're actually using the room.

The Best Colors for Hunkering Down at Home

I also look at color in terms of what I might need from the space. Understanding colors' psychological qualities can help you think about what you choose in relation to what you're seeking. And the nuance matters. Changing the depth and intensity of a color changes how we experience it.

You might be drawn to deeper, richer colors as the season changes, or you may find yourself wanting lighter colors around you as the daylight diminishes, so this isn't about everyone reaching for the colors traditionally associated with autumn simply because the season has arrived.

Here are just a few examples of how that might translate into the colours you choose.

Red

If it's physical warmth you're seeking, think about that moment when you come in from the cold and all you want is to feel warm again. Decorating with red relates to the physical and can create a psychological sense of warmth, even though the temperature in the room hasn't changed. You might be drawn to the richness of brick red or oxblood, a livelier tomato red or a softer watermelon red.

Soft Pink

For something more nurturing, there's pink. I often say that if cuddles were a color, they'd be pink. Pink is red, but its softer quality can bring a more nurturing experience of physical comfort. Wrapping yourself in a soft pink chunky cable knit throw can add to that feeling of being warm and cocooned.

Orange

As we start spending more time together indoors, decorating with orange can bring sociability, fun, and joy into the experience, from everyone gathering in the kitchen while dinner is cooking to friends lingering around the table long after dinner has finished.

You might bring in rust or burnt orange through cushions or table linen, something as simple and seasonal as pumpkins, or, if you want something livelier, persimmon.

Yellow

And if the shorter, grayer days leave you wanting a lift, yellow can support feelings of optimism, bringing some of the cheeriness that can feel particularly welcome when the days are gray. You might prefer the softness of butter or primrose yellow, a richer golden yellow, or something brighter and sunnier.

I notice this in my own home. When the days become grayer, I find myself buying sunflowers. Having that burst of yellow in the room feels a little like bringing the sunshine indoors when there isn't much of it outside.

Before deciding what to change, come back to what you've noticed about yourself. Are you looking for more physical warmth, more light, more connection, or something to give you a lift? Supporting that might be as simple as bringing out a favorite textured throw, moving a lamp closer to where you now find yourself sitting, or changing the way the furniture is arranged.

How Else Can Your Space Help You Hunker Down?

There's another thing to consider when you're spending more time indoors: the same room may need to support very different parts of your day.

If you work at the dining table or have a desk in the corner of your living room, for example, at ten o'clock in the morning you may need that space to help you concentrate and stay focused. By eight o'clock in the evening, you may want the same room to help you switch off, settle down for the evening or spend time with other people.

This way of starting with the person, what they need from a space and what needs to happen there is what I call my 'Behaviour First' approach. I then consider how the colors, lighting, and other design choices can support the way that person needs to use and experience the space.

So as the days become shorter, notice the little changes you're making, whether you're following the daylight around your home, pulling a blanket around you in the evening, or, like me, coming home with a bunch of sunflowers on a gray day. Understanding what you're seeking from your home gives you a much better starting point for deciding what, if anything, needs to change.

British interior designer Minnie Kemp has little interest in rooms that are merely tasteful. For the Design Director of Firmdale Hotels, the best interiors are the ones that make you smile, make you look twice and reveal something about the person who lives there. Her own home, she says, has been compared to "a Roald Dahl novel", which feels about right.

What makes her rooms memorable is not simply the color or pattern, but the way ideas are layered together, from hand-painted tiles that reappear as rug motifs to orange candlesticks that should not work but somehow make the whole room sing.

These are the decorating lessons behind that approach.

1. "You Always Need a Starting Point"

When Minnie was given a blank dining room for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York, she began with Virginia Woolf's A Room of One’s Own. "I think it's very important that we all have a room of one's own," she says. Everyone needs their space to be creative."

That idea gave everything else a direction. The dining table evoked the forest floor, a mural referenced Duncan Grant, and art was borrowed from New York galleries. "You always need a starting point." For Minnie, that might be a book, a place, a painting, or a memory. Something strong enough to stop a room from becoming a collection of unrelated good ideas.

2. "The Trick Is Adding Another Layer"

Minnie's rooms always go that extra step. For example, the Julian Chichester basket lights over the Kips Bay dining table were already striking due to their oversized scale, but Minnie took embroidered leaves from Natasha Hulse and added them to the shades. "My trick is adding a layer so that every time anyone comes in, they spot something different."

At home, she does the same thing, albeit more quietly. A motif from a hand-painted tile might reappear later on a rug or somewhere upstairs. "There's a running thread that runs through the house that echoes back to something that you've seen before."

The key is repetition with purpose. Layering works when details speak to each other, not when a room simply contains more things.

3. "Don't Get Bogged Down With Being Too Chic"

For the same Kips Bay room, Minnie chose vivid orange candlesticks. "I was thinking, 'Oh my God, is this going to look Halloween?'" She used them anyway. "Having the orange candlesticks kind of made the space because it was one of those things that was so unexpected and really made people smile."

That instinct is central to the way she decorates. "Don't be too bogged down with being too chic. A room can be beautifully composed and still have room for something funny, bright, or a little bit wrong."

4. "I Try to Mess With the Algorithm"

Minnie is wary of what happens when everyone takes inspiration from the same places. "We're all on Instagram, and we all have the algorithm. So there is a trap that you fall into seeing the same thing over and over again."

Her solution is active resistance. "I often try to mess with the algorithm." Look at what you loved before you knew what was fashionable. Look at craft, art, fashion, childhood memories and places rather than only at other interiors. "What did you like growing up? What turns you on now?" She is particularly suspicious of rooms assembled entirely from the things that happen to be fashionable at that moment. "Try not to be led by interior design trends."

5. "You Do Have to Have a Sense of Place"

For a house in Roquebrune on the French Riviera, Minnie began with the history already around her. "You see across the bay is Eileen Gray's house, and already the mind is bubbling."

Pebble mosaics are part of the local visual language, which led to a 20-meter pebble mosaic running through the property, with a representation of Zeus blowing the wind down the path and a Tree of Life motif at its end. Minnie then planned hundreds of fiber-optic lights to be embedded within it to make it sparkle.

Inside, artist Julie Bolisano created recycled-glass windows that referenced stained glass (Matisse's chapel is also in the area) but felt lighter and more contemporary. "It's a new take on an old idea."

6. "It All Has to Be Curated"

Minnie loves a layered home, but she is clear that there is a point at which layering becomes clutter. "In your own home, when you're collecting and you're building over time, it does tend to become more layered than one might want."

The answer is editing. "Sometimes you have to strip it all back and start again."

Her test for whether you have gone too far? "The smell. If you start to smell dust, you've got too much stuff."

7. "Make the Most of What You Have"

At Bloomsbury Publishing, Minnie inherited a space with an ugly suspended ceiling and two awkward structural columns. Rather than conceal them, she made them more obvious. The ceiling was stripped back and sprayed Yves Klein blue. The pillars were painted with bold graphic arrows. "Sometimes if there's a horrible thing in the room, celebrate the horrible thing. It is like dressing. Make the most of what you have and show off all your lumps and bumps."

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There are few people who understand how color changes a room quite like Joa Studholme.

After decades spent creating colors for the feted British paint brand Farrow & Ball and helping people transform their homes, her approach is surprisingly simple: trust your instincts, embrace the colors you love, and stop worrying about getting it "right".

From choosing warmer neutrals to painting ceilings, using unexpected flashes of color, and allowing rooms to become darker and more cocooning as the day goes on, these are the decorating lessons Joa returns to again and again.

1. "What Do You Feel Comfortable With?"

This, for Joa, is where every successful color scheme begins. Not with interior design trends. Not with what your neighbor has done. Not even with the color everybody is suddenly talking about.

"What do you feel comfortable with? Because that's the most important thing. You live with these colors."

After decades of visiting people's houses, she says she can often start to understand someone's palette before she has even stepped through the door. "From the color of their garden gate or front door, I can pretty much work out what palette somebody is going to like. I also look at what they're wearing."

Memories can be equally revealing. A color might remind you of a childhood room, a holiday or a landscape. And if you are struggling to articulate what you love, Joa suggests looking at the images you instinctively save.

"I'm a great believer in Pinterest. Although, funnily enough, most of the time people show me pictures of white rooms, that's fine because I'm not necessarily looking at the colors. I'm looking at the spirit of the room."

2. "We're Going Warmer"

If there is one clear shift Joa is seeing in interiors now, it is away from cooler neutrals and towards colors with more warmth and complexity.

"Neutrals were my big thing when I first came to Farrow & Ball," she says. "The last lot that were really popular were the stony ones. A little less grey than previously. But now the really popular neutrals are much warmer, like Stirabout and Jitney."

Stirabout takes its name from a nourishing Irish porridge, while Jitney was named after the bus that carries New Yorkers out to the Hamptons. "I wanted Jitney to be really uplifting. I might have been watching Gossip Girl at the time," she laughs.

For Joa, decorating with neutrals works precisely because they do not shout. "Jitney is all about being quite laid back and letting everything else take centre stage," she says.

Another favorite is Au Lait, originally created through Farrow & Ball's collaboration with designer Christopher John Rogers. "Warm but not creamy, it is just the easiest color to work with. Keep quiet about it. It's everybody's secret."

3. "I'm a Huge Believer in Going From a Lighter Space During the Day to a Darker Space at Night"

One of Joa's most useful principles for decorating with color has nothing to do with coordinating colors and everything to do with how we move through our homes.

"I'm a huge believer in going from a lighter space during the day to a darker space at night,” she says. “I think it's really good for the soul."

A light kitchen or hall can feel energizing during the day. Then, as evening comes, she likes moving into a deeper, more enveloping sitting room. "It gives you a great big hug."

A Joa-approved sequence starts with Scallop in the hall, moves into Dead Salmon in the sitting room, then uses something lighter, such as Au Lait, through the kitchen or on recurring woodwork.

4. "The Thing Most People Are Concerned About Is Flow — It Doesn't Bother Me in the Slightest"

Ask Joa what homeowners worry about most, and one word comes up repeatedly: flow.

"It's the word I hear more often than anything." Her response is surprisingly liberating. "It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I don't care if I have a red room, a blue room, and a green room."

Rather than repeating one palette throughout an entire house, she prefers individual spaces designed around individual needs. There is, however, one trick that can stop a collection of different rooms from feeling chaotic: keep the colors at a similar "weight".

"If I'm standing in a hallway and seeing into three rooms, they should somehow work together even if they are red, blue and green."

By weight, Joa means intensity. A deep green and a similarly saturated red can sit comfortably beside each other even though the hues themselves are completely different. "It's really the intensity of the color," she says. The result is continuity without sameness.

5. "A Little Shock Is Fun"

Some of Joa's favorite uses of color are also the smallest. She loves painting the jamb of a door in an unexpected shade, creating a tiny flash that appears as you pass through a room. "It doesn't necessarily have to correspond with anything. It's just about having a kind of shock." She compares it to a pocket square or a brightly colored sock. "It's that same feeling. Just a little tiny thing which you see and then it's gone."

In one hallway, she ran a checked wallpaper across the ceiling and slightly down the walls, then framed three doorways with bands of the three different colors from the paper. "It sounds ridiculous when you describe it. But nobody notices it. It just feels like it should be there," she says. This leads to one of her most interesting decorating philosophies. "Good decoration isn't noticed. It's when it's wrong that people notice things."

6. "Ceilings, Always. Ceilings."

"I personally hate a big white ceiling because I think they completely ruin any paint scheme," Joa says. Instead, she treats the ceiling as the fifth wall, either carrying the wall color upwards or using another shade entirely. And when she wants to bring light into a darker room, she goes one step further.

"I'm a huge fan of the gloss ceiling. Gloss creates reflection, allowing light to bounce around the space. If you've got a dark room, paint the ceiling in gloss. Pink Ground gloss is one of my particular favorites," Joa says. Again, the effect of decorating a ceiling in this way does not necessarily announce itself.

"You walk into the room, and you don't think, 'Oh God, the ceiling is pink and glossy.' You just think it feels really nice."

7. "It’s Fantastic That Colors Change"

One of the greatest anxieties people have about paint is that the color they chose in the shop suddenly looks completely different at home. Joa thinks that is exactly what makes good color beautiful. "Some people get very freaked out because it looks green in one light and dark brown there and gray somewhere else. But that's what makes it alive. A shade might feel warmer in south-facing summer light, then greener or greyer in cooler northern or winter light. Embrace it. It's alive. It's fantastic."

Rather than fighting those variations, Joa believes they should become part of the room. Her own favorite Farrow & Ball color, Light Blue, is a perfect example. "It's a fabulous bedroom color because it's silvery blue when you wake up and then much more silvery and gray at night."

8. "You Can Use Finish Almost Like Another Color"

Joa's obsession is not only with color, but with what happens when the same color is given two entirely different finishes.

She loves Farrow & Ball's Dead Flat for its chalky, almost velvety quality. "You feel like you can dive into the walls. Because it can be used across walls, woodwork and ceilings, it also makes color drenching simpler. One pot of paint can do the whole thing."

But her favorite trick is pairing that softness with gloss. She might paint the bottom metre of a wall in gloss, then use exactly the same shade in Dead Flat above. "The gloss is super durable for dogs, suitcases, prams, whatever. And it creates this sparkle, with the light bouncing off it, while the Dead Flat sits above."

9. "If You’re Wary of Color, Just Use a Tiny Bit"

Despite her reputation for color, Joa has no interest in forcing anyone into a maximalist home.

"If you're wary of color, it doesn't matter. Just use a tiny bit."

Children's and teenagers' rooms are perfect places to experiment. "If you live in a very neutral, contained house, it's quite fun to let your child put color inside the cupboard or on the back of the bedroom door. "They're often in there with the door shut, but you're not, so they get their boost of color, and you get your neutral home."

She also likes split color in children's rooms, taking a stronger shade to around hip height and using something lighter above. "This is so great with younger children. When the child is playing on the floor, it feels really cosy down below, but the lighter color above makes the room feel as though it opens out."

10. "Isn’t It Lucky We All Like Different Colors?"

For all the forecasting, color charts, and decorating advice, Joa ultimately believes taste should remain deeply personal.

She herself struggles with lilac. "I find it a difficult color to decorate with. Even the darker purples. But isn't it lucky we all like different colors? The world would be really boring if we all liked the same thing."

Personally, she is currently drawn to colors that feel warmer, richer, and more grounding: Etruscan Red, Duster, Marmelo, Broccoli Brown, Reduced Green, and Dibber. That's what she is decorating with at home at the moment. In fact, she's doing a whole project with just two of these colors. 'These are all colors that feel like they're keeping you safe, but they've got a little bit of excitement as well," she says.

And perhaps that is the best summary of Joa's approach to decorating: create a home that gives you security without becoming predictable. One that feels comforting, alive, and unmistakably yours.

Because, as she puts it, the aim is really very simple. "Choose color that makes you smile. Color that makes you feel good about yourself."

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Fashion icon and ultimate tastemaker Lucinda Chambers does not believe style is something you either have or you don't. "I think style is something you absolutely can learn," she says. "It's like a craft, like anything else. You try it out. You make mistakes. You learn from those mistakes."

After decades at British Vogue and now as co-founder of covetable shopping site Collagerie, hers is one of the most recognizable eyes in fashion and interiors, but the way she talks about taste is refreshingly unprecious.

For Lucinda, it comes from looking, trying, getting things wrong, changing your mind, and staying curious. These are the rules she has learned along the way.

1. "Try Everything Out"

Lucinda's mother gave her one of the most useful pieces of creative advice she has ever received: "Try boyfriends out, try makeup out, try hair out, try everything out."

Lucinda took it literally. "I used to dress in a crazy way, but it was experimental." At one point she put a wicker wastepaper basket on her head, tied it with a bow and convinced herself it looked like Stephen Jones. "No. I looked like I had a rubbish bin on my head."

That willingness to get it wrong became fundamental to how she developed her eye. "If you don't try things out, how are you going to learn?"

Her route into fashion was just as improvised. She and her mother made art-school portfolios together on the kitchen table when money became tight. Lucinda initially felt hopelessly outclassed, until she discovered the Perspex room and started making jewellery. A pair of earrings she had made eventually appeared on a model in a free London magazine. "I remember thinking, oh my God, I held those and made those."

Later, one of her Vogue mentors told her: "Darling, you've got lots of furniture in your head, but it has to come out." The instinct may be there, but the skill is learning how to use it.

2. "Always on the Lookout"

Lucinda's eye has been trained by looking. Constantly. "I am always, always on the lookout."

Travel played a huge part during her Vogue years, but inspiration can come from almost anywhere: exhibitions, films, art books, car boots, shop windows, or something completely accidental. "It could be a plastic bag caught in a tree that's the most amazing color, and you think, oh my God, that could be a whole collection."

Marrakech remains one of the places she finds most inspiring, particularly for its color and craftsmanship, but the bigger idea is to keep your brain "on receive mode". Car boots are particularly good for this because, as Lucinda puts it, every stall is "somebody else's point of view".

3. "It's All Storytelling"

Lucinda sees very little distinction between the way she approaches fashion and interiors. "It's all about decoration. Whether it's decoration on the body or for your home, it's storytelling."

The same elements matter in both: color, proportion, pattern, texture and, crucially, comfort. "You have to get dressed every morning. You have to put yourself down on the sofa every evening."

She will not wear uncomfortable clothes, and she will not buy an uncomfortable chair. A room has to support what actually happens there: somewhere to read, somewhere to put your feet up, somewhere to put a coffee cup. "I always start with what am I going to be doing in that room?" That question comes before the color, pattern, or furniture. Her electric yellow dining room works because she wants the space to feel energetic and sociable. A bedroom can be calmer because it has a completely different job.

4. “You Can Creep Color in”

Lucinda loves color, but she does not think confidence has to arrive all at once. "You can creep color in. Start with a lamp, cushion or rug and build from there." In her kitchen, green emerged gradually through cushions, ceramics and eventually a reconditioned Aga that she's just bought from Range Exchange. "If people aren't confident about color, then I always just suggest having a thread running through your home."

When she chooses colors more deliberately, she carries a small notebook, cuts out paint swatches, and moves them around. "I do in my head go, are they talking to each other?" She does not necessarily want them to be talking too politely. Her recently redecorated bedroom is a soft lilac-grey, but she matched the ceiling to a muddy tobacco-colored candle because the room needed something to "throw it off a bit". "If they're living all very harmoniously, then probably to me that seems boring."

5. “I Like to Throw a Curveball in”

Lucinda becomes suspicious when something looks too tasteful. Her husband calls it "ghastly good taste", and Lucinda calls the antidote "the grit in the oyster".

In one restrained room, that meant introducing an orange chair purely because everything else was getting along too well. The same instinct guides the things she buys. "I'm sort of attracted to things that I'm not really attracted by." At flea markets and car boots, she looks for objects that make her feel a bit uncomfortable: a strange 1960s lampshade, an awkward ceramic, something she has never seen before. One of her best finds was a five-foot Murano glass lamp bought for about $25 in New York. "It sat on my lap in economy for six hours."

"If it makes you feel a bit jaggy, I quite like that. That slight discomfort stops a room from becoming predictable."

6. "I Can Just Look at It, Appreciate It, and Walk Away"

Lucinda has spent much of her life collecting. She is now learning the opposite skill.

"I've spent thirty years accumulating stuff, and I'm going to spend the next 10 years getting rid of it." Her rule now is simple: if she cannot imagine where something will go, she does not buy it. "I can appreciate it, clock it mentally, then walk away."

She learned the value of editing after returning from a long trip and seeing her own hallway afresh. "It was electric pink, there was a pom-pom on almost every doorknob, and every surface was full. I just thought, oh my gosh. I've overloaded, and I haven't noticed." She cleared the decks and repainted it. "Now it looks like a German urinal."

7. "To Hand Over Something to an Expert Was an Absolute Revelation"

Lucinda is instinctive, but she is not precious about doing everything herself. One of her best investments at home was a professional picture hanger. After repainting her hallway, she took all the art down and gave him complete freedom. "I just said, you choose whatever you like and can leave stuff out. I'm going out."

The result completely changed how she saw the collection. "He hung all my pictures in a way that I would never ever have dreamt of. There's not a day that goes past when I don't walk up the stairs and just think, wow."

She feels similarly about framing. "You can buy something that's £5, but if you frame it really interestingly, it just elevates it." This isn't necessarily expensive. She has just bought IKEA frames, painted them with Annie Sloan paint, and attacked them with a nail file.

8. "You Don’t Have to Get It Right Straight Away"

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to developing personal style now, Lucinda thinks, is the pressure to find an answer immediately.

"I think people feel very, very pressured that their houses become either Instagrammable or perfect." Her own home has evolved over 35 years. One son's room was once completely covered in graffiti by an artist she spotted working on Portobello Road. It is now a calm spare bedroom. Rooms have changed as children have grown up, things have been repainted, collections have expanded and then been edited back.

"I think there is a pressure to get everything right all at once, all at the same time." Lucinda is much more comfortable with trial and error. Even at Vogue, she learned that not every detail needed endless perfecting. Some things demanded obsession; others were, in her words, "good enough for jazz". That balance between caring deeply and knowing when to let go is part of developing an eye too.

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British interior designer Sophie Paterson has built a distinctive interiors business around a clear point of view, but she is just as thoughtful about what sits behind the finished rooms as the rooms themselves.

Talking at Livingetc Unlocked last week, the designer explained a little about her career history, and how she built her brand from scratch, inspired by a passing comment on the design of her own home.

She started with no formal interior design training, no team and very little confidence. Nearly two decades later, she runs a 20-person studio and has expanded into product, education and community. Along the way, she has learned how to recognize the right opportunities, protect a creative vision, listen properly, build an audience, and create a business that can keep evolving.

These are the lessons that shaped it.

1. "Trust Your Gut"

Ask Sophie for the best piece of advice she has ever been given, and the answer is immediate: "Trust your gut." Ask for her biggest career mistake, and the answer is just as quick: "Not trusting my gut."

It now informs everything from the projects she accepts to the people she chooses to work with. "There are some clients that I said yes to that ended up being some of the most difficult situations, and I did know on some level they weren’t the right fit."

Experience has taught her to recognize the warning signs, from unrealistic expectations around budget to a reluctance to respect the studio’s process. "That doesn’t mean they’re a bad client. They might just not be a good fit for me."

There is also a cost to saying yes to the wrong thing. "When you say yes to that client and that project, you might be missing out on one down the line that would be a better fit for you."

2. "You’re Not Going to Get the Projects That You Want Straight Away"

Sophie’s first interior design commission came almost by accident. A developer visiting the first home she shared with her husband asked who had designed it. She was 23 and so unsure of herself that she did not want to admit it was her. "My husband was elbowing me in the ribs saying, 'It was you. Tell him it was you.'"

She eventually agreed to take on one of his projects, although with so little confidence that she initially offered to do it for free.

Those early jobs were not necessarily the projects she dreamed of, but Sophie quickly understood that an opportunity does not have to be perfect to be valuable. "You’re not going to get the projects that you want straight away. There’ll be something wrong with them. They might not have the budget. It might not be the most beautiful project."

The question is what you can get from it. "You need to just find something that you can photograph or some value, something that you’ll learn."

On one early project, there was no budget left for art, rugs or accessories, so she borrowed pieces from suppliers, hired a van and stripped objects from her own house to style the shoot. "You’ve just got to make it work."

That same instinct led her to invest early in photography. "Without images, you really can’t have new projects. You don’t have a brand." Her advice now is simple: "Take site photos, before photos, after photos."

3. "You Can Become Pigeonholed Quite Quickly as a Designer"

There is an obvious advantage to having an identifiable aesthetic. Clients know what they are buying into. But Sophie is wary of the point at which a signature becomes a formula.

She describes her own style broadly as "classic contemporary" and remembers the moment clients began arriving with images of her previous work, asking for versions of particular rooms. "It was really flattering."

But it also made her cautious. "You can become pigeonholed quite quickly as a designer, and you don’t want to just replicate the same design time and time again."

One of her earliest clients actually told Sophie she hated her style but liked her enough to hire her anyway. The project pushed her somewhere completely different and remains on her website almost 18 years later. "I’m always trying to get clients that actually don’t want to do something that I’ve always done because it’s more fun for me and my team."

Her own homes have become testing grounds for that evolution too. Her current house helped establish the look many clients now associate with her, while the next will be more pared back, architectural and antique-led. "I love antiques. I think it’s really sustainable. I think it adds a lot of character. I think the quality you get for the money is brilliant. It’ll be quite interesting to see if my clients get on board with that."

4. "Listening Is a Really Important Skill of Any Designer"

For all the attention placed on having an eye, Sophie thinks listening matters just as much.

"Sometimes we’ll be practicing a presentation and someone on the team will rush in and say, 'I’ve looked at the floor plan; we should do this, this, and this.' I’m like, hang on. We don’t even know how the client wants to use it yet."

The job is not simply to arrive with the best idea. "Really make sure that not only are you listening to your client, but that they feel heard and they feel listened to."

Renovating her own home has made Sophie even more conscious of how the process feels from the other side. Clients are spending large amounts of money and handing over control of something intensely personal. When something goes wrong, the designer is often the person delivering the news.

Her rule is simple: "Never respond straight away. I’m very calm, always. Inside, I might not feel calm, but I always give myself a moment so that I seem it. You don’t have to respond to everything straight away."

5. "I Undercharged for a Long Time, and I Didn’t Even Know I Was Doing It"

One of Sophie’s most important business lessons came when the studio started looking properly at time.

"I undercharged for a long time, and I didn’t even know I was doing it."

The fees sounded substantial, but so were the projects, and nobody was properly accounting for the hours involved. The turning point came when a new finance director asked how much time the team was actually spending on each job. I was like, I don’t know. We just do what needs to be done."

When they finally calculated the hours on one major international project, the answer was sobering. "We probably hadn’t made any money. It cost us money."

Her advice now is to quantify time from the beginning: work out what your hourly rate needs to be, estimate the job, and then track what actually happens. "You won’t get it right, but at least you’ll start this process. Everyone underestimates how long it takes to design a project."

6. "Build an Audience"

Asked what she would do first if she were starting again now, Sophie does not hesitate: "Build an audience."

She began using Instagram partly because working alone was lonely. "I didn’t have a team to bounce ideas off. I didn’t have like-minded friends to talk about beautiful designs with or difficult clients."

Social media gave her community before it gave her clients. It also offered something traditional PR could not at that stage of her career. "PR and press were really intimidating to me. I didn’t have the budget to hire a great PR firm. Whereas I did have the time, I did have the energy and the inclination to do social media."

The platform has changed since then. "Back in the day of 2012, I could put a picture of my shoes, and I’d get 5,000 likes. Now we literally sell our soul for likes and follows."

But Sophie still thinks the opportunity lies in showing more of the real work. "Show the not glamorous moments." The site visits, samples, decisions, setbacks, and practical details designers may take for granted can be exactly what audiences want to see. "Share that, and you’ll build an audience."

7. "You Can’t Take on More and More Clients"

Building an audience opened the door to something bigger than simply attracting more interior design work."You can’t take on more and more clients. There are only so many people you can service at a high level."

Sophie is equally realistic about the emotional cost. "I really pour my soul into my clients’ projects, but you can only do that so much before you burn out."

That made diversification a deliberate part of the business. Product collaborations allowed her aesthetic to reach far beyond a relatively small number of private clients. Education followed through the Sophie Paterson Academy, while The Moodboard created a membership community for designers looking for advice, support and connection.

The thinking behind them is consistent: take the expertise built through the studio and find other ways to share it. "I think a rising tide lifts all ships. If I share my design process and that helps another designer, that doesn’t take anything away from me."

For Sophie, community is not just another revenue stream. It grew from the same thing that drew her to Instagram in the first place: not wanting creative work to feel isolating.

8. "Please Make a Different Mistake Next Time"

Sophie has no interest in pretending that building the business has been a flawless process. "I’ve made so many mistakes."

But she is equally clear that the aim is not to eliminate them altogether. "I don’t mind if someone on my team makes a mistake. I just say to them, please make a different one next time."

That willingness to learn has shaped the way she approaches opportunity too. "I always think you need to go after what you want."

"With pretty much all of my product collaborations, I went to them with a proposal and said that I’d love to do this. Plenty of brands said no, which is fine. You just sort of dust yourself off and move on to the next one.If I just sat here and waited for all the amazing brands that I want to work with me to come, it wouldn’t have happened."

One piece of advice from early in her career still guides which opportunities she accepts. When Sophie was considering a well-paid partnership that did not feel quite right, a marketing mentor asked her to think about the person she admired most in the industry. "If they said yes to this, would your perception of them change? Whatever your answer is for them is what you should apply to yourself."

It changed the way she thought about building a brand. "You don’t want to just be building towards where you are. You want to be aspiring to the best version of you you can be."

To discover more about our Livingetc Unlocked event, visit our hub, or register your interest for next year's event online now.

The chef and award-winning cookbook writer Yotam Ottolenghi has changed how we all cook today. It’s thanks to him that ingredients like harissa and preserved lemons are common on grocery store shelves, and that we all know the difference a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds makes.

But his best hosting advice is surprisingly little about culinary pyrotechnics. For him, a great dinner is about giving yourself time, lowering the pressure, and creating a table where both you and your guests can relax.

These are the hosting rules he actually lives by.

1. "I Just Want To Be Present"

"I always make sure that, first of all, everything is prepared in advance," Ottolenghi says. "Really, as much as possible. It’s not that I can’t multitask. I just want to be present. You know, I can cook and chat, but it’s not real chat."

He says that good hosting needs to involve a little prep, but that some forethought goes a long way on the night. "I try to do everything I can beforehand," he adds. "So when you sit down, I maybe warm up something, or I finish it off with a drizzle of dressing or a scattering of nuts. But essentially everything is prepared."

He is equally firm about leaving himself enough time.

"I never want to be in a situation where I’m coming back from work at 4:30 or 5 pm and have people coming at 7. That is the nightmare. I don’t want that. I want to give myself time."

2. "I Like To Prepare Lots of Food That Is Really Good to Eat at Room Temperature"

Ottolenghi describes the abundant food displays you find in his delis as a useful way to think about hosting.

"I like to prepare lots of food that is really good to eat at room temperature, that I can prepare in advance and just finish off before I bring it to the table," he says. "I always try to keep to a maximum of one or two things that I have to cook last minute."

Fish is a favorite because the sauce can be made beforehand, and one he returns to again and again is what he calls "The One Sauce," a new recipe from his brand-new book Simple Too.

"It’s been serving me really well all summer for formal and informal events," he says.

The method is deliberately simple: tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and herbs are roasted together until soft. "After forty-five minutes, you take it out, and the garlic has got all soft and squishy. You squeeze it out, and you whisk it so it emulsifies as the sauce. That’s it. You don’t do anything. It’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s a great pasta sauce, but it’s a sauce for everything."

For dinner, he will often put fillets of fish straight into it, return the tray to the oven and finish with tahini.

"That’s dinner. And it’s beautiful. It feels very impressive."

3. "I Like to Make An Effort With A Nibble"

Sometimes that is simply roasted nuts. Other times it might be crostini or the fennel tarte Tatin from his new book, made with fennel, grapes and fennel seed, plus a layer of puff.

"It’s a really lovely recipe. It’s very easy because you just put it all in. You let it all do the cooking."

And he is entirely happy to rely on bought puff pastry. "We live in a world where there’s so many great things that you can buy in the supermarket," he says. "Give yourself a break and use supermarket ingredients. As soon as people come over, you flip it over, and it looks absolutely great. And it’s a really nice nibble."

4. "You Need To Love What You Serve Your Food In"

"I think whatever serving bowls you have to hand are fine. But I also think you need to love what you serve your food in. The dishes that have had a bit of a history at home are actually the nicest things to serve in," Ottolenghi says.

"If you’ve got an old Le Creuset or an old roasting tin that you want to present at the table, then I’d rather do that than necessarily decant the food into a very fancy new ceramic pot or dish that you bought."

He also collects pieces from friends and on his travels.

"I do have some beautiful things that I collect, a nice salad bowl or ceramics that maybe a friend has made or bought for me," he says. "Or if I travel, I tend to come back with a beautiful platter. It doesn’t need to be expensive. It can be just something beautiful with a bit of patina on it."

5. "I Want to See the Food"

There is one piece of tableware Ottolenghi feels rather more strongly about.

"This is important," he says. "The typical deep salad bowl I find really useless because you don’t really see the food. I want to see the food."

He prefers something wide and shallow, with enough of a rim to catch any sauce or dressing.

"Even a lettuce salad is really nice on a platter as long as you’ve got a little bit of lip. You can spread all the lettuce there and then drizzle it. So you can see the dressing. You can see the leaves. You can see their shape, and it makes a whole lot of difference."

6. "The Things That Are Practical And Beautiful Really, Really Help"

Ottolenghi prefers table decor that feels considered without becoming overly formal or fussy.

"If you have made a lot of effort and you do one of these pick-and-mix situations, and you have lovely platters to serve on, you almost don’t need anything else."

He likes useful objects to do some of the decorating. A beautiful pitcher might hold still or sparkling water, while his glassware is deliberately mixed.

"I have a collection of things that I like to mix. I’ve got a bunch of Moroccan glasses that I use, sometimes for wine, sometimes for water. I’m not strict about those things. I think it’s quite nice to have different coloured glasses. All these things just make it a richer experience. Even my cutlery is a bunch of mismatched silverware, and they’re not really a set, but it looks nice on the table."

"Flowers can be in the way," he adds. "And I don’t love small pots of flowers. I love bigger gestures.

What I often do is, if I want to make it a little bit more formal, I put something beautiful out before people sit down, then I remove it because it’s in the way if it’s in our eyeline. Candles are really nice on a table. I like the lighting to be muted."

7. "Everything Can Just Wait For the Potatoes"

For the Christmas table, Ottolenghi applies exactly the same prepare-ahead philosophy. "If you think of the traditional Christmas meal, it’s made out of a lot of things. So many of them are fine just warm rather than piping hot"

His Brussels sprouts can be roasted and dressed with vinaigrette as soon as they emerge from the oven.

"This is a trick that I use quite often in my cooking: hot brassicas, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbages coming out of the oven, a bit of vinaigrette, and they sit down, and they soak up that richness, the acidity and the sweetness." Carrots can be handled in much the same way.

"You roast them. You dress them. They’re ready to go. I use a lot of chopped-up coriander, a lot of pomegranate seeds, and they just sit there. Don’t dress it till before, then dress it with some lime juice, with olive oil, and put it all over the carrots, bring it to the table. People will be happy." But one thing deserves your full attention.

"The roast potatoes are the thing of my life. They always take way longer than you think. If you cook potatoes, you parboil and put them in the oven; they take an hour and a half, or an hour at least, to get to the right crispy situation that you want them in."

He saves herbs and garlic until the end so they do not burn. "Everything can just wait for the potatoes."

8. "Who Doesn’t Like Roast Strawberries and Cream?"

And finally, dessert. If he had to suggest one thing that can make hosting easier, Ottolenghi chose his brown sugar cake with brown sugar cream and brown sugar roasted strawberries.

"This is a marvellous dessert. Every one of these elements is great on their own. You can just eat the cream with the strawberries or the cake with the cream or just the strawberries with granola and yogurt."

But served together, layered onto a big tray, it becomes something else.

"We were just cutting pieces and giving it to everybody. And it just made everybody so happy. Who doesn’t like roast strawberries and cream?"

The fruit can change with the seasons.

"When strawberries are not in season, you can use plums. They’re also super delicious when roasted, or rhubarb roasted with brown sugar as well."

Or even more simply: "Brown sugar cake, brown sugar cream, and just passion fruit. So good."

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It can be overwhelming trying to sift through all of the different decorating techniques, especially when you just want to create a home that feels right for you. Recently, I've found that it helps to get creative with your approach. So, instead of building your lighting scheme around strict rules and regulations, why not choose your lamps and fixtures based on your personality? Does your home need an introvert- or extrovert-friendly lighting scheme?

Sure, it may sound a little out of the box, but this approach is more about appealing to the senses. Introverts typically need a lighting scheme that regulates the nervous system and is gentle on the senses (no big light in sight), while extroverts usually like to incorporate lights conducive to entertaining or a statement piece as the focal point (does a chandelier count as a big light?).

Every stylish home will have some variation of a layered scheme; however, how you experience lighting at home — the kinds of fixtures you gravitate towards, how you zone your lighting, and even whether or not the 'big light' is right for you — all can be defined by your personality. So, introvert or extrovert, below is what you need to know before you buy your next table lamp.

Lighting That Works Well in an Introvert's Home

Just as introverts and extroverts choose different paint colors, they tend to gravitate towards lighting that reflects the atmosphere they want from their space. Think of the typical characteristics of an introvert: soft, indirect, and dimmable lighting works best because it prevents sensory overstimulation and creates a calm space to recharge. So if you align with this personality type, you might want to invest in lots of overhead lighting alternatives.

Interior designer Prudence Bailey built her studio based on the idea that environments should not only look exquisite but also resonate deeply with your essence. She shares with me, "Lighting has such an emotional effect on a room. Lower, softer sources of light naturally make a space feel more intimate and inviting." Basically, ambient lighting is the bread and butter of an introvert-friendly sanctuary.

And there are many different lighting types, beyond the overhead, that can help capture a calming mood and relaxing environment. For instance, concealed lighting and low-light schemes are perfect for creating a warm glow that will never feel too harsh. Prudence adds, "The key is dimmers! Controlling the light in a room is integral to creating the right mood."

Lighting That Works Well in an Extrovert's Home

While introverts thrive in quieter, low-lit interiors, extroverts, as you may have guessed, thrive in vibrant, sensory-rich spaces. The lighting in an extrovert's home probably reflects this, but don't worry: just because you identify as an extrovert doesn't mean you should have a high-wattage overhead on or flashing LED strip lights. Instead, to support a high-energy, entertainment-friendly lifestyle, an extrovert's lighting setup should prioritize visual impact, flexibility for hosting, and clear zoning for connection.

What does this look like in actuality? Typically, an extrovert's home should plan living room lighting and dining room fixtures around their hosting habits. Spotlighting a game table or home bar idea might be more essential to your lighting scheme than in an introvert's space.

Plus, an extrovert might spend a little more time on lighting in communal spaces — kitchens, dining areas, living rooms, entryways, etc. For this, "Overhead lighting works especially well in spaces where you need good overall visibility, but even there I prefer to layer it," says Prudence. In a kitchen, for example, you might have pendants, layered recessed lighting, and under-cabinet lighting. In a living room, "I would almost always favor lamps, a chandelier, and sconces in the evening because they create a much softer atmosphere," says Prudence.

Or, the extrovert is probably more drawn to statement pieces like oversized table lamps and sculptural chandeliers (an interesting chandelier is never out of style). "A chandelier or pendant can be an incredible focal point and almost act like jewelry for the room, but I think of it as part of the composition rather than the sole light source," says Prudence.

What It All Comes Down To

No matter whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, layered lighting gives a room depth. "I always think a space feels flatter when it relies on one source of light. A mix of lamps, sconces, picture lights, and decorative fixtures creates little pockets of warmth and makes the room feel much more considered," says Prudence.

Choosing lighting based on your introvert or extrovert personality type is more fun, but it also helps connect your decorating scheme to your individuality on a more personal level. You can better understand how you connect with your home from an easy-to-understand perspective. But really, all you need is a curated blend of stylish table lamps, sconces, and pendants that can change as you move through the day to bring a room to life.

How you light a room should include a mix of stylish fixtures, practical pieces, and a general sense of how you intend to use and live within the space.

For more inspiration, be sure to subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter. And if you're keen to learn more about your home, then take a scroll through things you'll find in a people pleaser's home to see if you relate.