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Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
I Asked 5 Designers the Worst Color to Paint a Kitchen, and They Named Two
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms of the home, so shouldn't it dress the part? Just like any other space, color palette plays a major role in a kitchen's look. After all, the right shades can lay the groundwork for some truly delicious digs. There's an entire rainbow of shades you can add to a kitchen, but I wondered if there's one hue on designers' 'do not paint' list. Well, it's a little more complicated than that. I asked five interior designers about the absolute worst paint color for a kitchen, and turns out they're torn between two shades. Ultimately, it all depends on your interior design style. If you're a maximalist, you probably want a kitchen that features a pop of color. There's no one way to do it. (Bold backsplashes? Statement cabinetry? Artful appliances? Why not all three?) However, if you're going to go big on color with paint, designers are begging you to avoid red. 'We would never paint a kitchen red,' says designer Flynne Nathanson, who co-founded Bay Area-based design firm Refresh Your Space with Patty Hampton. Although Northern California designer Lisa Simopoulos never rules out an entire color family — 'the right shade will always work in the right setting,' she reasons — red isn't exactly on her short list for kitchens either. 'It's a powerful color, and, in the kitchen, it can be overpowering,' Simopoulos explains. 'It's famously used to stimulate appetite — think: fast food branding — but that's not usually the goal in a well-balanced home.' The psychological effects of the color red go beyond a casual case of the munchies. While the fiery tone certainly commands attention, many experts note red is also linked with aggression and extreme caution. Let's be honest — that's not the energy you want when you're making meals. If you're craving the warmth of red without the drama, pink could offer the best of both worlds. (Psst … these pink-to-perfection kitchen ideas prove you don't have to go into full-blown Barbiecore territory.) Alternatively, you can take a cue from Simopoulos by bringing the unexpected red theory to your kitchen. 'If it's something a client has their mind set on, I will guide them toward using it as accents, not the main color,' she says. Of course, many people wouldn't dream of painting their kitchen any bold color, let alone red. But just preferring neutral colors doesn't mean you're totally safe from a kitchen paint faux pas. White, a very popular kitchen paint color, can go very, very wrong in certain cases. 'Stark, cool whites suck the soul out of a kitchen,' says designer Lauren Saab of Saab Studios in Dallas. 'What should be the heart of the home ends up feeling more like a sterile showroom; pretty in photos, but lifeless in reality.' Designers Meredith Still and Kari Ivanitsky, co-founders of The Meredith Project in Santa Barbara, California, agree. 'They can feel cold, uninviting, and, frankly, uninspired,' Still shares. 'These shades lack warmth and originality, and they don't do much to make a kitchen feel like the heart of the home.' If stark white's cold undertone isn't enough to dissuade you, Saab points out that it's not a particularly practical pigment either. '[It] reflects every harsh glare, spotlights every smudge, and amplifies the chill of stainless appliances,' she adds. Instead, if you are looking for something subtle and light, Saab recommends opting for warmer neutrals like greige or a soft clay. 'These colors bring out the depth of surrounding textures and bounce light in a way that feels welcoming and dimensional,' she explains. 'The result is a kitchen that feels quietly expressive, where color adds comfort rather than canceling it out.' Although red and stark white are very different colors, they represent extremes: The former is super-intense, while the latter reads lifeless and bland. While finding a middle ground will make your kitchen easier on the eyes, Ivanitsky says it's crucial to see how your paint color interacts with the rest of the room's details. 'Before landing on a paint color, figure out your metal finishes, countertops, and backsplash materials first — those will inform the overall palette,' she shares. 'Then choose a hue that feels good to you and complements those finishes.' Design Defined Never miss the style inspo and recommendations you crave with Design Defined. Follow along each week as our Home Director Danielle shares the best style advice, latest trends, and popular decor finds you just can't miss. Subscribe to Apartment Therapy! Further Reading We Used Our New 'Room Plan' Tool to Give This Living Room 3 Distinct Styles — See How, Then Try It Yourself The Design Changemakers to Know in 2025 Create Your Own 3D Room Plan with Our New Tool
Telegraph
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
How I squeezed an extra bedroom into my one-bedroom flat
This cleverly reimagined two-bedroom flat in south London is the sort of place that makes you want to discard the clutter in your life, overhaul your living space and embrace a new life of elegance and serenity. Located on the top floor of a large Victorian building, not far from Wandsworth Common, it is the covetable home of Rebecca Nokes, design director of the kitchen company John Lewis of Hungerford. 'I always wanted to work in interior design,' says Rebecca. 'My mother was a very creative person; she worked as a fashion designer, then turned her hand to houses later in life. As a child, I was good at painting and drawing, and I would constantly rearrange my bedroom.' She had long dreamed of her own renovation project, but lacked the funds to overhaul her previous flat in Tulse Hill. It was the Covid-19 lockdowns – which encouraged her to save money – combined with the resulting stamp duty holiday, that finally provided the opportunity she had been waiting for. Room for improvement Unlike a typical Victorian terrace, which is long, narrow and difficult to reconfigure, the flat has a more amenable square shape. At 750 square feet, it's also a relatively generous size, but the layout was all wrong, with the kitchen located away from the dining and sitting area and a thin, lightless bathroom, which Rebecca found depressing. Spatial planning is second nature to her, thanks to her experience designing kitchens, so it was easy for her to envisage how the flat could work better. Reimagining the layout The first step was to remove the dingy bathroom and knock through into the dining and sitting room, to make space for the new kitchen where the bathroom had been. 'Originally, I wanted to take down the entire wall, but the structural engineer said no, and actually it is a good thing because it has allowed me to add a utility room, which helps keep the rest of the flat free from clutter,' says Rebecca. This freed up the existing kitchen, which became a valuable second bedroom. Rebecca then stole one metre from this room and one metre from the main bedroom to create a new, two-metre-wide bathroom. 'Bedrooms are usually put next to each other, but having the bathroom between them makes much more sense,' she explains. Finally, on the other side of the main bedroom, she added a stud wall and created a door-free walk-in wardrobe – a luxurious touch that also helps to keep the bedroom clutter-free. The kitchen, dining and sitting room 'I always encourage clients to make a couple of design decisions early on,' says Rebecca. In her own flat, this included a big statement splashback in Calacatta marble from Rossi Stone Surfaces, which she liked for its varied colours and dramatic veining, and which she specified with a fluted finish. The natural beauty of the marble is enhanced by its undulating lines, and gives the entire room a beautiful and unusual focal point. To this, Rebecca has added sleek flat-fronted cabinetry. 'The kitchen cabinets needed to look like a piece of furniture or joinery; I didn't want to feel like I'm in a kitchen when I'm sitting on the sofa,' she says. For this reason, there are no wall cupboards. 'The trade-off is slightly less storage, but as they are only half the depth of floor cupboards, it's not as much as you might think. By using deep drawers, in which everything is easy to reach, and adding a bar area in the hall, it was possible to go without, and the room feels so much more spacious.' Rebecca particularly recommends deep drawers around the sink: 'They are a great hack. You get much more usable storage compared to a cabinet under the sink, which usually ends up full of things you can't see properly, and lots of wasted space where the sink hangs down.' Another early decision was the engineered oak flooring, which helps to create the loft-style look Rebecca wanted, and which is paired with limewashed walls. 'I knew I wanted to use limewash; it adds so much depth and texture,' she says. As a money-saving exercise, she applied it herself: 'It took some experimentation, and when it first goes on, it looks a bit like someone has thrown up on the walls. My partner was horrified.' Fortunately, once dried, the effect is subtle and sophisticated, and it sets the tone for the decoration throughout the flat, which is neutral and earthy, with lots of textural interest. 'The natural light in the flat isn't amazing, so I've kept everything light and bright,' says Rebecca. 'I wanted some colour, but nothing really bold. There is a subtle green theme, but the other shades come from flowers and artworks.' The entrance hall To bring natural light into the otherwise dark entrance hall, Rebecca replaced the wall that divides the sitting room and hall with Crittall windows. She also brought the backlit panelling that runs behind the L-shaped sofa into the entrance hall, and added shelves for decorative objects, so that it feels like an extension of the living area. For that reason, she also installed a bar area in the hall with a coffee station, an integrated wine fridge and a glazed wall cabinet for glasses and mugs. The fluted glass doors of the cabinet echo the splashback in the kitchen, and, as the glass is not completely transparent, 'you don't have to keep everything inside super tidy,' Rebecca notes. The bar area has the same worktop as the kitchen, but here it is paired with dark green shaker-style cabinet fronts and matt black hardware, which matches the Buster + Punch light switches and door handles. The bedrooms The new stud wall in the main bedroom, which separates the walk-in wardrobe from the rest of the room, allowed Rebecca to centre the bed on the window, and have equal spaces on either side for bedside tables. 'This is a good way to give a bedroom visual balance, and make it feel ordered and calm,' she explains. To this, she has added a sense of drama with a headboard upholstered in a moss-green velvet fabric by Rose Uniacke that stretches across the entire wall. A raw-edged timber ledge above gives a surface on which to prop pictures. In the small second bedroom, the mood is different. Here, Rebecca has turned its challenging shape to advantage, cladding the walls in weathered boards taken from old pallets to give the look of a cabin. The bathroom In the bathroom, a striking basin from Lusso Stone takes centre stage. 'It was an investment, but I wanted the bathroom to have one strong feature,' says Rebecca. Space is at a premium, so she opted for a wet room with a walk-in shower. The tiles were mitred so that they could be applied without a metal trim – a time-consuming job that ate up a large part of the budget for the room, but creates a pleasing, seamless finish. She saved money in other areas, including a cost-effective black-framed shower screen from Victorian Plumbing that mirrors the Crittall windows in the hall. The takeaway 'I loved renovating this flat, but it was intense,' says Rebecca. 'We did a lot of the work ourselves at weekends – it helps that my partner is an electrician and my dad is also very handy, but removing the waste was hell. I definitely wouldn't do that again.' She also strongly recommends making a schedule of work when undertaking a renovation project. 'Because of my experience planning and installing kitchens, I could always see the end of the project, but it was still anxiety-inducing,' she says. Along with the hard work and anxiety, it also took a year of her life. But it hasn't dented her enthusiasm for renovation. 'It's taken blood, sweat and tears, sometimes quite literally, but the flat is made to my exact specifications, and I have absolutely fallen in love with it.'
Irish Times
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Out with the new, in with the old: antique furniture back in vogue in Irish homes
There is a quiet but substantial move away from sleek, contemporary design as the dominant interior style in homes over the past few years. And while some people still opt for a minimalist mood, many more are forgoing flat-pack furniture and embracing an eclectic style that includes older, solid-wood furniture alongside durable contemporary pieces. Speaking with participants at a recent furniture upcycling workshop, it was striking to hear how many of these homeowners are now mixing modern furniture with vintage and antique pieces – some of which they redesign to suit their spaces. 'People don't appreciate the full modern look any more. We pick out one or two statement pieces to mix in with modern furniture,' said Mary Kennedy at the workshop, led by Waterford -based artist and interior designer, Marianne Heaphy. Michelle Burnett of Cush Interiors agrees. 'The thing is, you don't need to have a period house to include pieces of antique furniture in your interior style,' says Burnett. She says her clients often want to incorporate a favourite 1950s armchair or another piece of antique furniture handed down through the family into their homes. READ MORE And while so-called brown furniture can still be a step too far for many homeowners, learning how to upcycle selected vintage and antique furniture by painting tables interesting matt colours is allowing people to bring new life to old pieces. Putting brightly coloured patterned fabrics on the seats of otherwise dull but sturdy chairs or spraying gold lacquer on small, elegant cabinets or sets of drawers are more examples of this DIY approach to design. 'Post-recession, the design world has changed and I have a different perspective, too, in the last eight years. People don't want a home out of a catalogue now with everything new. Many want to mix antique and contemporary furniture together,' says Burnett. The Financial Times recently highlighted a new generation of dealers who started trading furniture for fun on social media and then moved into it being their main pursuit. From careers in the music industry, photography and graphic design, this new breed of antique and vintage dealers trawl through some of Europe's more obscure auction rooms for hidden gems. They then resell everything from art deco lamps to Henry Moore sculptures to vintage pottery to clients inspired by their personal taste. These London-based dealers include people such as Toby Ziff, Mario Kardana, Marine Edith Crosta and Katie Ridges. Some of this new generation of dealers sell in pop-up community or retail spaces while others have gone the whole way and sell their wares in bricks-and-mortar stores. Anyone in London reading this could check out the stalls at the Spotlight Market in Clapton today. Back in Ireland, there also seems to be a revival of interest in antique fairs held in community centres and hotels countrywide as individuals and couples seek out quirky and unique pieces of furniture to bring more personality into their homes. Joy Thorpe's antique shop in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. Photograph: And local antique shops such as Joy Thorpe in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, are inspiring many people to mix and match their furniture from different periods. Her Instagram page and website is a perfect shop window for how items such as a Victorian hall chair (€190), a Victorian lady's sewing table (€390), a Victorian slipper chair (€490) or a Georgian mahogany fold-over table (€490) can look so stylish and comforting in a modern or period home. Victorian Slipper Chair (€490) at Joy Thorpe's Antiques Store in Castlecomer. Photograph: Victorian Hall Chair (€190) at Joy Thorpe's Antiques Store Thorpe, who studied textiles at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, first started incorporating furniture into her Kilkenny art gallery. 'Soon, I was selling more antiques than art,' she says. She later ran an antiques shop in Castledermot, Co Kildare, before moving to her current shop in Castlecomer five years ago. 'People are braver now with their interiors and want to mix things up. They see the value and character that older pieces bring,' she adds. The auction rooms at Mullens in Laurel Park, Woodbrook, Bray, Co Wicklow, have always been a great place for browsing through vintage or antique furniture that can bring novelty or even humour as well as functionality to domestic interiors. [ How to bid wisely at auctions: 'An emotional decision is rarely a wise decision' Opens in new window ] In their next timed online auction – which begins to close at 6pm tomorrow evening, there are many such items. Take the vintage oak nine drawer architect's plan cabinet (€300-€500) or the vintage camphor wood brass bound trunk (€100-€200) – useful for storage but also attractive additions to a room. Vintage oak nine drawer architect's plan cabinet (€300–€500) at Mullens auction rooms, Bray Vintage camphorwood brass-bound trunk (€100-€200) at Mullen's timed online auction, which begins to end on Sunday, July 20th, at 6pm Vintage oak and brass barrel with two open shelves (€100–€150) at Mullens online timed auction The cherrywood tallboy (€150-€250) is also practical, solid and suitable for either a reception room or a bedroom. The vintage oak and brass barrel with two open shelves (€100 –€150) is a little more playful. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style black lacquered side chair with medusa pattern upholstered seat (€60-€100) at Mullens auction rooms The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style black lacquered side chair with medusa pattern upholstered seat (€60-€100) is like something you'd see on an interior design programme. The Glasgow-born architect, designer and artist renowned for his modernist works was – together with his wife, Margaret Macdonald – influential on European design movements such as art nouveau and secessionism in Austria. The auction also has a good range of oriental rugs, with estimates ranging from around €100 and up to €600-€800 for the better quality ones. , What did it sell for? The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, JMW Turner The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, JMW Turner Estimate £200,000-£300,000 Hammer price £1.9m (€2.2m) Auction house Sotheby's Diamond pavé clutter set bracelet, Matthews two-day auction Diamond pavé bracelet Estimate €12,000-€18,000 Hammer price €14,200 Auction house Matthews Sapphire and diamond cluster set link bracelet (€4,000-€7,000) Sapphire and diamond bracelet Estimate €4,000-€7,000 Hammer price €3,750 Auction house Matthews Art Deco diamond round cut bracelet, Matthews Art deco bracelet Estimate €20,000-€30,000 Hammer price €18,000 Auction house Matthews
The Sun
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I'm an interiors expert and 70s-inspired decor is back, here's 6 ways to style it in your home with a contemporary twist
AN interiors expert has revealed her top tips for incorporating 70s decor into your home as retro style makes a comeback. From the resurgence of velvet and earth tones in fashion, to the popularity of warm woods and sculptural silhouettes in interiors, there's a continued appetite for homes that feel nostalgic. 3 3 Jess Hubner, founder of Collection Seven handcrafted furniture, has revealed her top design cues on how to weave 70s-inspired elements into modern interiors. And the secret is all about restraint, warmth, and a touch of retro rebellion. Velvet is shortcut to retro luxe 'Velvet has that unmistakable 70s sensibility - it's rich, tactile and unapologetically glamorous", says Jess. "It reflects the light beautifully, which gives it a depth and almost colour-changing quality depending on the room and time of day. "For me, it's the quickest way to bring personality into a space. "Try a velvet accent chair in burnt orange, olive, or ochre, or even smaller hits like cushions to make a room feel warm and intentional.' Furniture That Feels Collected Jess continues: 'Eclectic furniture is key to getting this era right. It's about layering different shapes, styles and textures - without being too matchy-matchy. "Think asymmetric sofas, vintage accent chairs, and low-slung coffee tables. It's the unexpected mix that brings that retro whimsy, while still feeling elevated.' From rattan to fringing According to Jess, 70s interiors are all about embracing natural, handcrafted materials. This includes rattan, woven, boucle, burlwood and fringe. Homeowner pulls up 70s carpets hoping to find 'gorgeous parquet or tiles' underneath & instead discovers the 'stuff of nightmares' Jess says: "These textures add a sense of ease and tactility that makes a home feel relaxed and lived in. "Shaggy rugs, boucle cushions and rattan armchairs help soften a room and bring in that handcrafted charm without going full boho.' Let Pattern Play 'Bold prints and patterns are a huge part of the look - whether that's geometric prints, florals, or even leopard print", the interiors pro also revealed. "I always say, pick your moments. A single statement piece - like a patterned armchair or a bold cushion - goes a long way. "Offset it with creamy neutrals or earthy tones to keep the room from feeling chaotic. It's the tension between wild and calm that creates modern 70s magic.' Glow Up Statement lighting was a huge 70s moment - and those oversized floor lamps and sculptural pendants are just as impactful now. 3 Jess says: "They create visual drama, but also a soft, warm glow that transforms the mood of a room. "Go for organic shapes and warm bulbs to really lean into that nostalgic, flattering light.' Soft and smart 70's colours 'The 70s palette is having a huge comeback - think avocado green, mustard, chocolate brown and terracotta", Jess concludes. "But instead of using them in high-gloss or plastic finishes, keep it matte and grounded. "Whether it's wall colour, upholstery or even ceramic accessories, these tones bring instant warmth and a nostalgic quality that still feels incredibly current.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
How to destress your space with small changes for a calmer home
For many, a calm and tranquil home sits high on the wishlist, but often, the reality is quite different. Daily life brings clutter, unfinished jobs and small design frustrations that quietly add to the pressure. The good news is that small, thoughtful changes can have a big impact – such as moving an appliance, clearing a surface, fixing what's broken. These simple steps can help a home feel more zen. Here are some practical ways to reduce stress at home by focusing on how spaces are used day to day. No big overhauls, just subtle shifts. Finding purpose When starting any home improvement, the most important question isn't what it should look like, it's how you want it to feel. READ MORE Do you want the space to energise or calm? To encourage connection or allow focus? Too often, people begin with paint colours or Pinterest boards before thinking about the purpose of the space, but the atmosphere should come first. A bedroom, for example, has very different emotional needs than a home office or living space. One is about rest and recovery, the other might be about clarity, focus or creativity. A living area might need to transition between relaxing with family in the evening and entertaining friends at the weekend. If you don't design with these intentions in mind, the space may never quite feel right. Simplify Before diving into any design change, it's worth taking a step back and observing how you actually live at home. Track a typical day, or better yet, a whole week and pay attention to the routines, movements, and moments that feel stressful or awkward. These daily frictions are often small, but they add up. [ How to futureproof your home in a cost-effective way Opens in new window ] One client I worked with a few years ago did exactly this and made a surprising discovery. Mornings in their house always felt chaotic, and they couldn't figure out why. After tracking their routine for a few days, they realised the kettle and coffee machine were positioned directly above the cutlery drawer, so every time someone was making tea or coffee, they were blocking access for the person trying to get spoons for cereal. It created unnecessary bottlenecks and tension at a time of day that's already under pressure. By simply moving the appliances, the mood in the mornings shifted dramatically. It sounds almost too simple, but unless you stop and observe your habits, these design mismatches often go unnoticed. We get used to working around them, even if they're causing low-grade stress every day. Take on to-dos Do you want the space to energise or calm? Design by Optimise Design Sometimes the things that stress us out at home aren't dramatic, they're simply unfinished. A DIY job that was started but never completed. A broken drawer. The flickering light bulb you keep forgetting to replace. These low-level annoyances quietly chip away at our calm. Even if you've stopped consciously noticing them, your brain is still logging them as 'to-dos,' creating a subtle, but constant sense of pressure. Taking an hour to make a list and then slowly working through it can bring an immediate sense of control and relief. It's not about perfection, but about reducing background noise in your mind. And then there's clutter. It's one of the most common and underestimated stressors in the home. In today's world, it's incredibly easy to accumulate things and much harder to carve out the time to assess what's actually needed or valued. But research backs up what many of us feel intuitively: clutter makes it harder to focus, can increase anxiety, and even elevate cortisol levels. One study by the University of California, Los Angeles, found that women who described their homes as 'cluttered' had higher stress levels and a lower overall sense of wellbeing. [ Interiors: Good design is as much about what you leave out as what you put in Opens in new window ] Decluttering isn't about being ruthless or overly minimal, it's about clearing space for what matters. Start small: a single drawer, a shelf, a countertop. Create one clear, calm zone and build from there. You'll not only lighten your home but also your mind. Reflection of you Before diving into any design change, it's worth taking a step back and observing how you actually live at home. Design by Optimise Design When redesigning a home, one of the most important measures of success is whether you actually feel at home in the end result. It should be a reflection of you, not a carbon copy of your inspiration images or someone else's taste. It's easy to get swept up in trends or perfectly curated Instagram accounts, but the most comforting spaces are the ones that feel lived in, loved, and personal. Ask: does this space reflect how I live and what I love? Do I feel relaxed here? Does my family? Put your stamp on your space. Choose colours you're naturally drawn to. Hang art that tells your story. Keep the things that make you smile, whether it's a holiday souvenir, a ceramic bowl from a class, or a slightly wonky lamp that's followed you through three homes. As Marie Kondo says, surround yourself with things that 'spark joy'.
