Both rugs and sofas have a large impact on a room. They take up a lot of visual space, so depending on the colors you choose, the feel of the room can be completely different. Sorry, I know that only makes the decision harder, but what is perhaps more helpful is sharing a few trusty sofa-and-rug color combinations that are dependably stylish.

Rather than over-analyzing what comes first, the sofa or the rug, think of the color conversation these two pieces are having in a room. "I tend to look at this question from a different angle because I don't see sofa and rug colors as fixed combinations," Craig Gritzen, founder of Los Angeles-based interior design studio, Curated Style Collective, explains. Instead, "The relationship between these items, and how they interact with light and other materials in the room, drives the direction for me," he adds.

As mentioned, sofas and rugs occupy a huge amount of visual space in a living room. "Contrast and color undertones between the items are a great way to create tension instead of being perfectly matched," says Craig. "This tension creates visual interest and helps the space feel curated instead of staged." And with that in mind, these are a few failsafe combinations to start with.

1. Red and Blue

Sofa color trends are heading in a more adventurous direction this year, so let's start bold, shall we? Red and blue can be a really rewarding rug-and-sofa color combination. First of all, they are both timeless, primary colors, so they will always feel classic in a room. Plus, they balance each other near perfectly in terms of warm versus cool colors.

"I'm always considering how I balance color within a scheme," says interior designer Jessica Horton, founder of Deorling Studio. "In a warm space like the space pictured above, "Introducing a cooler note, such as a soft blue, helps bring the palette into balance. It's a subtle shift, but one that creates a sense of harmony and makes the whole room feel almost effortless," the designer explains.

2. Earthy Brown and Muted Olive

In light of current color trends and 2027's color of the year predictions so far, it's no surprise that designers love a brown-and-green moment for rugs and sofas. And this is another combination where you can really play with the tones, tints, hues, and shades to find a green-and-brown duo that works for your space.

Plus, this combination works well since both colors are rooted in nature. "This pairing works well for people who prefer a sense of calm in their living space," says Craig Gritzen. Even if you lean into a punchy green color trend on your rug, the contrast of the brown upholstery will balance the relationship. "Camel or tobacco upholstery creates warmth and plays well with natural light, while the olive feels grounding and gives the room depth without feeling excessively colorful," adds Craig.

And don't forget the rest of the room. "This relationship works even better when the materials introduce texture, like mohair or bouclé, with supportive elements like walnut and aged brass," the designer adds.

3. Ivory and Umber

White sofas are a classic choice, but without a darker rug underneath to ground the look, it can often fall flat in a room. That's where ivory and umber make for a more contemporary pairing. "This combination allows the sofa to be visually calm and supportive when a bold rug color is selected to create the atmosphere," says Craig.

Yet, once again, "The key to getting this color combination right is to focus on undertone," says Craig. A warm ivory next to a burnt umber both have warm undertones, and therefore create a more balanced contrast in the design. Though "If you were to set a bright white sofa with a cool undertone on a warm umber rug, they would feel disconnected because the undertones are fighting each other," says Craig.

Then don't be afraid to dress up the space with textures and tactile materials for the ultimate cozy living room. "This combination works well with layering in oak, handmade ceramics, and a cooler undertone accent like dusty blue to balance out the warmth," adds Craig.

4. Camel, Cognac, and Oatmeal

The next sofa-and-rug color pairing that designers love is more tonal, so color-drenching lovers listen up. Nisrine El Lababidi, founder and creative director of Harf Noon Design Studio, says, "I love a camel/cognac sofa paired with an oatmeal brown rug. It's probably one of the most timeless living room color combinations." And it's a very adaptable sofa-and-rug combination if you are prioritizing building a stylish base.

Decorating with neutrals like camel and cognac already brings a lot of warmth, so a quieter rug keeps the room sophisticated rather than an overly earthy," says Nisrine. It's almost a reverse of the previous sofa and rug combination — here the sofa adds character and color, while the rug brings a polished, classic aesthetic.

5. Pink and Brown

Lastly, designers are loving pink tones with brown on sofas and rugs. Think dusty, earthy pinks and delicious chocolate brown. Not only is pink becoming one of the hottest autumnal colors, but as Nisrine says, "The deeper color, like chocolate brown, on the sofa grounds the space, while the rug introduces warmth and character. It feels rich and collected rather than overly coordinated."

However, you aren't strictly tied to dusty pink and brown — crank the pink up to a terracotta red or oxblood, or tune the chocolate brown down into a mushroom. "Oxblood is one of my favorite colors to use," says Craig, "and a sofa in this color creates a strong point of view that is best paired with a rug in oatmeal, mushroom, or a faded flax." Any variation of pinkish-red tones with brown works as long as you balance the right undertones.

"This combination also feels sophisticated and allows you to pull in brown, clay, or even a slight green undertone in the rug or supporting elements to help the space feel warm and enveloping instead of flat," adds Craig.

Picking your sofa-and-rug color combination is not always about blindly following rug trends or the most popular sofa colors; it's about building a harmonious color scheme that lets you keep developing your decor.

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Every once in a while, I come across a new color combination that takes over my life. Suddenly, everywhere I look, I find a new opportunity to include it. Every morning, as I pick out my outfit for the day, I'm internally plotting how to center it around my current favorite pairing. Every corner of my home becomes a blank canvas, just waiting for the combo du jour to bring it to life. And I think I've just found the best possible application for the latest color combination that's captured my heart: tiles.

It's pretty much an undisputed fact that brown and blue are the color palette of the season. From catwalks to stylish hotels, this calming duo is everywhere. What you might not have known, however, is just how well this combination works for your bathroom tiles. Striped or checkered, shiny or matte, no matter how you use the pairing, the result seems to be consistently chic, and I can't get enough of it.

Taking cues from nature, it should come as no surprise that the calming brightness of sky blue and the rich warmth of earthy brown work well together. And in the bathroom, where the goal is to reconnect and rejuvenate, these colors couldn't be better placed.

It's not just me who's obsessed with this color combination; designers seem to be equally enamoured with it. It's rich and earthy, yet bright and uplifting, coming together to make a beautifully balanced pair that's just perfect for a modern bathroom.

It's not too serious, either, says Nicky Muudie from Violet & George. "We wanted something playful," says the designer, who recently used this combination in the cozy ensuite of a rural, wellness-inspired cottage. Opting for a spin on the striped tile trend, Nicky chose to intersperse rows of brown tiles within a base of soft sky blue squares, bringing a cool, geometric quality to the walk-in shower.

When the design world is so saturated in earthy color palettes, this combination feels slightly unexpected, while still staying true to the desire for nature-inspired homes. As Nicky explains, "Blue and brown are such a natural pairing, essentially earth and sky." Which is exactly why they work so beautifully together.

Although borrowing directly from nature, there's something striking about the combination that brings a bathroom to life. "We love the contrast of blue and brown and blue and oxblood," adds Nicky.

Sitting at the slightly warmer end of the spectrum, a deep burgundy red tile can make a beautiful alternative for brown, too. For artist and content creator Laura Prietto (@laura_prietto_ on Instagram), it was this richer, warmer tone that stood out.

In her own bathroom, she opted for sky-blue tiles alongside a deep red bordeaux. "What inspired the decision was a picture I saw on Pinterest," she explains. "I had saved a couple of different colors and ideas, but this one really spoke to me. My husband liked it too. I went to the tile store and was laying out options, and a designer from the store was really drawn to this option as well."

How To Get The Look

The beautiful thing about this trend is just how many ways you can bring it to life, with different types of bathroom tiles and layouts to explore. You could opt for large-format tiles for a more seamless, spa bathroom effect, or stick with smaller tiles for a more on-trend finish.

While there are many gorgeous ways to interpret it, there's something especially beautiful about the effect of brown and blue zellige tiles against one another; the shiny finish amplifying the contrast between the two colors.

For Nicky, it wasn't just the color that the high-shine finish amplified. "We went for zellige as it works perfectly with the texture of polished plaster," she adds. Sitting directly alongside the mottled plaster walls, the zellige tiles become even more prominent as a feature.

You don't have to feel bound to one particular design style, either. "Depending on how you pair it, this could work in either a more contemporary scheme, such as this, or a more traditional one," says Nicky. "It’s really about how you use it." It would look as beautiful paired with traditional bathroom features as it would within a sleek, modern home.

For designer Brandon Schubert, this color combination presented the opportunity to explore a slightly more industrial, modernist style. "I was looking for a tile that felt tactile and soft but also highly utilitarian," he explains. "I settled on these unglazed tiles from Winckelmans in France. They're the kind of thing you might see in a public swimming pool or bus station." But they look way better. (See below.)

How To Style Blue and Brown Tiles

With such a striking, high-contrast design, it's best to keep the rest of your design relatively neutral, allowing the tiles to take center stage.

Although the combination takes its cues from nature, in the context of your bathroom, the colors can look surprisingly bold, so other competing features can quickly make your bathroom feel cluttered, detracting from the calming atmosphere you're attempting to create.

Instead, seek out warm, natural materials, with Nicky listing "timber, aged brass, stone, and linen" as particularly good options. The natural warmth and textured finishes work beautifully alongside this color combination, rooting it in nature and highlighting the earthiness of the brown and the calming effect of the blue tones.

In terms of bathroom hardware, Laura encourages polished nickel, which further adds to this laid-back, lived-in warmth. Similarly, Nicky suggests using "Warm whites rather than brilliant white, which can feel a bit harsh next to these colors."

Colors in general are best kept to a minimum here. "Let the blue and brown do the work and use texture and natural materials to layer around them," says Nicky.

If you do want to expand the color palette, though, other nature-inspired shades work best. In Brandon's bathroom (shown above), he paired the brown and blue tiles with rich, green granite. "The green granite of the door lining is an important transition," he explains. "And the dark reddish-brown of the vanity is a perfect third color to add into the mix."

Shop The Look

If the idea of committing to a hyper 'on-trend' color combination fills you with fear, worry not. As much as I believe this gorgeous pairing will look just as chic in years to come, if you don't want to take the risk, these tried-and-true anti-trend color combinations will be just what you're looking for.

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October is just a few days away, and that means the beginning of the holiday and hosting season is coming — full steam ahead. IKEA just quietly launched a new collection of holiday products, and though they are centered around December festivities, I couldn't help but notice that a few pieces double as the perfect addition to Autumn table plans. And what's better than doubling up on your seasonal decor? Especially when it's a red candelabra that will bring a flickering glow to your home, and it's priced at just £22.

Good lighting is essential all the time, but I'd argue especially so when entertaining. Lamps and pendants are the obvious choice (and can be really stylish); however, nothing quite replicates candlelight. Luke Arthur Wells, award-winning interiors blogger and professional stylist, adds, "If you have a dining table without a pendant light above it, using a hanging candelabra is a great way to drop something above it that anchors it in the room and makes it feel more intimate and cozy when you're entertaining."

Plus, "Candlelight is way softer and more atmospheric than most pendant lights anyway, which can be a little harsh for hosting a dinner party, in my experience," Luke adds. So, if you're ready to get a head start on your party planning and autumn table decor ideas, IKEA's new Candle Chandelier makes a subtly fabulous finishing piece.

Fall table centerpieces and tableware, of course, are important parts of building the perfect tablescape, but too often the overhead ambiance is overlooked. While hanging centerpieces make for a stunning statement, it's not always the easiest or most practical detail. IKEA's chandelier has a simplicity to it that makes it relatively easy to incorporate without minimizing the visual effect.

When styling, real candles are always the preference, "but you'll just need to be particularly careful when it comes to dripping wax," warns Luke Arthur Wells. "I've found, with these hanging candelabras, that if they're not hung perfectly straight, dripping can be more of a problem, and they tend to drip down onto your table (or table linen) more than a standard candlestick." Trust me, peeling wax off of fabric is not the day after a party activity you want to partake in.

So, if you're a bit scared to hang one from your ceiling, don't fret; "they can be used flat on the table too, for a bit of drama," says Luke. "I've used the slightly gothic-looking candelabra that I found from a reclamation yard on spooky tables around Halloween before like this, and it sets the tone for the evening perfectly."

Or even try flameless candles (like these from Lights4Fun) — there are plenty of ways to bring this piece to life.

And if you can't make it to IKEA, don't worry; I did a little research to see what else was out there. Below are six more candle chandelier styles that would make the perfect addition to a fall table. Let the hosting plans commence!

Whether you are looking for ways to light a dining table with overhead pendants or want to wow your guests with an affordable statement that looks incredibly elevated, IKEA's new candle chandelier is the seemingly perfect addition.

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"As the evenings draw in, most homes reach for the same solution," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden. "The overhead light goes on at dusk and stays on until bed."

However, she points out that Japanese lighting has never worked that way. Traditionally, these homes are lit in pools, harness paper, illuminate surfaces, cover low ground, and tune brightness to the time of day. All of these tricks help create atmospheric ambience and make spending time indoors feel warm and welcoming.

So, let's explore these five Japanese lighting tips the designer says are worth borrowing for your own home. And according to Yoko, none of them actually require rewiring, so no excuses.

1. Light in Pools, Not One Wash

"Japanese design has a separate word for the warm, human-made glow of a lamp — akari (明かり) — as distinct from hikari, the natural light of the sun," says interior designer Yoko Kloeden.

"A room lit by akari has several small sources rather than one bright one — a lamp beside a chair, another on a shelf, a third low in a corner," she adds. "Pools of softness rather than an even glare."

She explains that this simple change to the way you plan your lighting scheme makes the biggest difference, and it usually starts with switching the big light off and relying instead on warmer alternatives to overheads.

2. Place Lights Low

"Traditional Japanese lighting always sat near the floor. The andon, the standard lamp of the Edo period, was a paper-covered wooden frame with an oil lamp inside, most often set on the floor or a low stand," Yoko notes.

"Isamu Noguchi said he found the andon fascinating as something suited to a way of life centered on tatami, the woven floor mats of a traditional room. Light arriving from below the eyeline is kinder to a room, and to a face, than anything coming down from the ceiling."

So while your table lamps might be presently perched on shelves and desks, descending them to a spot closer to the floor is a simple way to evoke a more rooted atmosphere. This Andon Table Light from Form & Refine, for one, would look beautiful on a low and long console.

3. Use Paper

Yoko tells me that paper lamps are a soothing Japanese lighting trick to transform austere spaces. "Washi paper diffuses light through the fiber rather than blocking it, so the shade itself becomes the source rather than a screen in front of one," she says.

"The best-known example began in 1951, when Noguchi stopped in Gifu and watched cormorant fishing boats on the Nagara River lit by paper chochin lanterns."

"The town’s lantern trade was failing, and the mayor asked him to help. He replaced the candle with an electric bulb, went on to design more than a hundred models, and called them Akari. They are still made in Gifu by Ozeki, the lantern maker he partnered with, founded in 1891."

This Akari 9A Floor Lamp from Vitra is a thoughtful way to pay homage to Noguchi's craft or, more simply, illuminate a bare corner.

4. Light the Surface, Not the Room

There's a moment of theatricality that comes from using light to amplify texture. And it's quite possibly the least performative way to show off the thoughtful accents of your home.

"Point a lamp at a plastered wall, a timber panel, or a drawn curtain and let the surface do the work," Yoko advises. "Light that arrives by reflection carries no glare, and a textured surface hands back something broader and softer than any fitting aimed into the middle of a room."

It's all about using lighting for a better atmosphere, and this small tweak to where the glow lands makes a notable difference.

5. Let It Get Darker

Yoko tells me one of the biggest lighting mistakes you could make is holding one level from dusk until bed. "Dim as the evening goes on and let the edges of the room fall away," she recommends.

"A room that changes through the evening keeps pace with what the body is already doing, and dark corners are not a failure of the scheme," she adds. "They are what give the lit parts their depth."

This Dimmable Margin Pendant Light from New Works is perfect for a more classic look. Or you can style in a more contemporary light, like this Beige Rechargeable Lamp from H&M.

One of my favorite Japanese philosophies is komorebi. It teaches you just how valuable splotches of natural light can be inside your home.

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Scandinavian design is known to be minimalist. It's uncluttered rooms and intentional, functional decor, all with an overarching sense of comfort. More than just minimalism, the Nordic design style centers strongly around the environment, serenity, and everyday well-being. So, when you begin to notice recurring design details in these spaces, the question becomes, why? For instance, why is a low or no-headboard style so common in Scandinavian bedrooms?

"Scandinavian bedroom design is quiet and deeply considered," says founder, architect, and designer Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, of Copenhagen-based studio Norm Architects. "It makes room for rest through a sense of warmth, simplicity, and ease. The focus is on how a space feels to inhabit, from the quality of the light to the materials we touch each day." And rather than a low or no-show headboard being just a Scandinavian design trend, the style actually plays into that sense of simplicity and ease. The lack of a noticeable anchor behind the bed creates a harmonious flow between the other design elements in the room, rather than becoming a statement piece like a large headboard would.

This sense of flow and harmony in a bedroom can be really beneficial to sleep wellness and increased relaxation. So, if you are considering adopting this Scandinavian-inspired headboard style, below is everything you need to know.

To start, it's important to address that a low or no-show headboard doesn't mean you are sacrificing anything. Current headboard trends certainly favor the bold, but there is always a place for a more minimalist look. Plus, a specific aesthetic and personality is created when you go for a bed sans headboard — you're showcasing a relaxed, familiar style.

So why does Scandinavian design gravitate towards low headboards? "It gives the bedroom a more open, restful feeling," explains Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen. "We are drawn to that sense of visual quiet, where no single element needs to dominate. A low headboard keeps the bed close to the scale of the room and allows the wall, light, and surrounding materials to play a greater part."

It's less about whether your bed needs a headboard or not, and more about how you want your bedroom to feel. Textiles, soft furnishings, and layered lighting take a larger role in creating atmosphere. And if there's any room in the house where attention to the environment matters, it's the bedroom.

When planning a cozy bedroom around this Scandi design feature (or lack thereof), "Start with the materials closest to the body," says Jonas. "Soft bedding, tactile textiles, and a considered balance of light and shade will build a strong base." Without a headboard, you can easily lose that anchoring element, so be extra conscious of how you build and style your bedscape and bedside to keep that grounding, Scandi style.

Good bedding can really make or break this look — something like a minimalist bedspread that pillows onto the floor ever so slightly can look really elevated in this setting, as well as organic materials in cozy, neutral colorways.

As for the rest of the bedroom, "a low headboard can sit beautifully against a textured wall or alongside a simple bedside surface and a warm reading light," says Jonas. The aim is to create layers of comfort without making the composition feel busy. I'd take this as the perfect excuse to layer in paper lantern lights, textures like dimpled wood, and other fashionable natural materials. "Natural materials such as wood, linen, and wool bring warmth and texture," says Jonas.

And this look will probably make you want to mirror the organic simplicity around the rest of the room. "In a Scandinavian bedroom, forms tend to be simple, with careful attention to proportion and detail. These choices create a calm foundation while still allowing the room to feel personal," says Jonas.

Once you commit to a low headboard (or no headboard at all), a more restful bedroom design is right around the corner. Below are a few styling ideas to get you started.

"I always approach the bedroom as a place of retreat," says Jonas. "There, darker tones and tactile materials give the space an intimate quality, while the furnishings remain restrained enough to let the atmosphere of the room come forward."

A tall, sculptural headboard is still a stylish option, but a low headboard is one of those things that make Scandinavian homes feel calm. It's for those who really crave a comforting and wellness-forward space.

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Banquette seating is a great way to maximize space, add flexibility, and, of course, extra seating to a kitchen, dining, or living area, serving not only as a practical design decision but also an opportunity to show creative flair. Banquettes also improve flow and create a cozy, comforting vibe that makes a space feel instantly warmer and more inviting, often softening hard edges and corners.

While 'banquette' is defined as 'a long seat covered with cloth or similar material and put against a wall', these interior designer-styled spaces prove that you can get really creative with your banquette seating ideas, meaning you don't need a wall or corner to make them work hard. There are, however, many examples of cozy dining and breakfast nooks, which take full advantage of awkward corners and alcoves, too.

I had the pleasure of poring over the Livingetc articles to find the crème de la crème of banquette seating designs that are a masterclass in styling built-in seating. From using color, pattern, curves, and more, these projects show how you can add intimacy, versatility, and a whole host of style to your space. Here's how it's done.

1. Go Tone-on-Tone

In this mid-century holiday home designed by Michelle Boudreau Design, the banquette seating off the modern kitchen is a total wow factor. A custom MBD design, this curved banquette plays with geometric patterns and a tone-on-tone warm pink style. "She really wanted to feature the Palm Springs sunset tones and bring the outdoor landscape inside," Michelle Boudreau explains. "You can sit here, have your breakfast while enjoying tea and the vistas."

2. Bring It Into the Living Room

Interior designer Jessica Gersten reimagined this Tudor home, previously a Country Club, into a warm family retreat in Rye, New York, where wood tones and warm neutrals feature throughout the property with a strong sense of flow — which is why this corner banquette works so well. Not only does it add extra space for lounging in this modern living room, but it also improves circulation, allowing their kids to run freely through the space to other areas of the house. The owners are also particularly fond of how the 'cloud-soft' banquette works with the ceramic wave wall structure, which echoes its sinuous curves.

3. Style It in the Center

"Living in London taught me to embrace color, personality, and bold design choices," explains owner Giulia Felicani of this Parisian apartment designed by ARGIA Architecture. "London interiors are often less constrained by convention and more willing to take risks." This is evident in this dining space, as much as it is in the rest of the home, where the elegant curved banquette becomes a cocooning retreat in the center of the space — who says banquettes are only for corners?

4. Go Long

In this 5,000-square-foot Upper West Side pre-war penthouse in New York, the warm, neutral-toned banquette seating is a main event and is as functional as it is stylish. Designed by CA-based interior designer Lindye Galloway, the idea behind connecting the dining space to the kitchen island was to promote more intimacy within the large open-plan layout. "It also gave the great room two designated areas, which felt more appropriate for the size of the penthouse, versus lots of furniture floating in the middle," she explains.

5. Make It Black

The bold black banquette makes a statement in this space, acting as a wonderful contrast with the white walls and ceilings, while also being a practical choice for a family home. Fabricated by Archistoric, a local studio in Chicago, and upholstered in a Knoll fabric designed by David Adjaye, it adds texture and tones with the wood flooring. With no overhead lighting, designer Jennifer Kranitz improvised with this custom fixture, which begins at the half-wall behind the banquette and attaches to the ceiling for stability. "It pivots, allowing for directional lighting across the entire area”, she explains — and it finishes off the space perfectly.

6. Bring the Bar Vibes Home

Yes, this is actually a home — and a magnificent one at that. Designed by award-winning Irish interior designer Róisín Lafferty, this penthouse in London's Embassy Gardens is a welcoming retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city below. And what better space to retreat to than this banquette seating area that's perfect for both lounging and hosting? The warm tones of the upholstery are part of a wider earthy color palette used throughout the home, bringing coziness and a wonderful layer of texture to the space.

7. Anchor the Space With Art

Crafted by Teerlink Cabinets, this corner banquette is both the client's and the designer's favorite space in this Utah mountain retreat, designed by Jennelle Butera of Park City-based Bloum Design. "It was actually added later in the building process, and I'm so grateful we made room for it," explains the client. "Every morning, I sit there with my coffee, work on my travel business, and look out over the sweeping views of Deer Valley. It's become my favorite ritual in this house." The cozy, characterful nook was created by repurposing exterior square footage from the original architectural plans and is anchored by a custom Greg Palombo table, an Urban Electric Dome Pendant, and art from the client's collection, which completes the space.

8. Opt for a Bold Pop of Color

Appropriately named Joy Haus, this Australian home is full of personality, character, and playful energy. Realized by interior designer Ruby Shields, the key to this joyful project is color, which was a carefully choreographed detail in the home's storytelling, helping not just to add visual interest but also to define spaces, as the beautiful burgundy of this corner banquette shows. The playful pop of color cocoons the dining area while working in perfect harmony with the rest of the space. As Ruby explains, "Function and beauty are never opposing ideas."

9. Lean Into Texture

“The dining seating was initially more neutral, but the client encouraged us to make it bolder,” says interior designer Juliette Arent, co-founder of Arent & Pyke, who designed this inner-city Sydney apartment. Upholstered in Pierre Frey ‘Palladio’ fabric, the vibrant turmeric-hued banquette adds softness, warmth and tactility to the space, as well as an extra seating area for guests within the wider living area, for the owners who entertain family and friends often.

10. Anchor the Space With a Pendant

"Without a doubt, the breakfast nook is my favorite vignette in the whole project," says Kathryn Porter, the Belfast-based interior designer who designed this London family home. "We wanted to create an intimate everyday dining space that was both beautiful and family-friendly," explains Kathryn. "We used this stunning botanical print from Pierre Frey that is reminiscent of an old French tapestry to wrap the curved backrest, along with a washable linen union for the seat cover, which is perfect for sticky hands. I love how the plaster pendant really anchors the space and provides a sculptural element."

11. Choose a Statement Wallpaper

Effortlessly layered, emotive, and inviting, this dining area is an entertaining lovers' dream. The expressive wallpaper makes a statement without overwhelming the space or detracting from its architectural beauty, and the earthy neutrals and moss greens pay homage to the desert landscape. "Inspired by the Arizona desert and Bali, balanced with an effortless California ease, these colors create a home that feels grounded, warm, and naturally inviting," explains Dvira Ovadia of Dvira Interiors.

12. Embrace Curves

Flexibility was key in this London home designed by Uncanny Studio's French duo Églantine Sicat and Pauline Dellemotte, and seating areas like this dining nook are a perfect example of a flexible space for clients who "cook and host often, and hold wine tasting sessions," says Dellemotte. "The shape of the apartment is very geometrical with sharp angles," Sicat explains. "We wanted to bring some curves." Embrace curves, and the curves will embrace you, softening harsh lines and angles, and creating a more comforting, forgiving space.

13. Incorporate Integrated Storage

One of Livingetc's Unlocked homes, this elegant Clapham residence was designed by couple Charlie and Josh Karlsen for entertaining. Running luxury catering company Opus 11, with a roster of clients including rock stars, they were no strangers to hosting. “We actually designed the house around the kitchen table to prioritize hosting friends and family," explains owner Charlie. With a wall-to-wall built-in bench that packs a punch for extra home storage, never mind extra seating, this space-saving design is the epitome of functionality that doesn’t compromise on style.

14. Carve It Into an Island

Curated by design icon Bryan O'Sullivan, this kitchen dining area in an Art Deco riverside apartment in London’s Embassy Gardens is a lesson in restraint with the perfect amount of quiet drama. "Our intention with the banquette was to maximize the space and carve out a dining area without disrupting the kitchen's flow, forming a comfortable, convivial corner where people would naturally linger," says Bryan. Cleverly zoned, this cozy seating area is a great way to break up an open plan space and to bring the party to the kitchen when cooking for guests.

15. Opt for a Sculptural Design

"Built in 1956, the house naturally guided us toward midcentury architectural gestures and furniture silhouettes," says Staver Gray, one half of NYC-based design firm Ward + Gray with Christie Ward, who designed this LA home. "It was such a golden age for design in Los Angeles, and we found endless inspiration in that spirit — embracing clean lines, sculptural forms, and a sense of effortless living." And no space says this more than the banquette seating area. With its plump, sculptural cushioned seating and relaxed elegance, it’s a space that is as much about feeling as function.

16. Break Up a Wall

You don't need a nook or alcove to create a statement-making banquette seating area, as this space in an 1865 Brownstone in Boston shows. Designed by Cara Fineman, owner and principal of DAG Design, the dining area sits within a compact open-plan kitchen and living area, serving as a space of quiet repose or warm gatherings, and is defined by color and pattern. Using a banquette in this way helps to maximize space and improves flow in a small footprint.

As we increasingly seek spaces that are comforting, personal, and encourage human interaction, it's understandable that banquette seating has continued to gain popularity in recent years. It is, however, worth knowing what not to do when planning one of these built-ins for your home, as these banquette seating design mistakes show.

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When you start getting into the big leagues of kitchen countertops, things start to get interesting. Yes, these materials will take a bit of a chunk out of your kitchen renovation budget, but for the price, you get to bring a new dimension to your space. And it's all about touch.

Yes, polished and honed (or matt) are your standard choices when it comes to specifying finishes, but both have their issues. Gloss, once the standard, can sometimes feel too reflective, especially when under a light source like a large window, and is more prone to show fingerprints. Honed countertops are undoubtedly the most common today, but there's a dullness to their flatness in the wrong scheme.

Plus, now there are plenty of options on the market right now that bring a more interesting sense of texture to your surfaces. Not only do they bring a little more nuance overall to your scheme as a kitchen countertop, but are also the sort of materials you'll enjoy touching every day. Here are just a handful of the ideas you should get to know.

1. Leathered Surfaces

Leathered surfaces have a distinct texture achieved by a brushing technique. It's a process that can be applied to many natural stones, but each reacts in a different way. So, while one 'leathered' stone might not appear exactly the same as the other, each should have a soft, textured look and feel.

In the kitchen above, the Taj Mahal quartzite used in the kitchen has been leathered, something that designer Allison Lynch from Roundhouse thinks suits this stone's structure. "It works well for the natural formation of the stone because of the layering of quartzite," she says, "with it leathered, it matches the look."

"Your eye catches the surface being uneven and heavily textured, so you want to stroke it. The way it catches light makes the texture more pronounced," Allison adds.

2. Antiqued Surfaces

Allison describes antiqued surfaces as "a weathered finish that is softer than leathered." It's a little more distressed, or aged, in its intention, and not as uniform as the leathering technique through the use of a mix of brushing, washes, and sandblasting. It sounds extreme, but most natural stone is hard enough to weather to a subtle finish.

In the kitchen above, a granite countertop called Nero Assoluto has been used, which Allison suggests is the perfect candidate for the process.

3. 'Flamed' Surfaces

Flamed countertops might be less familiar, but they are what they sound like: natural stone treated with extreme heat until the crystals within it expand and create an intriguing texture.

In the kitchen above, Kitchens by Holloways used a Flamed Zimbabwean Granite kitchen countertop material for the island as a contrast to the simpler quartz worktops on the main run. "Matt, non-slip and incredibly tactile, the granite is incredibly durable, making it an ideal choice for food preparation areas," explains design consultant Emily Newmarch.

However, practicality depends on how heavily the surface is flamed; on the heavier side, the texture can be hard to wipe clean and a little too rough.

Yes, kitchen countertop trends themselves are leaning more towards bold, interesting, textured ideas, and this is just the tip of the iceberg for what's out there.

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You know how we love to bring you advice from the most inspiring and inventive designers and makers? And how we always translate their ideas into ways you can improve your own home? Well then it won't surprise you that our Livingetc In Session series does just that, but in real time, bringing together incredible experts in a beautiful setting to discuss ways to make our surroundings more beautiful, more functional and more joyful to live in.

That was the aim of the latest event, in the incredible new Corston showroom at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. I asked Charu Gandhi, founder of Elicyon (who had used Corston in her show stopping room at year's WOW!house exhibition) and the Corston's own in-house designer Connor Fox to help explain how to craft better atmospheres using lighting as a material in its own right.

The packed audience - people were squeezing in through the door - found the resulting chat to be illuminating; pun very much intended. Here are the key points I took away from the discussion.

1. Lighting is the most important part of a scheme

This may sound like hyperbole, but as Charu pointed out: "A room is nothing if you can't see it!" She says that it's one of the very first thing she considers, and the most major part of any scheme.

"What is the point of choosing beatiful materials if you then don’t light them?" she asked. "Our room in WOW!house was supposedly all about crystal, but it was nothing without light, and we had to get the lighting just right." She says she chose lighting to draw the eye to specific areas, to make the crystal glimmer, to show the texture of the standout leathered alabaster bar. "There were seven different types of light in that space, and that was the main story of it, really," she added.

2. Good lighting is about more than just the lighting itself

Really successfully lit rooms are about not just the lights, but about the specifics. "Good lighting is done by splitting rooms into pockets and specific areas," Connor said. "Then you need to focus on getting the brightness right, and the temperature right. You should be able to walk in and the shoulders just drop. That's when you know lighting is done right. And that comes from always having dimmer switches and warm bulbs. No cold bulbs, ever. No white lights. They don't provide any comfort."

3. Flexibility is everything

Because the light changes in any space throughout the day, and how you want to use the room will alter too, it's important that light can shift with your requirements.

"My favorite thing is to have lots of optionality," Charu said. "I hate rooms that don’t offer the option to be very brightly lit - you should be able to light them up like Christmas if you want to! You won't need to often, but every now and again you will, and if you can't then it's frustrating."

It was at this point Connor was able to point to Corston's brand new Cotswold portable and rechargeable lamp that he designed, the ultimate in adaptable lighting.

Charu then agreed that the other way to make sure lighting schemes are flexible is to have lights you can move around. "Floor lamps and table lamps are useful, but also wall lights and ceiling lights that you can swivel are good. Just by turning them one way or another you can totally shift the atmosphere of a room."

4. Material matters, too

As a lighting designer, Connor is constantly finding new ways to improve the quality of the glow from the pieces he creates. And his thoughts on what work are invaluable for when you're picking products for your own home or a project.

"Materials really do affect the light," Connor said. "Brass is great for reflecting light, which helps to create a richer interior. I love to work with porcelain as if you have that as the shade then the glow that comes through it is muddy, earthy and interesting. At Corston we've also do linen shades, and as well as doing some that are bright white we've been adding in some lines with more variation, a bit of fleck, they're not processed or bleached. They have a bit of character in their imperfection, and a very artisanal feel."

Livingetc In Session will be back soon - watch this space for more details

There is a wonderful alchemy at work during Livingetc's series of Design, Directed dinners. We invite the most creative, forward-looking and - most importantly - fun designers we know to join us for an evening of connections, conversations and collaboration. Each time we do it, last trains are missed, lights are flicked on by the venue, the guests have to be turfed out because they're all having too much of a good time! It always feels more like an intimate supper with friends - which is what it is, friends being both old and new - than a work do.

Our latest event, in partnership with Farrow & Ball, was held in a private room at The Devonshire in Soho, the 'it' pub with, supposedly, the best Guinness outside of Dublin and certainly the best food at that end of town. It was buzzy, it was busy, Lily Allen was hosting a dinner in the room dowstairs. The walls were painted in Farrow and Ball's Eating Room Red and it set the scene for a night of conviviality.

Undoubtedly, where that alchemic magic of Design, Directed comes from is in our curated guest list. Livingetc's senior editors open their little black books to bring together the people shaping what interiors look like today. This time, the table featured:

Christian Bense, Pip Rich, Tiffany Duggan, Minnie Kemp, Ayisha Onourah, Sophie Paterson, Jojo Barr, Rachael Gowdridge, Ananth Ramaswamy, Clare Gaskin, Sophie Rowell, Sarah Spiteri, Anahita Rigby, Sarah Peake, Kate Guinness, Jasmine Fisher, Lizzie Green, Laura Stephens, Henry Prideaux, Jo Le Gleud and Farrow and Ball's Joa Studholme, Patrick O'Donnell, Claire Dunbar and Georgia Farey.

“What we always do at Livingetc is bring life to design - we turn images into inspiration and ideas into actionable choices. Design, Directed is a natural extension of this, having been run all over the world, creating a network of the most dynamic people working today," says Livingetc's executive editor Pip Rich. "We've built - and are building - a community. And I love how much the people in it love being in it."

The dinners are not about marketing pitches, but throughout the evening there was a quiet celebration of Farrow & Ball’s new wallpaper launch, an archival rediscovery of some historic patterns, newly re-released as Heritage Papers. One, featuring a pretty pattern of sweetpeas, was featured on the menu, and placements were hand-painted glasses with names on them and motifs taken from the papers.

“The partnership felt so organic, and like we were bringing the prints to life without anybody trying or needing to sell them,” said Sarah Spiteri, Livingetc’s Global Editor in Chief. “They just formed part of the narrative of the evening, alongside all the other hilarious stories, gossip and creative idea swapping that naturally happens when you bring this sort of crowd together."

The sign of a great event is, of course, that no one wants to leave. At The Devonshire, Kate Guinness missed her last train and had to crash with a friend, Anahita Rigby and Clare Gaskin were still chatting in the street long after the venue had closed. It felt like collaborations were quietly being formed over final sips of coffee.

Because that’s exactly what Design, Directed is about. It’s not just another industry dinner or panel discussion but something much more. Design, Directed is a salon-style gathering where the most interesting people in design come together to talk, challenge each other and, best of all, have fun. And who would want that to end?

See the whole of the Heritage Papers collection from Farrow and Ball here

For many years, it was believed that the gold standard for a bathroom was a space that felt pristine — it was a room where minimalism thrived, color palettes were muted, and unnecessary flourishes were skipped. Things were designed to feel orderly and calming, so the idea of intentionally mismatching details was nothing short of sacrilege.

But, as we all know, design is ever-changing, and what was once the height of fashion can, in just a few short years, completely lose its shine. So it really shouldn't come as a surprise that the coolest thing a modern bathroom can be nowadays is exactly that: mismatched. We're talking mixed metal finishes, contrasting tiles, and antiques interspersed with modern designs. We want choices that challenge our expectations. Designer Uns Hobbs, known for her eclectic, layered style, says this bathroom trend is reflective of a wider shift in our decorating habits. "I think bathrooms are becoming much more interesting," she says. "We’re moving away from the idea that a bathroom should be purely practical. We’re treating them more like any other room in the house, bringing in different materials, furniture, art, and decorative details to give them warmth and personality."

Across interiors, we're seeing a growing desire for more characterful, layered designs. We want our homes to reflect our own identity, revealing parts of ourselves through the design choices we make. And after years of bathrooms being considered functional spaces, we're finally beginning to see them as a thread in the fabric of our homes, paying them the same attention we'd give to any other space in our home. "I love a bathroom that feels like a comfortable room you happen to bathe in, rather than a very functional, clinical space," says Uns. And mismatching your details achieves just that.

The Argument for Mismatched Bathrooms

So, what exactly do we mean by a mismatched bathroom, and why have they suddenly become so popular? Well, in the age of AI, anything that shows signs of human touch and natural signs of aging has become more desirable, which is exactly why we're moving away from the perfection of all-matching white bathrooms, instead turning to more unexpected combinations in our homes.

It's a trend Louise Ashdown, the head of design at West One Bathrooms, has been noticing, too. "Bathrooms are moving towards a more layered and expressive aesthetic, where warmth and personality take precedence over uniformity," she says. In particular, "We're seeing a confident mixing of metals, from dark bronze paired with brushed brass, chosen to complement rather than perfectly match, usually with one dominant finish and a secondary accent," she adds.

This trend also comes back to the growing appreciation for vintage furniture and antique-inspired designs, which is why we're seeing a return of traditional features in bathrooms, as well as smaller, vintage touches, too. "I think the eclectic, collected, almost vintage feel is really resonating right now, and part of achieving that look is mixing elements so the space doesn't feel too perfect or overly planned," says interior designer Amy Peltier.

Combining features and finishes that wouldn't traditionally be found together is what builds character, while a fully matching set can easily feel slightly flat and uninspired.

"When every metal, stone, or finish matches perfectly, a bathroom can start to feel a little too coordinated," adds designer Melissa Selvaggio. "Mixing gives you an opportunity to add layers and personality, and to make choices that feel specific to the client and the home." It invites a little more creativity, allowing you to step outside of the box and design a bathroom that feels more true to your personal style.

What Details to Mismatch in Your Bathroom

One of the best things about this look is how broad it can be, with countless different options for how to interpret it. For Uns, bathroom tiles are the perfect way to bring a touch more personality and experimentation into your space.

"We’re much more open to using different tiles within the same bathroom, mixing colors, shapes, and formations rather than choosing one tile and using it everywhere," she says. This could be as simple as a contrast trim, or you could do something bold, like a full patterned tile moment. With such a wide array of types of bathroom tiles to choose from, it's an easy starting place for designing a mismatched bathroom.

And it's not just colors and shapes you can combine; for Amy, mixing different tile materials has become somewhat of a go-to approach. "I'm no longer blanketing a bathroom from floor to ceiling in the same marble," she says. "Instead, I like mixing materials and even different stones to create a more collected, less expected look." You can opt for completely different stones, or try mixing marbles, for a luxurious, marble bathroom with a twist.

You don't need to undergo a full bathroom renovation to bring this look into your space, though. Often, it's more about your bathroom's finishing touches. For example, "I also love mixing in pieces that you wouldn’t traditionally associate with a bathroom, particularly antiques, old shelves, stools, mirrors, and artwork," shares Uns. "It immediately makes the room feel warmer and less utilitarian."

Layering in antique finds and vintage elements is what will make your bathroom feel more considered and layered, and they can easily play functional roles, too. A vintage stool, for example, can easily double up as a helpful storage spot, while also adding some warmth and intrigue to your space.

Hardware is also a particularly good way to bring this look to life. Instead of finishing your entire bathroom in the same metallic finish, combining a few different tones can feel far more interesting. "The interesting shift is that designers are no longer treating every piece of metal in a room as though it came from one matching set," explains Gareth Hull, from Hendel & Hendel.

In his role, Gareth gets a clear view of the growing trends in bathroom hardware. "A tap has one function, a cabinet handle another, and a wall light another, so there is no particular reason they all need exactly the same finish," he explains. By combining varying tones and finishes across your hardware, you're able to create a more complex design, with different layers of warmth and tonality.

How to Curate an Intentionally Mismatched Bathroom

Thanks to the breadth of variety that exists within this look, it couldn't be easier to recreate within your own home, no matter what stage of the design process you're at.

A good place to start is the color palette of your bathroom. This is, in many ways, the foundation of your design, and is a great place to lay the blocks for a mismatched design. You'll want to find colors that still flatter one another, without necessarily matching. When doing this, Ca'Pietra's Grazzie Wilson follows one rule: "Stop trying to match the color and start looking at its undertone. That is often where a bathroom either comes together or starts to feel slightly off."

When suggesting stone pairings from the Ca'Pietra collection specifically, Grazzie searches for one consistency, rather than a complete match. For example, "A terracotta floor, pink wall tile, and deep burgundy vanity are three completely different colors, but there is warmth running through all of them, so your eye understands why they belong together," she says.

It's this idea of small consistencies that is the key to success with this look. Finding cohesion in a mix-and-match design comes down to the subtle similarities across your materials and finishes. This is how Uns approaches her designs, too. "I like using a few different materials but finding small connections between them," she says. "You could mix a square tile with a rectangular tile, for example, or use different colors but repeat one of those tones elsewhere in the room."

Ultimately, the most important thing is that everything feels logical. Your finishes don't need to match; they just need to make sense together. "I don’t think your taps, lighting, handles, and accessories all need to be exactly the same finish," says Uns. "If the overall palette works together, mixing finishes can make the room feel much more natural and interesting."

Even if you naturally lean more towards minimalist design styles, this look can still work. "You don’t necessarily need more pattern or more color to make a scheme interesting," says Grazzie. "Sometimes the cleverest mix is one color family expressed through three completely different textures."

Mismatched doesn't need to mean busy or overwhelming. When done well, it should be quite the opposite, calming in its natural, layered warmth.

If you're a fan of this eclectic, layered look, I reckon you'll love these kitchens with mix-and-match cabinets; it's an easy way to make your space feel more playful and intriguing.

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It's the start of the end-of-year, and as things start to wind down, color-of-the-year predictions roll out. So far, we've seen a lot of greens, blues, and warm, earthy tones, all signaling a grounding evolution in interior design. And, while Little Greene didn't announce a singular shade set to define 2027, the brand instead launched a refreshed 'Colors of England' and 'Color Scales' palette, which includes 27 new and refreshed shades.

As an indecisive person, I love it when paint brands provide options — a palette rather than a single shade means more inspiration and guidance for how to decorate with color in your home. Sharing this knowledgeable insight is the ethos of Little Greene's release. The brand explains that it examined color trends over the past decade and how they have evolved to decide what upgrades to make to its 'Colors of England' card and the 'Color Scales' offering, which includes 22 new colors and expanded color families.

So, learning how to combine colors and create harmonious schemes is the goal here, and I must admit, I was truly taken with some of the combinations in Little Greene's new palette. Striking teals next to warm oranges, bold yellows with rich purples, and soft pinks next to delicious browns — the pairs are slightly unexpected, yet exceptionally stylish. Basically, there's ample inspiration to gain from the brand's latest release — here are the five color combinations I'm currently obsessed with.

1. Teal and Tangerine

I can't necessarily say that I am totally surprised to see orange and teal paired together, but this high-chroma combination is definitely more on the unexpected side. Decorating with blue is scheduled for a 2027 revival — whether it's a calming light blue, like Celestial Blue, or a deep, sophisticated blue like Rome. And the common theme is a clear shift away from cold undertones. This makes these shades even easier to pair with their natural complement: orange.

Orange and blue sit directly opposite one another on the color wheel, so when used together, they create strong visual contrast, allowing each shade to enhance the depth and character of the other. Ruth Mottershead, color expert and creative director at Little Greene, says, "The earthy warmth of Ashes of Marigold is beautifully offset by the tranquil, mid-toned Perpetual Blue, creating a scheme that feels both vibrant and grounded."

"When pairing complementary shades, consider using the warmer color on larger expanses where its enveloping ambience can be fully appreciated, while introducing the cooler shade through woodwork, cabinetry, or architectural details to provide contrast and definition," she adds. "The result is a scheme that feels confident while maintaining a natural sense of balance."

2. Ochre and Aubergene

Purple and yellow together are probably one of the trickiest color combinations to pull off. Yes, purple and yellow are complementary colors, but they are both rather obscure colors when it comes to interior design — especially in these bold variations.

But again, warmth is the key. A rich aubergine leans into the reddish side of the color wheel, while ochre is a sunshine-inspired shade with strong orange tones. There is a lot of warmth happening here, making this specific pairing of Brûlée and Cordoba from Little Greene exciting for contemporary interiors.

The sunshine-y golden yellow next to the rich, brooding aubergine makes for a very satisfying contrast in design. Plus, you'd have an easy time complementing this combination with warm neutrals like chocolate brown and soft mocha.

3. Olive, Navy, and Poppy Red

If any color is having its revival moment, it's green (not that decorating with green could ever go out of style, though). Green color trends are currently drawing on natural hues that have an unexpected flair — punchy olives, chartreuses, and yellow-toned teals. And Little Greene's new palette is making a fabulous case for how to style these shades.

Bright olive (Hillside, one of Little Greene's new shades), bold red (Tuscan Red), and navy (Dock Blue) are the combination here, and it's as timeless as it is exciting. Green and red are complements on the color wheel, and for that reason, I will always argue for their use outside of Christmas, too. Then throw a pop of navy into the mix? It's the perfect contrast — almost a grown-up take on decorating with the primary color palette, if you ask me.

"Greens and blues feel at home in both period and contemporary properties," adds Ruth. You could even throw a mid-tone blue into this palette. "Perpetual Blue is a mid-to-deep blue that has a hint of green, which responds beautifully to changing light and adds a touch of warmth," the color expert adds. None of these colors dominate when all together, yet the contrast ensures the space feels engaging and dynamic.

4. Mocha and Bubblegum

We've become quite used to a chocolate brown in a contemporary palette, but this year is bringing a softer, milk chocolate-taupe shade to the forefront. And what goes better with this rose-tinted brown than a soft, dusty pink? I wasn't expecting to fall in love with pink and brown this year, but here we are.

And for this combination, we are really making the most of Little Greene's new shades — Marle (a mid-tone brown with ochre undertones), Flight Pink (a deep mauve with plenty of pink in its makeup), and Parlour (a delicate plaster hue). Plus, combining these warm, cozy neutrals makes a more interesting neutral color palette; there's a little rosy warmth that will never feel cold or flat in a space.

Milk chocolate mocha and ballet slipper pink? Did someone say chocolate box interiors? I'm getting major cottage core vibes from this pairing, in the best way.

5. Sky Blue and Lime

Lastly, I was surprisingly taken by this sky blue and lime color combination. While this duo could easily read as more youthful, the nuanced tones make it feel fresh and lively — perfect for those restorative moments in an interior. So what are the Little Greene shades to look for? Deep Celestial Blue (part of the color scales family) and Citrine.

Decorating with light blue will always create a serene space to unwind in, but I love that the pop of lime creates a characterful juxtaposition. At first, it's slightly unexpected, but the warmth in both of the tones creates a beautiful, zingy pairing. So fresh.

Learning how to pair colors properly opens the door to creating an interior palette that feels perfectly fitted to your taste. Little Greene is serving up plenty of inspiration this season, especially if you want to experiment with anti-trend color combinations in the upcoming year.

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"Our homes have such a profound effect on how we feel," interior designer Laura Stephens tells me. When we come home after a long day, a well-curated space provides familiarity and comfort that uplift us as we unwind. "They're the backdrop to our everyday lives, so they shouldn't just look beautiful; they should support the way we actually want to live and make us feel comfortable, restored, and completely ourselves," adds Laura. That's why an introvert's home will look different than that of an extrovert.

Some people thrive in energetic, sociable spaces, while others need their home to provide a real sense of retreat. And in all honesty, most of us require a mix of these needs. I align as an extrovert in my social life, but an introvert more days of the week than not. Things like cozy corners where you can escape, decor that comforts and reflects the things you love, and your favorite colors help build a home that feels safe — aspects we could generally prescribe to an introvert-friendly home.

There aren't strict rules, however; it's about designing for the specific person. Extroverts and introverts experience lighting differently, color differently, and texture differently, so it needs to be designed differently. "When a home reflects your personality and emotional needs, there’s an ease to it. You walk through the door and immediately feel that you can exhale," says Laura. If you feel like an introvert at heart, here are six decorating ideas you should adapt for a home that fuels you.

1. Create Cozy Corners to Escape

Probably the most obvious introvert decorating trick is creating cozy zones throughout your home that provide moments to relax and unwind. "For an introvert, I'd really prioritize creating little moments of retreat within the home rather than treating every room as one large, open space," says Laura Stephens.

For instance, a window seat or reading nook is wonderful because it gives you somewhere to curl up with a book and feel cocooned. Plus, this is an easy inclusion in any room. "It doesn't have to be a whole room — it could be a cozy corner to read, listen to music, or just sit quietly," says interior designer Tamsin Allen, founder of Fawn Allen. Add a comfortable sitting chair, a lamp, and a small side table to stack your favorite books and a candle, and you're set.

But maybe reading is not your favorite hobby; you can even turn a listening room into a stylish listening corner with a clever vinyl storage unit and a cozy lounge. "Sometimes it's simply about creating places to escape to," says interior designer Sophie Pringle, founder of Pringle & Pringle. "We've even just positioned an armchair by the window where you can sit alone and look out at the landscape. These small moments can be just as valuable as having an entire room dedicated to retreat."

2. Choose Comfortable Colors Rather Than 'Calm'

This might be the most shocking element for an introvert's home, but you never need to shy away from bold color trends if that is your style. In fact, if you love decorating with color, then that is probably what will create a calming atmosphere for you.

"I would always start with the colors that make that particular person feel most at home rather than prescribing a universally 'calming' palette," says Sophie. Sure, sensory-conscious paint colors can help bring calm, but only if they are right for you. "We often find people are naturally drawn to a family of colors that also suits them personally — one client might feel happiest amongst crisp whites, teals, and pinks, while another gravitates towards the richer, earthier colors associated with an autumn palette," adds Sophie.

Think about the space you are planning, and how you want to feel in it. Introverts won't typically be centering their living room around entertaining, so perhaps a darker, cocooning color makes more sense. Introverts and extroverts can have different paint palettes, but Tamsin says, "Never be afraid of darker rooms and dark paint colors. I actually think they can feel really comforting and relaxing."

Olive greens, tobacco, rusty reds, aubergine, warm creams, and muddy blues — these are all shades where you can bump up the saturation, while still keeping a grounding aesthetic. They have depth and complexity to them. But "Rather than using one color throughout, I would build a palette of related shades and allow them to appear in different fabrics, wallpapers, and painted furniture," Laura says.

3. Prioritize Comfortable Seating

Similar to carving out seating nooks around the home, most designers agree that an introvert's home should always be adjusted to prioritize cozy seating and a sense of intimacy. "I would think about creating rooms with different levels of intimacy rather than designing everything for one purpose," says interior designer Melissa Hutley. "In a living room, for example, I love having a generous sofa for relaxing but also a more upright antique chair or chaise tucked into a corner so you can retreat slightly from the main space."

This basically means rejecting the notion that your living room has to be a communal hangout spot, and instead, it can be a place designed solely for relaxation. Lots of different seating ideas in a single space and around the home can help with that.

"In a living room, I'd have a really comfortable sofa and then perhaps a separate reading chair," Tamsin says. "I like the idea of having different spots where you can do different things, rather than everything being centered around one TV or one seating area."

4. Layer Spaces With Textiles and Texture

"Texture is just as important as color when you're trying to create a restful space," says Laura. And introducing layering into your design will make your introvert-friendly home way more stylized.

And it doesn't have to be strictly soft furnishings either. "Texture is key, but I like to achieve it through a mixture of old and new," says Melissa. "A beautiful, worn timber antique alongside a contemporary upholstered piece, an old oil painting against a patterned wallpaper, or a faded rug layered over a more neutral floor can create a much richer atmosphere than everything being perfectly coordinated." What makes you feel cozy in a space? You don't want to add so much that it becomes overwhelming, but a nice sense of contrast will do wonders.

Melissa particularly loves fabrics that show a little bit of age and character. "They make a room feel collected rather than overly designed, which I think is incredibly important when you want a space to feel restful and personal," she adds. Natural materials such as linen, wool, timber, and stone bring warmth and tactility, while fabrics like velvet or brushed cotton can make a room feel wonderfully cocooning — find your perfect mix.

But "Bedrooms should feel particularly calm," notes Laura. "Upholstered headboards, layered curtains, beautiful bed linen, and warm bedside lighting all help soften a room both visually and acoustically." And you can create that sense of enclosure with textiles by adding curtains behind the bed or a canopy bed.

"I'd also always choose a wonderful throw — something incredibly soft that you genuinely want to wrap yourself in," Laura says. "It sounds simple, but those tactile details are often what transform a room from somewhere that merely looks lovely into somewhere you actually want to retreat to."

5. Let Your Lighting Sooth the Senses

As previously mentioned, introverts and extroverts experience lighting differently, and for an introvert, the goal is to always go as calm as possible. "Soft lighting can completely change the mood of a room, especially in the evening," says Tamsin. "For me, creating that warm, gentle glow is one of the easiest ways to make a home feel like a retreat."

Think overhead lighting alternatives only, a soft ambient glow, and warm lighting over cool any day. These softer lighting sources help calm the nervous system and create a space where you can really feel comfortable winding down.

"An introvert should even try creating smaller, more intimate zones, with plenty of soft lighting rather than relying on one bright overhead light," adds Laura.

6. Surround Yourself With Things You Love

Lastly, you should always adapt your home so that you are surrounded by things that you love. "Ultimately, an introvert-friendly home should feel like a sanctuary, but it should still have personality," says Laura. "Calm doesn't have to mean bland. The most relaxing spaces are often the ones filled with colors, objects, books, and textures that have a personal connection and make you feel completely at home."

Melissa adds that "For someone more introverted, I think there is something particularly lovely about creating an interior that feels personal, layered, and slightly removed from the outside world." The good news for people like me is that being an introvert does not mean you have to adopt minimalism in design.

Don't be afraid to decorate your bookshelves, mantels, and coffee table with all the things you love. Pattern, art, books, and collected objects actually make a space feel more comforting because they give the eye things to settle on. "It is more about creating a rhythm between the busier and quieter elements, so the room feels layered without becoming chaotic," says Melissa.

However, reducing visual clutter is still important, and the key to making this work. "It doesn't need to be minimalist, but having thoughtful storage means the things you love can be displayed while everyday clutter can disappear," says Laura.

Ultimately, the most relaxing interiors are rarely the most minimal. "They are the ones that feel familiar and collected, with layers of things that you have chosen because you genuinely love them," says Melissa.

Whether it's leaning into color psychology or adding a few more restful spots around your home, it always pays to tune in to how you want to feel at home.

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In the most elevated homes, artwork doesn’t just get balanced on a nail in the wall. No, proper consideration is given to how it’s mounted, framed, and eventually hung — for interior designers, it’s as much a part of the process as finding the right art itself.

And these examples go to show it. It's not just about where and how to hang art, I’ve looked for ideas for framing that complement the artwork itself, giving it a new dimension.

From decorative frames to colorful passepartout, these are the ways to take your artwork to the next level.

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Once an absolute go-to design feature in almost all kitchens with an island, it seems that when it comes to ways to light this space now, the trio of pendants are becoming less necessary and more of a safe option. But don’t panic! We aren’t saying that pendant lights are suddenly bad; the issue lies in how predictable and sometimes dated this look is, especially above the island.

“The mistake is treating the island as the starting point. I look at the ceiling first, because its height and the way daylight moves across it decide if pendants belong there at all,” says Artem Kropovinsky, founder and principal designer of Arsight Studio. So rather than automatically opting for the trio of pendants above the island, you should first consider the overall design of your space, followed by your lighting scheme, including your kitchen island lighting ideas.

Furthermore, today’s kitchen lighting is most certainly leaning into a more atmospheric era. So making it flexible is key to tailoring your setting to different times, and using different light sources that can work together, complement each other, or work independently will contribute in such a positive manner. With this in mind, we’ve called on the experts to talk us through how to approach lighting this area now.

1. Layered Lighting Is Key

The secret to making a kitchen feel beautifully lit isn’t necessarily choosing the perfect pendant (or three) — it’s making sure you have more than one source of light to work with to give you options for different moods at different times. Rather than relying on a trio of the same fixture to illuminate the kitchen island and provide the room's main decorative feature, designers are increasingly looking at the kitchen as a space that needs several layers of lighting, each serving a different purpose.

“Good kitchen lighting sits at three or four different heights, not one. Once you have under-cabinet task light and something decorative on the wall, the ceiling stops needing to prove anything,” reassures Artem Kropovinsky. Once the practical lighting is covered, there’s more freedom to think about the atmosphere you want to create.

Wall lights are highly recommended to add plenty of character and a warm glow wherever they’re placed, and the next layer should ideally consist of a few occasional lights for added ambience. “A little pool of light in a dark corner is the perfect way to create lovely little spots in a room; an unexpected light and a little styling in an otherwise dark corner can be the making of a room,” says Helen Parker, creative director of deVOL Kitchens.

Rechargeable lamps, plug-ins, or even LED candlelit areas will transform supposedly gloomy spots into inviting low-lit, cozy corners. Helen explains, “The ability to plug in a light source without the need for permanence can really enhance a room for a special occasion or a specific purpose; but our guess is that once you have created an extra corner of moodiness in your home, you won’t want to take it away!”

Erik Munro, founder of Munro Design, agrees, suggesting, “You could also use architectural lighting tailored for function and cleverly concealed, like LED strips under floating shelves or hidden uplighting behind ceiling cornices, which wash surfaces in a soft, ambient glow.” This, of course, depends on your unique space, but think outside the box.

“Then introduce a sculptural or decorative light above the island to anchor the space. That contrast between practical lighting and a statement piece creates both atmosphere and focus.” It's not about cutting off the island lighting altogether, but ensuring there are other layers of light present is a good idea; then you can view the island pendant (singular) as an artistic element instead.

2. Opt for TWO Pendants

If you are set on including pendant lighting, Helen suggests keeping them subtle: “Even though the urge to really make your mark with these is hard to resist.” She says, “Try to be less obvious and go for simple, understated, and beautiful.” Aiming for a timeless design should keep the kitchen from feeling dated as well as dominated by them. She also recommends dimmer switches for ultimate versatility.

“Two larger pendants read as intentional where three read as a formula,” says Artem, “And in a lot of kitchens the honest answer is none at all; just recessed light doing the work quietly and a beautiful sconce somewhere you'd actually notice it.” Hearing this from a designer like Artem totally simplifies the process for a lot of homes.

3. Opt for Alternative Lighting Over the Island

If you want to avoid the generic three pendants over an island, but you feel the need for some kind of illumination up there, Chelsea Tallentire, senior designer at Makers Furniture, suggests installing directional spotlights on a track or a linear adjustable bar.

“Both options provide flexibility while creating a more considered and contemporary look.” This can also act as your task lighting, so you won't need so many inset ceiling lights, if any. However, it is quite a different look, so be sure it's in keeping with your style goal before the final decision is made. Either way, there are many alternatives to kitchen grid lighting so that your space doesn't end up feeling like a dentist's office.

4. Relocate the Pendant Lighting

Whereas Tom Raffield, creative director and founder of Tom Raffield, suggests using a pendant over the dining table instead, “The soft glow of a pendant over a dining table or the subtle downlighting from wall lights can add a sense of intimacy and depth, not to mention that dimmable lighting can allow for even greater flexibility to create the desired ambience.”

Depending on the size of the light and the size of the table, you may even get two over it without it looking overcrowded, but I'd always map out the options before committing.

Lighting is a vital part of any design, yet is often a bit of an afterthought. It should be layered and interchangeable, so that you're able to create different moods and appropriate lighting for different tasks and events throughout the day. Moving away from the predictable trio of pendants doesn’t mean your kitchen has to be any less considered. In fact, taking the pressure off the island as the star of the show allows that area to breathe, opening up more potential for a layered space, way more personal, and the ambience you really want in your own home.

Think about how you want the kitchen to feel at different times of day, and build your lighting around that. A well-placed light, softly illuminated shelves and architectural features, or even a small table lamp in an overlooked corner will have just as much impact as a statement pendant, or perhaps even more. And if you do decide to hang something above the island, it doesn't have to come in a three!

The key is to stop thinking of kitchen lighting as separate items to tick off the list. By combining practical illumination with softer, more decorative light sources, you can create a kitchen that works hard when it needs to but feels warm and inviting when the evening rolls around. This is exactly what will make the space feel timeless.

If you want to see how lighting trends are shaping up for 2027, we delve into how this decorative element is evolving in all the best-designed homes.

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After years of apartment hopping in London, I know firsthand how hard it can be to design a stylish bedroom when space is at a minimum. Plus, I recently upgraded my standard full to a king-size frame — what little room my apartment bedroom had is now even less. So what do you do when your bed takes up almost the entire bedroom?

Just because we don't all have space for a separate vanity area or window bench in our bedrooms doesn't mean it has to be boring; the best small bedroom ideas make the most of whatever space you have. So if the size of your bed only leaves a small square footage left to work with, that just means it's time to get creative. Could a bed nook make the space into a cozy haven? Would a canopy bed create a dramatic, enveloping environment? There are way more options than you might imagine to make your bedroom a stylized blend of form and function.

And to generate ample inspiration, I called in the experts. I asked interior designers for their favorite ways to make a small sleeping space feel as fashionable as one with ample room. Whether it's a small guest bedroom you're planning or your main sleeping space, below are a few ways to crank up style — no heavy renovations required.

1. Combine Functionality Across the Space

Rather than getting discouraged, think of a bed that takes up most of the bedroom as a design challenge. You don't have to stick to strict bedroom design rules here. Still, London-based interior designer Qian Wang from Xu & Wang Studio says, "I usually look at this kind of bedroom situation from both a functional and visual point of view."

Functionally, reducing or combining some of the practical elements can be a good approach for a small bedroom. For example, "instead of having a freestanding bedside table, we might simplify the storage and integrate it into the headboard," says Qian. Not only does this save space, but extended headboard design makes the space feel elevated and cohesive — you're creating a more custom aesthetic. Which, Qian says, going bespoke or built-in when you can "makes better use of the available space."

This combining of functions can translate in a variety of ways. I always love a make-up vanity idea for a bedroom, but how do you fit a vanity when the bed encroaches on most of the space? Qian says, "A vanity could potentially replace a bedside table." Further, if there isn't enough room for that stylish wardrobe you're dreaming of, "a bed with integrated storage could be used for clothes that aren't worn as often, while everyday clothes could be kept on a simple freestanding rail," adds Qian. Every seemingly small bedroom layout problem has a smart and stylish solution.

2. Create a Nook When You're *Really* Tight For Space

Or, if you are really tight for space, creating a bed nook is a fashionable way to reclaim the room. "A nook is a good way to make the bed feel more integrated into the room and, actually, reduce its visual presence," explains Qian.

By creating a dedicated cozy corner, the bed becomes the main focus of the room, and you can (and should) highlight this. For instance, a canopy bed in a room where the bed takes up most of the room actually gives the space more intention and character. For one, the drapery draws the eye upward, making the room feel larger. Plus, the bed then becomes a style statement rather than a cramped afterthought.

A nook is also a good opportunity to squeeze more storage into your bedroom. However, Qian says, "I think it probably works better in a children's room or a secondary bedroom rather than a main bedroom. Compared to a more open bed arrangement, it can feel slightly less formal and perhaps not create quite the same sense of comfort and openness for sleeping."

Basically, contrary to what you might naturally assume, interior designer Gabriela Eisenhart says, "I always lean towards larger or integrated furniture like this in a smaller space." Think about building the room around the bed rather than fitting everything you can in. Canopies, nooks, nightstands built into the headboard, sconces on the wall, and a built-in wardrobe for storage — these clever solutions both increase functionality and visual impact.

3. Make Use of Vertical Space

When you can't build much outwards, think of what you can do upwards. "Visually, we would look at the overall volume of the room. If the room is very small but has a generous ceiling height, we might think about how we use the vertical volume to make the room feel bigger," explains Qian.

Again, this is where a custom built-in will save the day. Built-ins can help you make the most of an underutilized space and provide more storage. "You can design it to maximize your vertical space, add storage exactly where you need it, and create an intentional solution rather than squeezing more furniture into the room," says Gabriella. But if you can't go custom, other design solutions can help maximize your vertical space.

Color drenching is a really good way of doing this, especially in more contemporary bedrooms. "It helps soften the boundaries between the walls and ceiling, which can make the space feel bigger," says Qian. Add bedding in a similar or tonal colorway, and a too-big bed will feel exceptionally stylish and cozy.

Or, if you don't want to drench, another consideration is the material palette. "A dark floor against lighter walls and ceiling helps to emphasize the height of the room and makes the space feel more generous," says Qian. Don't overlook the space your walls and ceiling can provide.

4. Create Cohesion Through Restraint

When a bed takes up most of the space in a bedroom, restraint will be your best friend. This is not to say you can't make striking design decisions (like a canopy or custom headboard); it just means you really need to think about how every material, finish, and color works within the room.

"For a small bedroom, we tend to be quite restrained with the architectural finishes. Too many elements can create too many points of attention, and that's not necessarily the feeling you want to create in a bedroom." Instead, bring in more texture through fabrics and smaller decorative elements. This allows the space to feel rich and layered without feeling too busy.

Layering in design, and especially textures, is incredibly important in any space, especially a smaller one. "I like to use lots of neutral textures within a similar color palette. Immediately, it brings warmth and depth to the space without overwhelming the senses," says Gabriella.

Keep things fairly simple and limit the number of different materials for architectural finishes, so the space has a clear visual focus," adds Qian. You can then add more visual richness through objects and accessories.

Choosing the right bed size for your space makes the design feel more generous, but I get it — sometimes the bigger bed is something you don't want to compromise on. For that, these ideas bring intention back to the room.

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Don't get me wrong — I love summer. But after three months of its sweltering heat, autumn's cooler, slightly shorter days, and my weekly menu spanning beyond cold salads is a welcome change. There's also an unspoken pull to retreat indoors. I find myself becoming increasingly house-proud as I dust over surfaces, rearrange my homewares, and cozy up under blankets.

If spring and summer call for bright florals and light, breezy fabrics, autumn signals deeper tones and lots of texture. However, autumn decorating can be more sophisticated than the obvious swaps.

I asked designers what changes they subconsciously make to their homes to welcome the season, and these are the five things that will make your home feel autumnal — and none of them are naff.

1. Make Evenings the Focus

As the long stretches of sunlight slowly fade and autumn brings forth its shorter, cooler days, we naturally begin to retreat indoors earlier. While summer and spring are all about time spent in the sun and drawn-out lunches, autumn and winter bring the focus onto cozier, more intimate moments.

"September doesn’t usually change a home’s layout; it changes how it’s inhabited," explains interior designer Noyan Berkman. "As daylight shortens, people instinctively begin designing their evenings rather than their rooms."

While Noyan says creating "pools of light" to create cozy, intimate areas is key here, this could even extend so far as bringing furniture pieces together to create a sense of physical closeness, says Greg Natale.

"This can be enhanced with extra floor or table lamps, which provide a warmer glow to the living room space as the days shorten, while rugs introduce much-needed warmth underfoot," he adds.

Shona Joy of Smac Studio agrees, saying she tends to lean into the objects and systems around her to create atmosphere and mood as the evenings get longer.

"I think the record player is a great example," she says, "I'm imagining making an evening out of dimming the lights, putting the record player on, and leaning into the depth of autumn weather."

2. Bring Nature Inside In Unexpected Ways

This is not about switching from spring florals to autumnal hues — and it's certainly not about kitsch pumpkin decor. Instead, says Lisa Worth of Worth Homes, use dried foliage, branches, and deep, dark greens.

"The feeling shifts from freshness to richness — from the fleeting beauty of summer to something more grounded and enduring," she explains.

Aside from actual pieces of nature, autumn can be welcomed in more nuanced ways. Mimicking the lack of light, for example, can create a sense of warmth. "Coming into autumn, it’s always nice to dim the lights," says Claire Ferguson of Grove Interiors.

Creating layers of light allows you to reduce reliance on big, bright overheads and instead allows sconces, floor lamps, table lamps, and statement pendants to (literally) shine.

"I put everything on dimmers to control the atmosphere as the days get shorter," says Mariam Grace of the eponymous Mariam Grace Design. "Even in the kitchen, using integrated under-cabinet lighting can instantly make the space feel warmer and cozier — perfect for soup season!"

Mariam also recommends warm bulbs and softer, diffused lampshades. Think linen, natural fibers, or amber glass. "It's a subtle shift, but changing where your light comes from and lowering it closer to eye level can completely change how intimate a room feels. Pair this with a fireplace and some candles...chef's kiss!"

3. Rooms Become Destinations

During the warmer months, people tend to move throughout the home, and indoor and outdoor zones are treated as one and the same.

"In September, that behaviour subtly changes," notes Noyan. "Certain areas naturally become destinations: a favorite chair beside a lamp, the dining table set for everyday meals, or a quiet corner that invites you to slow down. The focus shifts from occupying the whole house to enjoying specific moments within it."

This is especially true of the kitchen, says Lisa, which regains its crown as the heart of the home. "The kitchen shifts with the season, becoming less about simply preparing food and more about gathering, lingering, and reconnecting." So dress it that way.

4. Materials and Colors Become Deeper and Abundant

Texture, color — and lots of it — is a beautiful way to welcome the new season. It needn't be as on the nose as orange and rust, says Lisa, but can extend to tobacco, olive, chocolate, oxblood, camel, and caramel hues — a palette that feels "quieter, deeper and more enveloping".

Similarly, textures are swapped. Linen is traded for wool or velvet; baskets holding chunky knits appear; embroidery and larger pile fabrics come out, says Claire.

Reflection, too, becomes important as surfaces begin interacting with the light differently. "Mirrors, polished metals, and glass no longer make a room feel larger—they make it feel warmer, quieter, and more atmospheric as evenings become longer," explains Noyan.

5. Everyday Objects Become Ritual, Not Decoration

The end of summer coincides with the end of the holiday period, and as routines are re-established, decorative objects become part of everyday life, says Noyan.

Books are placed back on the coffee table, candles are lit rather than left, throws are kept within reach, and a favorite ceramic is used daily. "The home feels more intentional because familiar objects begin serving a purpose again," says Noyan.

Similarly, small moments are ones to be celebrated, says Claire. "It is nice to create an atmosphere of social ceremony in the form of afternoon tea, or evening cocktails to put you in mind of time spent together indoors."

So, it's time to hunker down, cozy up, switch up your palette, and dim the lights as we welcome the new season.

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Last week, after a several-year hiatus, Livingetc Unlocked made its official return, and let me tell you, we were back with a bang. In a two-day-long event spread across the leafy Clapham Common, our readers were invited to step inside some of the area's most beautiful homes, with free rein to experience their beauty firsthand — a dream come true for any design lover. But if you didn't manage to make it this time, don't despair. I spent a whole day in what might just be one of the most impressive kitchens in the city, and I took notes.

'The Modern Family Home', on one of Clapham's loveliest roads, mere steps away from the sprawling Common, was a beauty from top to bottom. With a basement gym and kids' rooms more luxurious than most primary bedrooms, there was no shortage of inspiration. But it was the modern kitchen that really stole the show. Now, as Livingetc's resident kitchen writer, I'm no stranger to a beautiful kitchen design; however, there was something about the way this open-plan space was designed that set it apart from the rest. The level of detail was truly astounding, and everyone who entered it seemed to agree.

Designed by the fabulous team at Naked Kitchens, alongside the talented Millie Turner, founder and creative director of Millie Turner Designs, this space blended traditional styles with modern sensibilities in a way that perfectly complemented the renovated Victorian property. Eagle-eyed and nosy as ever, I snooped around every nook and cranny of this gorgeous kitchen, making sure to take inventory of all the clever little features and designs you might just have missed, and these are the five that impressed me the most.

1. The Clever, Concealed Fridge-Freezer

Typically, I'm a believer in saving the best for last, but this feature deserves nothing less than the top spot. It wasn't the first thing I noticed when I walked into the room, but that's exactly what makes it so special.

In most kitchens, the fridge is one of those ugly-but-necessary features we all just put up with. And while the idea of a concealed fridge is nothing new — in fact, they pop up in almost every quiet luxury kitchen around — this design did it in a way that felt truly original.

Usually, the concealed fridge is designed to blend in with the rest of the kitchen cabinetry, finished in the same color and with the same hardware. In this space, however, it was quite the opposite.

As Jayne Everett, the creative director of Naked Kitchens, describes it, "The design was inspired by the desire to create an architectural furniture piece rather than a standard functional appliance cabinet. The dramatic curved housing enhances the freestanding furniture feel within the open-plan space, providing a striking focal point."

Designed to look like a standalone piece of furniture, the beautiful, curved cabinet was painted in a soft, creamy shade and finished with eye-catching bamboo handles — a contrast to the brassy metallic finish used across the rest of the kitchen. The effect is such that it appears to be entirely separate from the space, a clever piece of kitchen storage that just so happens to sit across from the main kitchen area.

So, when you open up the curved cabinet doors to reveal a fully concealed fridge-freezer unit within, the immediate reaction is nothing short of complete awe. And if that wasn't enough, they even managed to squeeze a hidden kitchen pantry unit on either side, too. In building this fantastically detailed, gorgeous design, this kitchen turned what is usually an eyesore into a genuine design moment, perfectly blending form and function with effortless grace.

2. Mix-and-Match Cabinetry

Throughout the home, there was a clear appreciation for the art of decorating with neutrals, in a way that felt cozy rather than cold, and that was just as prevalent in the kitchen. It was the largest room in the home, and the overall feeling was of a bright, airy space, with soft, neutral tones. It felt clean and simple, but still warm and inviting.

There was a simplicity to the space, so it came as a surprise when I noticed that a total of four different colors were used across the kitchen cabinetry. So often in kitchens, people think you have to stick to one color across all your cabinetry, or else the space will look cluttered or overly busy. However, this space proved quite the opposite.

With a dark green island, oak shaker doors, an off-white upper cabinet, and, of course, the previously mentioned freestanding pale cream unit, there was so much variety in the joinery throughout this kitchen. But because all these colors sit within the same soft, earthy color palette, the result doesn't feel confused or cluttered; it feels completely harmonious.

What this offers, that a single finish wouldn't, is that sense of depth and character. It's an excellent trick for building intrigue in a space while still keeping that bright, neutral finish.

3. Clutter-Prevention Design

If there's one thing that has seemed to dominate the world of kitchen designs in recent years, it's the desire for discretion. While it was once the norm to have your kitchen appliances out on display across your kitchen counters, over recent years, the goal has been to keep as much out of sight as possible, and that's something this kitchen has done so well.

Walking through this space, you won't see a single plug socket on display; no coffee machines or toasters cluttering the kitchen worktops. Every item you see is intentional, a delicately placed finishing touch in antique brass or ceramic. By removing the clutter a kitchen typically invites, they made space for you to fully appreciate the beauty of the design.

It's not just the fridge-freezer either; every appliance is hidden behind a cabinet door, sliding open to reveal a perfectly positioned appliance garage or coffee nook. It's minimalism without sterility, and it's a must-do move for anyone who loves to host.

Every element of this comes down to the careful, thorough planning done by the Naked Kitchen team. "The kitchen was designed around practical layout mapping—identifying hardworking zones and clutter hot spots," explains Jayne. After identifying these zones and hot spots, they built up solutions to these problems and worked them into the design. For example, Jayne says, "It incorporates undercounter deep storage and concealed countertop appliance stations so small appliances and daily essentials have a dedicated home, keeping surfaces pristine. The cabinets standing above the counter are open at the base so items can be tucked away without opening doors, keeping the worktop fully usable."

4. The Uninterrupted Island

It's become commonplace for the kitchen island to exist as a dual-purpose surface — you'll often see a hob on it, or a kitchen sink installed on one edge. However, in this design, the large, central island was left completely clear, and I think that might just be the way to go.

You see, when you decide to add an extra feature onto your island, such as a hob or sink, you immediately invite a whole wealth of clutter to exist on this surface. Whether it's a drying rack or cooking utensils, these items will detract from the aesthetic appeal of this large, central feature in your kitchen.

And it's not just visual consequences; these additions will also detract from the much-needed prep space that an island can offer.

By allowing the island to be just that, the design becomes calmer. It's a central spot for guests to gather around, with a generous amount of space that can be used for serving food, prepping while cooking, or even a makeshift home bar setup.

5. The Finishing Touches

When it comes to designing this space, so much attention is placed on the kitchen layout, materials, and appliances — and as important as these features are, sometimes the things that make the biggest impact are the smallest details. And this is exactly what this kitchen does so well.

Every element of this design shows so much care and consideration; you can see the level of thought throughout. One of my favorite examples is the hardware and the kitchen handles.

While so many kitchens opt for a one-and-done approach to hardware, using the same knob or handle across the entirety of the cabinetry, in this kitchen, the variation is what gives the space character. With a combination of knobs, handles, and latches, all in the same antiqued bronze finish, these elements really do function as the jewelry of the room.

And I'd be remiss not to mention the gorgeous bamboo handles on the fridge unit. A welcome contrast to the bronze finish throughout the kitchen, these handles bring a textural intrigue that feels decidedly modern compared to the traditional kitchen features surrounding them.

Equally beautiful are the antiqued bronze grates used across the upper cabinetry, and the matching gallery rails running along the open shelves; details which add warmth and character to the space. So, too, do the accessories, such as the antique salt and pepper mills and the ceramic vases that serve as countertop accessories. They look far more elegant than any air fryer ever would.

Get the Look

Still feeling the Unlocked fomo? Luckily for you, Livingetc's editor and style guru, Hugh Metcalf, helpfully collated his top 10 details spotted in the Unlocked homes, so you can still get your dose of design inspiration.

And for more design updates and exciting news, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.

My visit to Brompton Design District during London Design Festival 2026 began with the Italian showrooms. At Molteni&C, Kartell, and Cassina, three chairs offered quite different propositions for a room — generous upholstery, an economical metal outline, and a decidedly expressive archive revival.

Beyond them, the exhibitions of “Perfectly Imperfect” opened up the story behind the objects. Moving between the two, I found a thread worth following — the relationship between a designer’s intentions and the materials that give those ideas form.

Molteni&C Gives Softness Some Structure

Introduced at Milan Design Week 2026, Cristián Mohaded’s Corsetto armchair was my focus at Molteni&C. Its generous, textile-covered volumes are held in place by a leather-covered base and bands that rise around the arms, giving the chair its corseted profile. The version I saw paired warm, highly textured upholstery with dark brown leather, making the contrast between softness and structure especially apparent.

Kartell Makes a Fine Line Count

Following its Salone del Mobile presentation, Savoia made its UK debut at Kartell’s London flagship. The brand’s first collaboration with Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby pairs a slender die-cast aluminum frame with seat and back options in recycled technopolymer, curved wood, or leather.

Its open structure offers a counterpoint to more enveloping seating. I’m drawn to the way that fine outline gives a dining chair definition without making a table setting feel crowded. It’s a reminder that furniture can hold its own without taking up much visual space.

Cassina Gives an Archive New Life

At Cassina, I found myself immediately drawn to Dalila. It isn’t an entirely new design, but a return to Gaetano Pesce’s original drawings from 1980, carefully reimagined by Cassina in collaboration with Studio Pesce. Made from flexible polyurethane foam and finished with a thin, colored elastomeric coating, its curved form has the slightly fluid quality that makes Pesce’s work so recognizable. The 2026 reissue also takes Dalila outdoors for the first time.

I have always liked furniture that can interrupt a room a little, and Dalila does exactly that. I can imagine a single chair placed at the head of a more formal dining table, where its eccentric silhouette would make the whole arrangement feel less predictable. That, to me, is when an archive reissue feels relevant — when it can still change the mood of an interior today.

The Most Interesting Ideas Were Still Taking Shape

After the showrooms, I moved into Perfectly Imperfect, the 2026 Brompton Design District theme curated by Alex Tieghi-Walker. Here, the focus shifted toward experimentation — the revisions, material discoveries, and intuitive decisions that happen while an idea is still finding its form.

What I liked about the theme was that imperfection never felt like something to celebrate for its own sake. Instead, it encouraged me to look more closely at how things had been made and to notice where the hand, personality, or curiosity of the designer remained visible.

The Reading Room at 36 Thurloe Place

My first stop was The Reading Room, on the ground floor of 36 Thurloe Place. Presented by TIWA Select in partnership with Tenderbooks, it brought together furniture and objects by 12 queer artists and designers, including Rich Aybar, Tino Seubert, and James Cherry, alongside books exploring art, architecture, design, and queer culture.

I liked that the books didn’t feel like styling props — they were part of how the room was intended to be experienced. It felt less like a display to move quickly through and more like an invitation to pause, look properly, and spend time with different perspectives.

Studio Iron Made a Case for Rooms With Personality

At Studio Iron, founded by Isamaya Ffrench, furniture sat alongside sculpture, textiles, and objects by contributors working across art, fashion, and design.

What stayed with me was the freedom of that mix. The pieces didn’t need to share one obvious style to make sense together — each brought its own material language and personality. It made me think about the homes I’m most drawn to, where objects have been chosen individually over time rather than selected to complete a perfectly coordinated scheme.

Rafael Prieto Looked at the Dining Room Differently

In The Lavery’s private dining room, Rafael Prieto’s On the Sunset, Which Is Only One explored how light and perspective can shape the atmosphere of a room. At its center were six sculptural chairs by Prieto’s studio, Savvy, each responding to a different position of the sun, accompanied by Marrow lights created by Prieto and Loup Sarion.

After spending the first part of my visit looking closely at individual chairs, I found myself thinking here about what happens when several distinct designs meet around one table. The room suggested that dining furniture doesn’t always need to match exactly — a strong shared idea can create just as much cohesion.

TOAST Brought the Focus Back to the Maker

At Hazel Studio, TOAST’s New Makers presentation introduced work by Jacob Marks, Yuichi Romita, Egle Silko, Hannah Watts, and Linnan Ye. The collection moved between wood-fired and wheel-thrown ceramics, pine-resin vessels, and textured sterling-silver jewelry.

These were smaller objects, but they asked for a closer look. I was particularly interested in how much character came from the materials themselves — the marks left by firing, an irregular surface, or the unfamiliar quality of pine resin. These are the kinds of pieces I would use sparingly in a room, giving one object enough space to hold attention rather than surrounding it with too much styling.

Finding Form Let the Material Decide

My final stop was Byron Pritchard’s Finding Form in a garage in Cromwell Mews. During August, Pritchard and his team worked from a single slab of sycamore using only hand tools, without drawings or a predetermined design. The objects developed through their direct response to the timber.

Of everything I saw, this felt like the clearest expression of Perfectly Imperfect. The material wasn’t being forced to follow a finished image — it was allowed to influence what the final object became. I left thinking that good design doesn’t always begin with having every answer. Sometimes it begins with paying close enough attention to recognize what is already there.

Brompton offered only one view of this year’s London Design Festival. For another side of the city’s design story, explore the Chelsea Design District highlights through Maya Glantz’s eyes.

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There’s a school of thought that bathroom sanitaryware looks best in white. Sure, white toilets and sinks have timeless style appeal, but when it comes to designing a powder room — an inherently smaller-scale room housing a toilet and sink — there’s a wave of designers opting to make a statement by featuring a rock-solid, sculptural sink as the focal point in the room.

Whether square, rectangular, or curved off and crafted with more fluid lines, a stone bathroom sink, says interior designer Clarisa Llaneza, "succeeds because it creates a memorable moment." Colorful and varied, it brings "weight, permanence, and a sense of nature" into a space, she adds. "A rich tonal variation can add depth to the decor, creating a sense of tension between softness and strength."

There’s a distinct air of confidence required for this design cue. "I often encourage clients to be more adventurous than they would in a primary bath," explains Clarisa. "Guests can forgive a little impracticality if the room feels special." And this feeling of being ‘special’ is really the crux here. A ‘wow’ sink ‘transforms a routine act into an experience and gives the room a distinct identity’ — an injection of emotional value in a space that’s so often just given over to practicality and some form of an air freshener.

Of course, there are practicalities to consider when designing your room around a sink like this. Often fairly sizable and striking in appearance, they tend to be "generous by nature", say designers Benjamin Stelly and Tanya Selway, the duo behind interiors studio Stelly Selway. "You’re committing to it being the focal point."

For this reason, other design elements in the room should be chosen to complement it, not fight it. When Stelly Selway opted to include a bespoke Hammam with high-contrast marble veining in the bathroom pictured at the start of this article, they selected white walls, plain blush zellige tiles, and a simple wooden plinth for their sink to sit on — restrained "to avoid it feeling cluttered". This approach works particularly well for family life, where the look can be "polished, but not too precious", they explain.

If maintaining a sense of space is a key concern, there are design tricks you can pull out of a hat. "You have to think about every centimeter," say Benjamin and Tanya. "Where possible, we built storage into the plinth itself rather than letting it sit out in the open. That way you're not sacrificing any practicality; you're just keeping it all tucked away and tidy. The goal is to keep the floor as clear as possible so the sink has the space to feel like a proper feature rather than something you're squeezing in." On a similar note, opting for a wall-hung toilet sans floor pedestal can also help create the illusion of a larger floor area and make a small bathroom look bigger.

To maintain its striking quality, consider cleaning and preservation too. "It's more straightforward than people expect, honestly," say Benjamin and Tanya. "Seal it before it gets used with a good stone sealant, and then just keep on top of that every so often depending on how much use it gets. The main thing to know is to keep acidic cleaners well away from it; anything citrus or vinegar-based will dull the surface over time. A mild soap and a soft cloth are really all you need day to day." Treat it well, and a sculptural stone or marble sink like this isn’t just a star feature — it gets better with age.

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London Design Festival has been part of the city's September calendar since 2003, bringing London's creative community together and celebrating the city as a global design capital. More than two decades later, it still works in much the same spirit, spreading across several pockets of London through exhibitions, installations, launches, talks and showroom openings.

This year, though, Soho joined the festival as its own Design District for the first time, so I wanted to spend a morning seeing what that actually looked like through an interiors lens. The area already has such a strong creative identity that it makes total sense as a setting. Soho has always been where different creative worlds overlap, and today that includes some of London’s most established names in furniture, lighting and design, from Heal’s to Artemide, alongside smaller studios, galleries and independent makers.

What really came into focus for me was the difference between what feels new and what has the substance to last — through light, form, materials and the thinking behind how things are made.

Labyrinth Dreams Bethan Laura Wood × Bocci

My first visit was Bocci on Bateman Street, where Bethan Laura Wood created Labyrinth Dreams around the brand’s new Purple 14p light. Bethan is known for her expressive use of color and materials, so I already felt the installation would be visually joyful.

And it really was. The colorful plinths and sculptural arrangements of glass lighting were placed in a way that felt really intentional. What I loved most was the curiosity in how the materials behaved. The surrounding colors seemed to alter how the glass looked, making the whole installation feel almost constantly changing. The Purple 14p is made from Alexandrite glass, which responds differently depending on the light around it. In warmer light, it takes on softer lilac and pink tones, while cooler light brings out deeper blues and smokier shades. In person, the effect felt much subtler and more beautiful than I expected.

When I pointed out the tiny bubbles suspended within the glass, Nora from Bocci explained that they’re part of the beauty of the process. “A lot of products are a result of some sort of accidents,” she told me. “We just play with processes and see how they react or interact with other materials.”

The Purple 14p also builds on one of Bocci’s most recognizable designs. The original 14 Series launched in 2005 as a suspended glass pendant, and the 14p reworks that same imperfect spherical form into a portable, rechargeable light.

Future Icons by Heal's

My next stop had to be Heal’s for Future Icons, an exhibition built around a simple but interesting question: what gives a piece of furniture or lighting enough staying power to become a design classic?

When I spoke with a member of the Heal’s team, he explained that many of the pieces selected are designs customers have returned to again and again over the years. They may not be the newest or most attention-grabbing pieces in the store, but they’ve lasted because they still feel relevant as interiors change around them. Seeing them together made me think about 'timeless design' a little differently. Longevity can actually be quite subtle. It might come down to how something is made, the materials, the proportions, or a silhouette with enough character to feel distinctive without belonging to one particular moment.

As an interior stylist, I’m always searching for pieces that can truly elevate a space, and the Matera sofa exemplifies what I value most in enduring Italian design. It has these elegant proportions, really thoughtful craftsmanship, and the kind of refined silhouette that gives so many iconic furniture designs their staying power.. Its plushness invites layering for a relaxed look, yet its clean lines let it anchor more contemporary or minimal interiors just as effortlessly. This is the type of sofa I recommend to clients because it adapts gracefully as tastes evolve; instead of dictating the direction of an entire room, it supports and enhances it.

Better Living by Design

A short walk from Heal’s, I ended up at The Heal’s Building for Better Living by Design, where I met Yasmin Jones-Henry, one of the exhibition’s curators and founder of The Lab W1. Yasmin is a curator and placemaker with a specialism in sustainability, design and culture, and one of the talks in the wider programme asked a question I found especially interesting: what if the future of design is handmade in the age of AI?

What made the exhibition feel particularly relevant to Soho was Yasmin’s conversations with the local community. Instead of just presenting finished objects, the exhibition opened up the worlds of the makers, materials, and processes behind them. That question about handmade design felt more tangible as I moved through the space. We’ve already seen material innovation become a much bigger part of the sustainability conversation in interiors, and here, overlooked materials had been reimagined into furniture and objects, bringing longevity back to craft. Here, longevity felt like it went one step further, looking not only at how long we live with something, but at the materials, processes and people behind how it was made.

And I think that’s where the conversation gets really interesting. In a world of ever-faster design, looking beyond the finished piece — to how it came to be, who made it, and what we truly want to live with — feels more important than ever.

There’s still plenty more to see from London Design Festival, and I’ll be sharing the moments that genuinely stand out as the week continues. Sign up to the Livingetc newsletter to follow along.

Whether you're working from home full-time or need a dedicated space to manage life's never-ending admin, a well-designed home office is key to staying focused, motivated, and inspired.

Creating a space that balances functionality with good looks transforms daily routines into something far more elevated — plus, an overhaul gives you the chance to experiment with colors, materials, and textures you might not be brave enough to bring into other areas of your home.

From clever home office storage solutions and statement lighting to tactile wall treatments and artful backdrops, incorporating thoughtful design ideas into your setup can completely reimagine the feel of your home office. Below, we've rounded up some of our favorite ideas from designers to get the inspiration flowing.

1. A Desk That Does the Most Work

Whether your taste veers more to mid-century Mad Men or curved, contemporary style, a design-led desk spells serious business. In this project in south Berlin, designer Kasia Kronberger, founder and principal designer of Studio Bosko, tells us the client wanted to hold onto the 1970s aesthetic while adding an "artistic, family-orientated feel". Anchored in a room of fresh green and light blue, the desk's sculptural form is perfect for inspiring creative thinking.

2. Sculptural Shelving

In this Georgian terrace in Hove, interior designer Natasha Lyon, founder of Appreciation Project, makes the case for a set of sculptural shelves. "There isn't much of a view in this room, so I wanted to create points of interest through color and craftsmanship," she says. "The natural oak shelving was handcrafted to a bespoke design. It's a great way to inject a room with personality, as well as being highly practical."

3. Art Direction

All the best home-office backdrops we've spotted have a painterly canvas or tapestry behind them. Hang or lean your artwork, whether your taste veers towards an expressive oil-on-canvas or an intricate patchwork tapestry or embroidery panel, it's all about adding a touch of creative atmosphere, as this space at Hyde Park's The Bryanston, designed by David Collins Studio, shows.

4. Cutting Corners

Interior and furniture designer Gemma Fabbri of Studio Fabbri spotted an opportunity when insulation lowered the ceiling height in this Hertfordshire home.

"Alcoves like this create the perfect opportunity to repurpose awkward areas of the home," she says. "Tucking a workspace into a nook creates a natural sense of enclosure — you feel contained in a good way, separate from the rest of the house, without needing a dedicated room."

5. Pin-Up Perfection

Tasked with creating a series of practical work-from-home spaces for her clients, a family of five, interior designer Emily Lindberg sourced cork tiles for this room.

"We loved the idea that [the kids] could pin up their drawings or use a big shared calendar," she says. "It's a tight space, but there's ample room to have rotating 'exhibits'." Streamlined walnut millwork and pops of color give the cork some contrast and brightness.

6. Bright Spark

Tasked with creating an office space for Patrick Dangerfield, captain of Australia's Geelong Football Club, interior stylist Julia Green lined the walls with American oak for an "immersive and enveloping" feel. But the standout piece has to be the desk lamp. "Every room benefits from an element of surprise," says Julia. "While the palette is deliberately restrained, the unexpected hit of bright yellow introduces energy and a contemporary edge."

Having to squish two people into your home office? That changes things a bit, but doesn't mean you have to compromise on style, either. In fact, that's how offices were originally designed to be!

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When design weeks around the world open the doors to exhibitions, showrooms, storefronts, and talks from all the best designers, it creates a certain buzz. It sparks inspiration across the interior design world, from materials and textures to noteworthy forms and brand-new collections. While I didn't have time to peruse all that London Design Festival had to offer, I did get to spend the day in one of its more innovative districts — Shoreditch — and let's just say, there was a lot to take in.

Two of the biggest exhibitions during Shoreditch Design Week are Materials Matter and the House of ICON showcases. As I wandered through the old London buildings housing these exhibitions, there were a few themes I noticed continually repeating: sustainability, materiality, and a clear sense of craftsmanship.

As trends continue to cycle and a new year of design lies on the horizon, events like this give us a strong glimpse of what the greatest minds in design are up to. This, in turn, helps inspire people like me and you when planning our next refresh, renovation, or home upgrade. To help, below are five thoughts, feelings, trend spottings, and musings I had while strolling the streets of Shoreditch Design Week.

1. The Simplest Materials Can Produce the Most Beautiful Forms

I started my day at the Wood for the Trees Exhibition, put on by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) in collaboration with Mitre & Mondays and Benchmark. It was a homecoming of sorts. The exhibition explored how we can sustainably source timber from forests on the eastern coast of the United States (including the Appalachian Mountains, where I'm from) by rotating species and giving trees room to regenerate.

An interesting detail of the exhibit was that every piece on display was actually simple Number One Common wood — also known as 'cabinet grade.' This kind of wood sits below the top-tier timber that you would normally see in luxury design, yet it was still striking and beautifully crafted. The point being, with the right designs and approaches, we have materials and resources all around us that can be made into really fantastic furniture pieces.

Recent interior design trends point to a desire to reconnect with the natural world through color and texture, but the Wood for the Trees exhibition shows how we can introduce that feeling through more intentional design — beautiful timber furniture that also has a low carbon footprint.

2. Craft is More Important Than Ever

Moving along, my next stop was the House of ICON — a space for emerging designers to share their work. And let me just say: it was a wonderland for design lovers. There were boundary-pushing pieces around every corner. And while every piece truly knocked me off my feet, I can't say I was surprised to see a central theme of craftsmanship permeating the space.

In the face of AI, more analogue routines are becoming prioritized. Similarly, overly sleek, minimalistic furniture and decor are being swapped for pieces with overt craftsmanship. Think carved wood, fringed detailing, and the drawn-on decor trend.

At House of ICON, many pieces were inspired by personal experiences and cultures and crafted with materials and into shapes that give a one-of-one aesthetic. I left inspired and sure that the next couple of years in interior design will place more value on noticeable craftsmanship and human-centered design.

3. Subtle Texture is Set to Be the Biggest Trend

Texture in design is definitely a contemporary fixation. This includes hairy furniture and fuzzy blankets, as well as the rise of leather alternatives and brushed aluminum. Texture is the base of good layering in design. And Shoreditch Design Week had texture in abundance.

However, the pieces that really caught my eye were the ones where texture felt slightly subtler. Sofas with tonal, textural patterns that blend in from far away but add visual interest when close up, and vases made of glass so delicate that it creates an inherent web-like texture. These iterations of texture design feel very nuanced — we all know and love texture, but this is a way to fine-tune your style.

4. Sustainability is on Everyone's Mind

It should be obvious why sustainability is on our minds more these days. And in many ways, sustainable interior design is leading the charge. We want to make the pieces we bring into our homes (or build them out of) more eco-conscious, keeping them connected to and respectful of our planet, while still feeling beautiful. Well, Shoreditch Design Week definitely reassured me that designers are thinking about the environment ten-fold.

Almost every display throughout the House of ICON and Materials Matter galleries included innovative, eco-conscious materials, spanning everything from seaweed leathers to cement made from bacteria to pine resin blocks. It's slightly hard to imagine some of these, but every material was fabulously executed and had its own distinct character.

I would say these environmental material alternatives look 'just like the real thing' (and they do), but they are the real thing — this is the new way to blend good design with sustainable resources.

5. Nostalgia Can (and Should) Be Translated into Contemporary Design

And lastly, Shoreditch Design Week showed me that the design world is still feeling nostalgic. Whether it was design inspired by an artist's childhood or pieces influenced by design movements such as the mid-century modern style, nostalgia-driven creations were abundant. And this feels like the perfect way to round out the current craving for hyper-personal homes. What better way to show character than through nostalgic colors, fabrics, and motifs?

But how exactly did this manifest throughout Shoreditch Design Week? Well, one example was the team at Tamart, who shared that its entire collection was inspired by the life and designs of the founder's late parents, who dined with the likes of Miriam Makeba and created iconic 1960s furniture. The reimagined mid-century furniture is both nostalgic and contemporary, honoring past designs with present-day fashion.

I must say, I left the Shoreditch corner of London Design Festival with a revitalized spirit and plenty of inspiration. It was a chance to see all the best of ICYMI roundups and monthly musings up close and in person — and, of course, I'm here to keep you filled in.

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In what could be called the quintessential Sussex village of Horsted Keynes, you'll find an equally quintessential country home and kitchen. A vision of rustic wood and textured warmth, the kitchen may only have been installed recently, but the new and old blend together so harmoniously that they have become part of one complete whole, neither entirely new nor old, so that you can't imagine a time before this kitchen came to be, or the home without it.

This space was all about finding ways to honor tradition while supporting contemporary life. The homeowners wanted a modern kitchen that felt in line with the architecture of their historic home, bringing together contemporary features and traditional elements in a way that felt harmonious and natural. Luckily, this is something the team at Inglis Hall has perfected as a fine art. "Creating a modern traditional kitchen might sound like trying to balance two competing priorities, but it’s something we encounter often," explains Jenna Spicer Lumb. In period properties, the kitchen essentially has to straddle two worlds: providing the modern functionality we expect from our homes today, while still feeling connected to its surroundings.

Instead of fighting the existing architecture, this kitchen intentionally embraces it, actively incorporating it into the new design, reimagining the space in a way that pays homage to all that came before. A design steered by genuine consideration and care for the home's history, as well as a true excitement for modernity, this is a kitchen where old and new become one.

The Inspiration

In period homes, there can often be an underlying duty to honor the history of the property, which at times can begin to feel like a kind of shackle, preventing you from exploring the full breadth of your desires and design ideas. In this home, however, it was clear from the jump that this was not going to be the case.

"Our very first conversations with the client quickly established that this would not be a project politely bound by tradition," explains Jenna. The house was already so rich in history, with a life that stretched far beyond the current homeowners. That said, when they were designing the space, it was important that it felt true to them, reflecting their lifestyles and habits in a way that was authentic and natural. And, as passionate cooks, nowhere was this more important than in the rustic kitchen.

This duality presented a challenge for the team at Inglis Hall. They had to create something that felt in keeping with the rest of the home, but also specific to the current homeowners' needs: "A cook's kitchen that feels unmistakably contemporary, yet completely at home in its surroundings."

To achieve this, the team began by creating a clear outline of priorities and intentions for the space.

First and foremost was functionality. "This kitchen needed to work hard," says Jenna. "Its owners are serious cooks, so generous kitchen storage and space for the equipment, ingredients, and paraphernalia that come with that were essential."

The family's passion for food stretches beyond the confines of the kitchen: "They grow produce in their kitchen garden and preserve their own food, as well as regularly cooking and entertaining for family and friends." The space needed to be dinner-party ready, as well as suitably practical to support their agrarian pursuits, too.

The Process

The team at Inglis Hall had quite the task set out for them, but they were more than ready to rise to the challenge, and the natural first step in the journey towards a contemporary chef's kitchen was, of course, choosing the right kitchen appliances.

Sourcing appliances is one of the most crucial steps in building a true chef-worthy kitchen, making it a natural starting place in the design process. "Finding the perfect range was an early priority, as was incorporating an industrial dishwasher and a generous walk-in pantry," Jenna explains.

In such a large, rustic space, a range oven was a natural choice. In recent years, it's become one of the most popular traditional kitchen features, and can become a true focal point of the home. For many, it doesn't get much better than a traditional Aga oven. So, the decision to remove one from this space could feel like sacrilege to many.

But in the original design, the traditional Aga had been built into the chimney breast and was positioned away from the main kitchen. Ultimately, the Inglis Hall team found that in removing the Aga, they were able to open up the space, making the overall kitchen flow more naturally.

This, in many ways, became the turning point in the design process. By removing the Aga, they suddenly had a whole extra block of space to work with, opening up the opportunity to build a concealed kitchen pantry within the former chimney.

"The pantry occupies the former inglenook and is lined with two-inch-thick stone, which helps to keep the space naturally cool. It turns what could have been redundant space into a hardworking part of the kitchen, while keeping a considerable amount of storage discreetly out of sight," says Jenna.

Finding ways to incorporate the existing architecture into the new design became one of the core principles of this process. "The former inglenook chimney became the setting for the walk-in pantry, while the leaded windows provide a natural home for the daybed and relaxation area," says Jenna.

And it didn't end there. Even elements that could have been seen as restrictive became integral to the design, like the supportive timber column, which became the central mark for the kitchen island to be built around. Explaining this choice, Jenna says, "Rather than butting cabinetry up against it and allowing the two elements to fight for space, we built around it so that the island and architecture feel naturally connected."

Positioned in the bucolic countryside, the surrounding setting becomes a key player in the design, too, and the choice of colors, materials, and even the kitchen layout was selected with the outside world in mind, creating a sense of natural continuity between the interior and exterior world.

The Design

In this design, there was a natural harmony between the aesthetic properties and the functional ones. Across the design, there was a consistent desire to find a balance between modernity and tradition, finding ways to honor both at every step of the process.

This becomes particularly clear when looking at the materials used across the kitchen, from the kitchen worktops to the wooden flooring; each element blends modernity with tradition in a way that feels wholly natural and authentic to the space. "The material palette deliberately brings contemporary and traditional elements together," says Jenna.

For the countertops, they opted for Richlite, a durable, composite surface that brings a surprising depth to the space. For the rustic effect, wood was the only way. "Band-sawn oak introduces texture and natural timber; it feels fresh against the aged structural beams while being essentially the same material," says Jenna.

From there, burnished brass kitchen handles and natural stone details round out the palette. "These are materials chosen not just for how they look when new, but for how they will age: developing patina, marks, and character through use," says Jenna. "This project was a joy from start to finish, and captured so much of what we’re about: a kitchen made to be lived in, that will tell its story with every passing year".

It's this combination of modern and traditional materials that makes the overall effect feel so cohesive. "Rather than trying to replicate the existing architecture, we used materials that could sit comfortably alongside it and develop their own character over time," Jenna explains. "Color, texture, proportion, and vista were all important in bringing the old and new together as a cohesive whole."

Get The Look

In this setting, the natural texture and warmth you can find only in wood kitchens were essential to achieving that rustic, country feel while maintaining a contemporary feel, too. But even if rustic isn't your style, there are so many different looks you can create using wooden cabinetry as your base.

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Growing up on the southern coast of India, my dining table was no stranger to the touch of glimmering chrome thalis accompanied by stainless steel katoris with a tumbler to match. So when the chrome serveware trend began to monopolize my feed, it tugged at a buried sense of nostalgia.

And then, more recently, my chrome decor-obsessed algorithm proposed the latest Scandinavian jewelry organizer — which happened to be none other than a traditional thali (a typically stainless steel plate with molded compartments so each course has its own spot). That's when I was met with the late realization of the material's Eurocentric rebranding.

This viral video caused enough of a rustle that, on one hand, I saw plenty of South Asians correcting the internet that while you could adorn a thali in rings, necklaces, and bracelets alike, it wasn't born to fulfil this purpose. On the other hand, it was enough to spark a nascent wave of commercial branding where my Vinted homepage was a chock-a-block with brushed steel and beaten chrome thalis with product tags reading 'viral/trendy/modern Scandinavian jewelry bowl'.

And while I like the idea of repurposing these storied plates, I'd be remiss not to admit that its stripped identity nagged at my conscience. So, here's an exploration of the significance of this metallic material's rise to fame and how to practice and promote cultural exchange in design. So, let's talk about it.

What Is the Significance of Stainless Steel Serveware in India?

"I can really only speak from my own experience of growing up in a South Indian Tamil household, where stainless steel was simply the material of the kitchen," says Ananth Ramaswamy, founder of Arall. "We cooked with it, served with it and ate from it. It's inexpensive, hygienic, incredibly durable and completely practical for Indian food."

He explains that stainless steel dinnerware became increasingly commonplace in Indian homes in the decades after independence, as industrialization made it more widely available, often translating familiar Indian vessels and forms that had previously been made in brass, bronze or other metals into this new material.

"What I particularly love is how it ages. It starts highly polished and reflective, but over years of washing, handling and eating, it develops this wonderful soft, brushed surface. There is something very beautiful about seeing that use," he adds.

"There is also a strange classism around stainless steel, including within India. Glass, porcelain and ceramic can sometimes be perceived as more sophisticated or aspirational, while steel is seen as cheap or utilitarian. I find that quite absurd. To me, stainless steel is one of the most sensible and beautiful ways of serving and eating Indian food."

How Has Cultural Rebranding Changed Its Reputation?

"What interests me is what gets lost when an object is removed from its original context. If an Indian stainless steel plate is sold as a ‘chrome jewellery dish’, you might see it simply as a fashionable design object without knowing anything about where it came from, what it was made for, or the much longer history of these objects in Indian homes," Ananth notes.

"For me, it comes back to who gets to tell the story. Cultures have always borrowed from one another, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. The problem is when we pick and choose what we find aesthetically desirable while leaving the history and provenance behind.

"Something considered completely ordinary, or even cheap, in one context can suddenly become desirable once it has been renamed and presented through another cultural lens. That is where I think recognition and authorship really matter."

And I couldn't agree more. In curating your own taste, you will find yourself falling in love with designs from coordinates across the map. Not to mention, the beauty of modern design is the way traditional motifs, materials, and silhouettes take on new lives depending on the era they're in. However, as Ananth aptly put it, taking a moment to appreciate its lore will inspire an authentic relationship between you and your space.

How Should You Explore Cultural Exchange in Design?

"I actually don’t think we can put all of that responsibility on the consumer. People buy things because they like them, find them useful, or, in part, to its trend-led fame. We can’t expect everyone to research the depths of cultural history for every object they buy," says Ananth.

"I think the greater responsibility lies with the businesses and brands selling them. If you are taking an existing object or design tradition, reframing it for a new audience and commercially benefiting from it, then I think it is incumbent on you to communicate where it comes from and what it was originally used for."

"That doesn’t mean these objects shouldn’t travel or be used differently. Cultural exchange is an important part of design and always has been. It is simply about being transparent about provenance and giving recognition where it is due. In fact, knowing that your ‘chrome jewellery dish’ has another life as an everyday Indian object makes it far more interesting."

But until this shift translates to mainstream design, my advice is to listen when discussions erupt. Much like the thali, when the dupatta (re-identified as a Scandinavian scarf) became a topic of conversation among the virtual masses and Indian designers raised awareness about the garment's history, it became a moment of learning and transparency for the fashionable.

So rather than giving up designing it into your lifestyle, I recommend setting your dinner table in stainless steel serving dishes with the intention of extending an informed backstory to anyone who offers a compliment. And trust me, these traditional plates and their reimagined contemporary iterations will beckon a handful of compliments from a design eye.

Shop the Look

Just like the Japanese tabis dating back to the 15^th century and the mandarin collar shirts born during the Qing dynasty, these traditional plates have a history that long predates their current hype. And the simple act of appropriately labeling an item boasts a sense of cultural appreciation that no one could fault you for.

So, while you cultivate layered vignettes in your home, adorned with memorabilia from your travels or even just borrowed from the zeitgeist, style it with pride and a bookmark of knowledge to earn your salt as a truly global design enthusiast.

Often, in darker kitchens, there’s a real temptation to make everything as light and bright as can be.

But if you’re concerned the space may feel dark and gloomy, then perhaps, controversially, you might want to rethink overbearing kitchen lighting and give the moody ambience a chance, and here’s why.

Sticking to the light, reflective surfaces and pale finishes can strip the space of depth and character, explains Grazzie Wilson, head of creative at Ca’ Pietra. “The trick is not to confuse dark with gloomy,” she says. Because dark doesn’t necessarily mean this; think more along the lines of low-lit, atmospheric, moody and romantic.

Read on to find out exactly how to take the dark and atmospheric look in the right direction and achieve the perfect ambience in your most-used space.

1. Layer your Lighting

Perhaps the most obvious solution to a dark kitchen, yet also one of the easiest to get wrong. Rather than flooding the space with bright overhead lights, modern lighting trends look to a mix of different light sources that you can use independently (if you need or want them to).

“The key is not to rely on harsh task lighting that can cast shadows and create an unbalanced design,” says Erik Munro, founder of interior design studio Munro. “Instead, layering lighting is paramount. You need a strong base, then many added layers, and finally, clever use of indirect, soft lighting to create a warm, atmospheric feel.”

The idea is to ensure the kitchen works at every point of the day. Cover the practical task lighting and illuminate areas such as the countertops, sink and hob, while softer light sources can take over when the kitchen becomes a space for simply relaxing and entertaining.

“Dark kitchens don’t need to be flooded with light to feel inviting,” agrees Tom Raffield, creative director and founder. “The key is to layer warm, considered lighting throughout the space.” He recommends combining the task lighting with other ambient lighting, such as: “The soft glow of a pendant over a dining table or the subtle downlighting from wall lights can add a sense of intimacy and depth. If possible, include a dimmer switch, as being able to adjust the brightness can quite literally transform the space, making the darker elements of the kitchen an appeal rather than something you need to overcome.

2. Pair Lighting With the Right Colors and Materials

"Lighting has a profound influence on both the aesthetic and functional qualities of interiors,” says Massimo Buster Minale, founder and creative director of Buster + Punch. “Just as the positioning of a room may inform the color palette, lighting determines how those colours appear within a space.”

He explains that in darker kitchen color schemes, a thoughtfully structured and layered approach to lighting can guide how each zone is experienced, meaning whether you want to achieve a cocooning and intimate environment or a more industrial, dramatic tone, lighting can create each and every look when planned properly.

But what Massimo really recommends is installing a dimmer switch. It may sound like a small detail and is usually an afterthought, but having the ability to soften the ambience and shift the environment with ease will impact your day-to-day instantly and give you room to work out which levels of lighting work best and when.

The materials of your lighting also play a significant role in your kitchen design. Wall lights are known to introduce a decorative element of lighting with character and style, pairing perfectly with a chandelier and spotlights to create a cohesive and tonal balance throughout. As Massimo suggests, “Steel and brass finishes complement darker schemes by balancing cool and dark hues, further enhancing depth and visual contrast."So it’s not only what the light puts out, but how the source looks itself; consider this when it’s both on and off.

3. Consider Using Candlelight

'My kitchen is easy to make feel cozy,” says Helen Parker, creative director of deVOL Kitchens. “It's not a particularly bright room and tends to be quite dark, so it lends itself well to candles.” There are a lot of opinions on candles, but even if you don’t opt for the real thing, there are some really good alternatives available nowadays to create an equally cozy feel.

She describes her space, housing two beautiful vintage candle sconces on either side of the window, and when the candles are lit, it becomes beautifully inviting. “I think candles on walls are so much better than any other type; they really do create something special,” leaning into another time, long ago. “I also have a little rechargeable lamp on my dining table; it's been such a wonderful thing. I love having a small atmospheric little pool of light in an otherwise dark room; it feels very bistro.” Helen explains how she often adds foliage into the room in winter to make the room feel different to the summer when it's all geraniums, and that adds to the coziness too.

“And don’t be afraid of shadow," adds Grazzie. A kitchen diner doesn’t have to be uniformly bright to feel welcoming. In fact, allowing some areas to feel deeper and moodier can make the whole room feel more considered. It’s that contrast between light and dark that gives a scheme atmosphere.”

4. Embrace a Darker Palette

When you’ve got an already dark space with shady corners and very little natural light, I’m all for embracing this and rolling with that theme to make it one to remember. A dark kitchen doesn’t need to be bright to feel inviting. “Deep cabinetry, darker worktops and warm lighting can create a more intimate setting, particularly in the evenings,” says Kate Duckworth, a styling expert for Kutchenhaus.

So rather than trying to lighten everything, Kate suggests using the darker palette as your starting point; we're talking walls, floors and perhaps even the cabinetry in that one color, and then introducing contrast through the countertop, splashback and lighting. “The result is a kitchen that feels confident in its personality."

5. Curate a Palette of Materials

Curating a palette of materials that not only look good but also feel good together will naturally exude a rich environment, engaging anyone who enters the space, including an atmospheric color palette.

Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr, suggests reds, blacks, and deep earth tones such as brown, green, and burgundy. Then move on to combining materials: brass countertops, oak cabinetry, paired with painted units and decorative stone surfaces. Al ensures this will add further character: “A layered design that will be highly sought after in the coming years."

Grazzie agrees, “I always think it’s better to introduce warmth rather than simply whiteness. Timber, aged finishes, veining, irregular surfaces, and earthy tones all help a darker scheme feel layered and lived-in, rather than flat."

It’ll always be difficult to preempt your atmosphere for every possible scenario, but embracing that moody romance and cozy darkness will create an experience, rather than a dull, light space trying too hard to be something it simply isn’t. It’s as easy as considering task lighting for the essentials and ambient lighting in materials and colors you are unlikely to get bored of. So own the drama and work it into the interior architecture you've got for a unique cocooning effect.

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"We’re in the business of inspiration, and inspiration is good for business," were the words of Claire German, CEO of the Design Centre, on the first day of FOCUS 26. And if we take her at her word, business must be booming.

While the annual London Design Festival has spread across the city, with showrooms everywhere opening doors to the public to explore the new beauty and wonder they're planning for the year ahead, at the Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour, FOCUS 26 is in full swing. And with over 700 brands and 140 showrooms all in one place, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better place for design inspiration.

Walking around the sprawling Chelsea Harbour complex, there was a new idea in every corner, something beautiful to get distracted by at each turn. While there’s never a shortage of gorgeous designs to ogle over here, it must be said that for the first day of London Design Festival’s FOCUS event, the quantity went from plentiful to borderline overwhelming. Luckily, I could dedicate a whole day to getting lost in the maze of design, and I can tell you all the best things I saw.

1. Tom Dixon's Sculptural Headboard at Vispring

My first stop of the day was Vispring, a heritage bed brand currently celebrating its 125th anniversary. There, I got a glimpse of its exciting new collaboration with British design icon Tom Dixon.

After first previewing the collection at Milan Design Week, Vispring has now placed one of the five beds on full display in its Design Centre showroom, especially for LDF. The Rainbow is, in true Tom Dixon fashion, a sculptural masterpiece; an arching, swooped design that would be sure to be the centerpiece of any bedroom.

While it will soon be available in a wide range of colors and finishes, the rusty-colored silk brought some beautiful warmth to the showroom.

2. Whimsical Practicality at Armac Martin

From there, I headed on to hardware specialist Armac Martin, where there was seemingly endless newness to get excited and inspired by. Take the soft, fluid forms of the Sketch collection, created in collaboration with industrial designer Jake Soloman, with its lovely, minimalist effect and bronzed finish.

A crowd-favorite was the adorable kitschiness of the Whimsical collection, complete with ballet slipper handles and tutu cabinet pulls, perfect for chic kids' rooms. There were also plenty of options for grown-up spaces, too, with the same touch of whimsical wonder. A particular favorite was the citrus-inspired designs, with speckled peel handles and lemon slice pulls, as well as a collection of honeycomb-style designs, too.

Perhaps most notable, though, is the brand's upcoming foray into the wider world of home hardware, with a soon-to-launch collection of door handles, sockets, and switches on the horizon.

3. Intricate Embroidery at Zimmer and Rohde

Whimsical themes made an appearance at the Zimmer and Rohde showroom, too, where I was blown away by the delicate craftsmanship of the embroidered Celestia trim, with sparkling moons and stars dancing along the edge of the lush curtains.

The showroom was overflowing with gorgeous materials, handcrafted by specialist artisans from across the globe. Silk fabrics with hand-painted motifs and embroidered designs emblazoned with koi fish were a few personal favorites, though I'm sure I could've spent a few more hours working my way through the collection.

4. Artistic Excellence at Jaipur Rugs

But that was far from the only display of stunning artistry. At Jaipur Rugs, where an upholstered, pink-rimmed motorcycle welcomes you into the showroom, I was mesmerized by the detail and intricacy of their designs.

The Princess Pea collection, which is on display during LDF, is a stunning collection of four rugs, each inspired by a different stage in the menstrual cycle, honouring the female experience in the most beautiful of ways.

5. The New Blueprint for Modern Luxury at Collection Seven and Collection Noir

There weren’t just new collections to explore either; there were whole showrooms opening their doors for the first time, too. One of my favorite stops of the day was at the brand-new Collection Noir and Collection Seven showroom. A collaboration between two female founders, this shared space displays both the designers' products at their best.

In contrast to the brightly lit showrooms lining the design centre, this space feels like a cozy escape, where Jessica Hubner’s softly curving sofas are complemented perfectly by Samantha Santini’s luxurious marble designs, in displays that feel convincingly like home.

I was particularly taken by Samantha's use of Calacatta Monet, a lesser-known relative of Calacatta Viola, with an equally transfixing quality. I expect we'll be seeing far more of this gorgeous green-veined stone in the months to come.

6. A Change of Atmosphere at Studio HÁM's General Store

Studio HÁM's General Store pop-up was another highlight. Setting itself apart from the rows of brands lining the ground floor of the Design Centre, Studio HÁM chose to swap the standard box stand for a wooden-fronted recreation of an American general store, complete with an in-store barista and coffee station.

But it's not just the novelty factor that pulled me in; the studio's new wicker vanity is worthy of highlighting alone, though the delightful setting certainly helped.

7. Lights to Love at Arteriors

There was, of course, no shortage of beautiful things to lust after in the Arteriors showroom, from some of the most stunning outdoor furniture I've seen to gorgeous finishing touches. But the thing that really caught my attention was the beautiful lighting options scattered across the space.

I'd been keeping my eye out for the textured glass light trend, and it was on full display at Arteriors. From delicate wall sconces to dramatic chandeliers, there were countless interpretations of this retro-inspired trend.

And I'm not the only one who is a fan of the brand's lighting; the gorgeous Eclipse Accent Light even made an appearance on Disney's All's Fair series.

This week is the best time to spot the next biggest interior design trends before they are everywhere, and judging by what I saw at Focus, it's going to be a good year.

One of the absolute pleasures of working at Livingetc is having the opportunity to look through pictures of some of the world's finest homes on a daily basis — but being able to step inside some of them, specifically four of London's most beautiful homes in the heart of Clapham alongside our readers, is quite another joy entirely.

These curated homes opened their doors for our Livingetc Unlocked two-day event, and they're a one-stop shop for design inspiration. From quirky artwork and marble masterpieces to cozy nooks and standout architecture, these modern homes are a testament to originality, personality, and what it means to make a home your own.

Here, our house hosts guide us through each home, sharing the spaces that left a lasting impact on them and their fellow guests, so that you can be inspired to recreate a little bit of their magic in your own home.

House 1 — The Art Collector’s Home

Unlike so many homes, where stepping through the front door reveals barely anything about the people who live within it and the lives they lead, The Art Collector’s Home instantly greets you with a collage of frames before you even cross the threshold. It’s so aptly characterized with colorful paintings signed by big names, monochrome prints, and even nostalgic drawings from the children of the home layering into each other.

The couple, who met at a Christy’s auction of all the gin joints, pieced together this home that reads like a love letter to art and family. It manages to multitask in its role as a genreless gallery and an actual livable home with character. As I guided people around the home, a few characteristics caught a particularly friendly amount of compliments.

First, the cloches of quirky felt art in the modern kitchen and bathroom, courtesy of contemporary artist Lucy Sparrow. Including a reimagined Twix bar, a Colgate tub, a pack of Band-Aids, and a jar of Skippy peanut butter, to name a few. A more serious element of design that conjured a flurry of oohs and aahs was the dirty marble kitchen island. And of course, all eyes were on the art. Be it the oversized hanging fixtures, the mini black and white frames, the preserved Basquiat-esque doodle-ridden receipts, or even the Joseph Kosuth ‘FIVE WORDS IN VIOLET NEON’ sign that hangs adjacent to the front door.

And in true ‘art collector’ character, the home had plenty of minimalist picture lights showing off the pieces on display. The spaces teach you to leave it all out in the open. Forget coloring inside the lines and spotlighting only the manicured side of your home’s design. That kooky piece of art you’re unsure of? Hang it in the living room. The manifestation poster that gives away the hopeful side of you? Place it with pride. The products of an artistic hobby that sit hidden in your creative space? Pop it right by the front door or on a powder room ledge. Personality is the most charmingly unique thing you can adorn your home with.

House 2 — The Modern Family Home

Stepping through the door of The Modern Family Home was a moment of serenity along the Livingetc Unlocked tour. Everything about this south London home oozed restfulness, comfort, and a truly elevated, but lived-in aesthetic. You could imagine living here, but you also left feeling inspired to make a few upgrades. The red velvet bench seat in the breakfast nook, the seating area across from the modern farmhouse kitchen, the vanity by the window in the bedroom — each detail seemingly better than the last. So what moments really made this heritage-meets-contemporary home stand out?

The main bedroom was one of the most impressive rooms. From the textured detailing on the built-in wardrobes to the custom curved doorway leading into the ensuite, every moment felt intentional without feeling overdone. When the goal is to create a serene, cozy bedroom, it’s easy to fall into overly minimalist territory, but that wasn’t the case in The Modern Family Home — subtle, but curated details gave the room character.

For instance, over the radiator (in a rather awkward corner), a floating vanity was installed, then decorated with a bouclé accent chair, portable table lamp, and oversized mirror. This became a very memorable part of the room. The walls were color-drenched in Little Greene’s Portland Stone (a paint color almost everyone asked about on the day), but by adding a textured wallpaper to the built-in cabinetry, it didn’t read flat. This tactile detail was repeated throughout the room in the thick curtains lining the window seat, the upholstered headboard, and the pleated lampshades — everything in conversation with one another.

And the open-plan kitchen and dining space in The Modern Family Home was equally impressive. White zellige tiles that wrapped around the space, natural wood cabinetry, a custom cabinet hiding the fridge, and even a sitting area with family photos. I could go on, but if you need inspiration for creating a home that feels luxurious but livable, this Modern Family Home is a masterclass.

House 3 — The Home for Entertaining

I don’t like to play favorites, but there was something about The Home for Entertaining that left me with a sense of FOMO. I could picture glamorous guests traipsing through the front door past its stained-glass transom window, ushered into the spacious foyer that opens into a gorgeous modern living room to the right and a bright open kitchen and dining room to the left. Milling around with dirty martini glasses perched on the shelves, perhaps some with a cigar from the stocked case sat in the same corner.

As you make your way into the kitchen, you can almost hear soft music from soirées past, and I can only imagine the fun the connected garden has seen in its time. Of course, since the owners, once actors, now the brains behind the buzzing Opus 11, lend their entertaining genius to high society, it only makes sense that their home has all the lavishly considered details to host.

But it’s not just the guest-led spaces that garnered verbal applause. As I spoke to the crowds at Livingetc Unlocked, many praised the dusky blue cinema room, the Mediterranean-inspired ensuite bath and its relaxed minimalist primary bed. Another detail that was captured on countless phones was the accent wall dotted with round marble and gold sconces by the staircase, landing between the upper floors.

Gently curving architecture, the wabi-sabi of the limewash walls, color-drenched pockets, and curated vignettes make the house read as infinitely confident and somehow still surprisingly approachable. And if you still can’t catch on to just how much of a vibe the space is, a shelved pair of red bedazzled shoes from a certain Rocket Man is the cherry on top...

House 4 — The Interior Designer's Home

Although I only spent one day in The Interior Designers House, by the time I left, it already felt a bit like home. This is exactly what Pauline, the interior designer and architect who lives here, was hoping for when designing her Clapham family home — an artfully balanced blend of old and new when renovating this property, Pauline took care to retain as much of the home's Victorian charm as possible, combining original features with modern flourishes for a finish that feels both contemporary and classic.

Restored, original wooden flooring runs from the entryway through to the living areas, providing a foundation of warmth and texture. Bright, light walls are juxtaposed with dark accents for a crisp contrast across the ground floor. Dark, wooden alcoves flank the large, original fireplace, and windows and doorways are coated in a deep black paint. These surprising, stark contrasts feel distinctly modern against the traditional Victorian architecture, which brings a new level of depth and complexity to the family home.

The furniture across the home also leans more modern, with a mustard yellow Togo sofa and white leather Eames lounge chair bringing a cool, modernist feel to the living spaces. These iconic furniture pieces set the tone for the home, so much so that you’d never guess that so many of the finishing touches were sourced from high street favorites, including an Anthropologie desk holding fort in the top floor office.

The kitchen extension is, arguably, the highlight of the home. Throughout my time spent in this home, I can’t count the number of people who fell in love with the kitchen worktops. Nor can I count the number of shocked faces upon the realisation that the Calacatta Viola counters were in fact ceramic rather than a true natural stone. The kitchen was a true testament to Pauline's mastery of space.

Despite working with relatively limited dimensions, she found a way to squeeze everything you could possibly need in there, without it feeling cramped. She even managed to find space for a wine fridge, a new essential. The banquette seating, running along the length of the wall, was another genius move. The Kirkby Design fabric added an extra layer of character to the room, and a few keen eyes were particularly excited to spot that it was a reworked tube seat design.

If you missed out on Livingetc Unlocked this year, fear not — you can already register your interest for Livingetc Unlocked 2027, and we'll let you know as soon as tickets go on sale. And it's not just house tours either — we're talking a programme of workshops, talks, and the best in design talent, of course, so you won't want to miss it.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean? Not a problem. Fill up on design and travel ideas with maker and furniture designer Mary Ratcliffe's insider guide to Toronto.

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September is probably the biggest month in the design world, especially in the UK. There's not only London Design Festival, running right at this moment (and at which the Livingetc team is currently out of the office doing the rounds of), but it's the time when a lot of brands launch new ranges, collections, and activations.

These ideas are the ones that will define a lot about how we create our homes in years to come. Interior designers will take inspiration; those resulting projects will be posted online; and those ideas will filter down, month by month, year by year, into the wider design vernacular.

London, maybe more so than the design weeks of Milan, Paris, even New York, has a reputation for creativity, innovation, and that slightly rebellious spirit that sets the tone for interiors that are bold, invigorating, and atmospheric.

But I'll have more of that to share with you in next month's Zeitgeist Edit — here's what I want to tell you about for now.

↑ Going Up — The National Trust

What do you think of when you think of a National Trust property? Most likely a heritage country home with a tea room, but the National Trust actually cares for several exceptional modernist and 20th-century properties that break away from the traditional stately homes for which it's best known.

22 Parkside in Wimbledon, a modernist home that has in turn inspired the likes of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, is now among them, having been given to the trust. Designed by architects Richard and Su Rogers, it's been described as 'one of the most significant homes in British architectural history', an early example of Hi-Tech architecture using materials that exemplify the architects' style, and recognizable for its brightly colored interiors.

The home is open this week for Open House London, specifically, but is only planned to be opened to the general public in stages in time to come.

↑ Going Up — Next Generation Tech

Early September sees IFA take place in Berlin, one of the world's largest consumer fairs for home electronics. To coincide, you'll often find some of the biggest technology brands launch their new releases at this time, too.

This year, I'm most excited by Sonos. Not only has the home audio brand launched new Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra devices (the last generation of the Beam was released back in 2021), but also launched the new Sonos 27 operating system, its first new system in some 20 years.

The new system introduces Sonos' own voice assistant for the first time, but it also introduces AI integration (if that's your sort of thing) in a way that sounds genuinely helpful.

↑ Going Up — Blue Stone

There's something so interesting about blue as a color, especially when introduced in hard materials like tile and stone. It sometimes feels 'unnatural', but in the best possible way. It creates an unexpected moment that makes you pause in the scheme and creates an intriguing dynamic with the other materials in the scheme.

I've had a couple of product launches in my inbox that have caught my eye this month. Tile brand Marazzi's Grande Lume, a supersized version of the brand's Crogiolo Lume, has been released to mark the occasion of Tile Week in Italy this September. It comes in a few colorways, but this rich, deep blue, with the fluid movement captured inside, feels particularly ethereal.

September also marks the Italian marble fair Marmomac in Verona, and for this, Italian natural stone manufacturer Antolini is platforming its Blueroots marble, a rare and exclusive stone that captures the essence of the blue stone kitchen trend.

↑ Going Up — LDF Launches

As I already mentioned, we're in the midst of London Design Festival right now, and with it come some fabulous installations, exhibitions, and shows that you won't want to miss. The good news? If you're busy this week, a lot of them extend their run beyond the week itself.

Take, for example, the showcase of Italian furniture brand Arflex at furniture showroom Aram. It's a big, beautiful display of the iconic furniture brand, and a great way to get up close and try out both its design icons and the latest releases from 2026's Milan Design Week. Whether you're an interior designer or considering investing in one of these luxury designs, it's a chance to experience this furniture properly in the UK. Plus, it's open until January 2027.

↓ Going Down — Fine Dining Aesthetics

Are we seeing the return of the diner aesthetic in restaurants? What was once an undeniable design trend in the hospitality sector has made way for a more elevated aesthetic in recent times, but projects like this from Parisian design studio Atelier HA prove there's a middle ground to be found between diner charm and fine dining elevation.

Designers Hugo Vince and Adèle Nourry have created this new restaurant in their vision of a space 'somewhere between a retro-futurist diner, a Parisian neighborhood canteen and a late-night club'.

The color palette is sophisticated, yet playful, while the materials and silhouette of the bar definitely deliver on the Americana fantasy, without ever feeling too kitsch. Vanilla and chocolate color banquette seating sits alongside chrome, brushed steel, polished concrete, mosaic tiles, and mirrors for a design scheme that avoids feeling like a scheme.

For more inspiration for the month ahead, why not sign up to the Livingetc newsletter, where you'll receive the Zeitgeist Edit, and more, direct to your inbox.

When it comes to any of Greg Natale's projects, there's no shortage of eye-catching designs and intriguing choices to fall in love with, and this dreamy, candy-colored New York townhouse he designed is no exception. From the Kandinsky-inspired mural across the living room wall to the custom, carved marble mosaic shower, every corner reveals a new expression of his creative brilliance. But the thing that really stuck out to me in this project was something far more subtle, a smart, unexpected move that is surprisingly easy to recreate at home: a wall-mounted chandelier in the kitchen.

Displayed proudly on the wall of the home's kitchen, directly above the built-in marble shelf, the four-arm light fitting is such a simple but brilliant kitchen lighting idea that brings a cool, sculptural touch to the space. Despite making a natural fit as a wall light, the original light fitting, a 4 Surface Trapeze from Apparatus, was designed with the intention of being displayed on the ceiling, with the four bulbs illuminating the space beneath. But, ever the creative, Greg chose to defy convention and place this ceiling lamp on the wall instead, and now we're inspired to follow suit.

Explaining this design decision, Greg says, "Because the kitchen is positioned in the center of the floor plan in the row townhouse, we needed to introduce additional light into the space." Inspired by the precision of modernist French task lighting from the 1950s, specifically Serge Mouille’s rotating sconce, Greg set out to find a lighting style that fulfilled the functional and aesthetic needs for the space.

For this modernist yet functional approach, Apparatus Studio's Trapeze Light felt like the perfect solution. "The client had previously had Apparatus Studio’s lighting in a previous home and already had a strong appreciation for their collection. With its rotating arms, the Trapeze complements the home's playful, artistic, and whimsical styling theme, bringing a sense of movement while also serving a practical purpose by directing light precisely where it is needed in the kitchen."

But this look wouldn't only work with this exact light. The idea of a chandelier as a wall light could apply to so many styles. So, I scoured the web for the coolest ceiling lights around, with a specific eye out for ones that would look even better displayed on the wall than they would up above, and I think I've found some top contenders.