Transforming a room at home: London interior designers reveal top decor hacks for less than £100
Colour match
Sophie Scott, Studio Skey
“One of our signature elements is to use the same paint shade across walls, ceilings, woodwork and even cabinetry to create a more contemporary, cohesive feel, especially in period properties.
“If you don’t have the time or budget to go the whole way, you can use leftover paint to match a mirror frame or ceiling to match your room’s wall colour.”
Stencil a hand-painted mural
Tiffany Duggan, Studio Duggan
“I commissioned one of my favourite artists, Julianna Byrne, to add some decorative flourishes to our studio, but with the help of a stencil (or a steady hand!) anyone can inject a little personality to blank walls or plain furniture.
“Think a chequerboard backing to shelves, a hand-painted border to drawer fronts or some Charleston-inspired accents to a fireplace or an old wardrobe.”
studioduggan.com; @studioduggan
Get creative with tiling
Kemi Lawson, The Cornrow
“Tiles are a brilliantly impactful way to jazz up a space. Make expensive tiles go further by mingling them with cheaper designs.
To make the most of affordable tiles, lay them in a non-standard way, such as simple monochrome ones placed randomly to give a bold graphic update to an old fireplace.”
thecornrow.com; @thecornrow; @cottagenoir
Up your frame game
Rebecca Sicardi
“Anything can be elevated to an ‘art’ status with the right framing and positioning, from a child’s painting to a club flyer or an art exhibition booklet.
“We recently used pages taken from cool, colourful zines, sourced at Hato Store (from £8), which we framed in simple oversized Muji frames (A3 frame £29.95).”
A special mirror adds portable fun
Olivia Outred
“Even the smallest room deserves a sense of glamour. We decorated a shower room in east London that doubles as a guest loo and we wanted to indulge and surprise them with a fun curved-cane mirror by French brand AM/PM (£99).
“Hanging a mirror like that can make a whole room feel decorated and can be taken with you if you move, so it’s good for renters.
oliviaoutred.com; @oliviaoutred
Decorative moulding
Charlotte Beevor
“Add decorative moulding to elevate your space. It gives a new lease of life to bare walls, built-in storage or tired pieces of furniture and brings character to a room.
“Let the moulding appear to ‘float’ a little above floor level for a high-end finish.”
charlottebeevor.com; @charlottebeevor
Transform your lighting with a paper shade
Emily Potter, Daytrip Studio
“Hang a Japanese pendant light shade from Sansho (£84). Our homes are our own private sanctuaries; the rice paper’s beautiful materiality and gently diffused light will transform your room into a space of comfort and ease.”
daytrip.studio; @daytripstudio
Consider all the senses
Louisa Grey, House of Grey
“To regenerate and restore us, a home should satisfy all of the senses, with tactile materials, soothing music and wonderful scents. But so many candles and diffusers are full of harmful ingredients so look for organic products.
“We worked with olfactive design studio Aoiro to create Koto (£65), a scented room mist with a comforting and revitalising blend of 100 per cent organic essences.”
houseofgrey.co.uk; @houseofgreylondon
Sculptural ceramics add personality
Ruby Kean, Atelier LK
“In our designs, the final layering of a room is integral to creating intrigue and personality and we often accomplish this with a selection of sculptural ceramics.
“These don’t have to be expensive to make an impact. We sometimes scour thrift stores, auctions and online resources like eBay looking for vessels with interesting forms and glazes that will work with the wider room scheme.”
Create a colourful, central focal point
Charlotte Rey, Campbell-Rey
“Put stunning, freshly cut flowers into any room to make it feel welcoming and cared for. It can be supermarket of daffodils or a large bouquet of ranunculus.
“We like to use a large splay vase as the focal point, accompanied by smaller bud vases to bring joy to your home.”
