Decorating
10 Ways to Create a Talking Point in Your Home
We all know design rules are meant to be broken... Distil that ethos down to one, simple idea and prepare to be inspired
Ready to disrupt your usually serene, coordinated style? Then consider adding an element of surprise to your interior. The idea of peppering your home with the unexpected – something that catches the eye because it’s not where you would usually see it – is a great way to bring personality in and stop your interior from being too matchy-matchy.
Here are some great examples of thinking outside the box and incorporating a sense of playfulness to give your home the edge.
Here are some great examples of thinking outside the box and incorporating a sense of playfulness to give your home the edge.
Have fun with colour
This collection of storage boxes provides a colourful focal point for the room, as well as abundant space in which to store and display items. It demonstrates brilliantly that you don’t always need to hide things away: a neat display of books and treasures can make an attractive feature in its own right.
Using blocks of colour adds visual interest and stops the shelving overwhelming the space. It also brings a lovely sense of playfulness to the scheme.
You can get this look easily by painting ready-made plain wooden boxes or box shelves.
Tour the rest of this colourful family home
This collection of storage boxes provides a colourful focal point for the room, as well as abundant space in which to store and display items. It demonstrates brilliantly that you don’t always need to hide things away: a neat display of books and treasures can make an attractive feature in its own right.
Using blocks of colour adds visual interest and stops the shelving overwhelming the space. It also brings a lovely sense of playfulness to the scheme.
You can get this look easily by painting ready-made plain wooden boxes or box shelves.
Tour the rest of this colourful family home
Add an element of surprise
Who doesn’t love a secret chamber? This concealed bookcase is a great reminder that you can hide almost anything away to be revealed when you want it. You could use a similar trick to hide away a TV and media unit when not in use.
A professional cabinet-maker could help you create the perfect secret storage for your own home.
Who doesn’t love a secret chamber? This concealed bookcase is a great reminder that you can hide almost anything away to be revealed when you want it. You could use a similar trick to hide away a TV and media unit when not in use.
A professional cabinet-maker could help you create the perfect secret storage for your own home.
Use outdoor lights indoors
Getting the lighting right in your bathroom can be tricky. It’s one room where you need good illumination, but it can be difficult to find lamps that satisfy aesthetic and practical needs as well as complying with vital safety regulations. Here’s a great idea, though – beautiful brass bulkhead lights designed for outdoor use.
Always remember to get advice from a qualified electrician when considering changes to bathroom lighting.
Getting the lighting right in your bathroom can be tricky. It’s one room where you need good illumination, but it can be difficult to find lamps that satisfy aesthetic and practical needs as well as complying with vital safety regulations. Here’s a great idea, though – beautiful brass bulkhead lights designed for outdoor use.
Always remember to get advice from a qualified electrician when considering changes to bathroom lighting.
Work in a vintage vanity unit
This repurposed vintage marble washstand is paired with a sleek, modern basin, while a matching marble splashback ties it all together to make something new.
Be creative when planning your bathroom: a vintage piece can give you as much storage as a brand-new vanity unit while bringing oodles of character to your room.
Auction houses, antiques dealers and car-boot sales are all good sources for quirky pieces of furniture that can be adapted in this way.
This repurposed vintage marble washstand is paired with a sleek, modern basin, while a matching marble splashback ties it all together to make something new.
Be creative when planning your bathroom: a vintage piece can give you as much storage as a brand-new vanity unit while bringing oodles of character to your room.
Auction houses, antiques dealers and car-boot sales are all good sources for quirky pieces of furniture that can be adapted in this way.
Don’t neglect the ceiling
It’s very easy to concentrate on walls and flooring and forget about the ceiling when designing a space. This mirrored ceiling brings even more light and space into this kitchen and serves as a reminder that all surfaces in the room can be a focus for creativity.
Angling the mirrored tiles bounces the light and reflections in a kaleidoscopic manner. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it makes a brilliantly individual statement.
One way to achieve this effect would be to construct a timber frame with the desired angles, fix mirrors to give the multi-faceted look, and suspend it. You could also fit concealed lighting within the frame to further the kaleidoscope effect.
Discover some other great decorating ideas for your ceiling
It’s very easy to concentrate on walls and flooring and forget about the ceiling when designing a space. This mirrored ceiling brings even more light and space into this kitchen and serves as a reminder that all surfaces in the room can be a focus for creativity.
Angling the mirrored tiles bounces the light and reflections in a kaleidoscopic manner. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it makes a brilliantly individual statement.
One way to achieve this effect would be to construct a timber frame with the desired angles, fix mirrors to give the multi-faceted look, and suspend it. You could also fit concealed lighting within the frame to further the kaleidoscope effect.
Discover some other great decorating ideas for your ceiling
Fashion inventive storage
You don’t always need to commission bespoke furniture for awkwardly shaped spaces. Here, a collection of storage crates is artfully arranged to fill an under-stairs alcove, providing shelves to display favoured treasures.
Using the same materials for the shelving keeps the focus on the display rather than on the modifications necessary to fit the space.
Genuine vintage wooden crates are hard to come by these days, but many retailers sell replicas. A good carpenter would also be able to help you re-create this look with your chosen timber.
You don’t always need to commission bespoke furniture for awkwardly shaped spaces. Here, a collection of storage crates is artfully arranged to fill an under-stairs alcove, providing shelves to display favoured treasures.
Using the same materials for the shelving keeps the focus on the display rather than on the modifications necessary to fit the space.
Genuine vintage wooden crates are hard to come by these days, but many retailers sell replicas. A good carpenter would also be able to help you re-create this look with your chosen timber.
Discount the original purpose
This vintage trolley is used as an on-trend bar cart to show off favourite tipples and cocktail paraphernalia.
Specialist midcentury dealers would be a good, if pricey, source for something similar, or you could try your luck on eBay or with other vintage dealers.
Hostess trolleys, old office stationery carts and even repurposed medical trolleys can also all be called into service for cocktail hour, so widen your search.
This vintage trolley is used as an on-trend bar cart to show off favourite tipples and cocktail paraphernalia.
Specialist midcentury dealers would be a good, if pricey, source for something similar, or you could try your luck on eBay or with other vintage dealers.
Hostess trolleys, old office stationery carts and even repurposed medical trolleys can also all be called into service for cocktail hour, so widen your search.
Play with scale
Incorporating oversized furniture or objects injects an element of surprise into the design. Here, a blown-up cartoon strip provides a sense of fun and impact. Several companies can help you achieve this look, with images ranging from upscaled comic strips to close-up details from artworks and nature in wallpaper form.
Having a custom wallpaper made up is another great option if you can’t find quite what you want. Lots of companies offer this now. It’s as simple as uploading a high res image and specifying the colour, size and amount of wallpaper you want. Remember, it must be either your own creation or an image you have the right to use or is in the public domain.
A note on copyrighted images: photographs are generally free from copyright and in the public domain 50 years after their creation, if they were taken before 1957. Anything between that and 1989 expires 50 years after first publication. Taken after 1989, an image is under copyright until 125 years after its creation, or 50 years after first publication, whichever is earlier.
Incorporating oversized furniture or objects injects an element of surprise into the design. Here, a blown-up cartoon strip provides a sense of fun and impact. Several companies can help you achieve this look, with images ranging from upscaled comic strips to close-up details from artworks and nature in wallpaper form.
Having a custom wallpaper made up is another great option if you can’t find quite what you want. Lots of companies offer this now. It’s as simple as uploading a high res image and specifying the colour, size and amount of wallpaper you want. Remember, it must be either your own creation or an image you have the right to use or is in the public domain.
A note on copyrighted images: photographs are generally free from copyright and in the public domain 50 years after their creation, if they were taken before 1957. Anything between that and 1989 expires 50 years after first publication. Taken after 1989, an image is under copyright until 125 years after its creation, or 50 years after first publication, whichever is earlier.
Reboot with unexpected colour
Instead of contrasting with the lovely turquoise metro tiles, this bathroom scheme pairs a tile-effect wallpaper in similar dazzling hues to great effect. This is the Piccadilly wallpaper from Cole & Son, but many wallpaper companies produce tile-effect designs.
When using wallpaper in the bathroom, ensure you choose good-quality paper that will cope with the extra humidity, have it expertly hung and consider protecting it from water with a specialist sealing product, such as decorator’s varnish.
If you have a favourite shade you want to highlight in a scheme, don’t hold back – go all out for it!
TELL US…
Do you have a ‘wow’ piece of furniture or décor? Share your photos and stories in the Comments below.
Instead of contrasting with the lovely turquoise metro tiles, this bathroom scheme pairs a tile-effect wallpaper in similar dazzling hues to great effect. This is the Piccadilly wallpaper from Cole & Son, but many wallpaper companies produce tile-effect designs.
When using wallpaper in the bathroom, ensure you choose good-quality paper that will cope with the extra humidity, have it expertly hung and consider protecting it from water with a specialist sealing product, such as decorator’s varnish.
If you have a favourite shade you want to highlight in a scheme, don’t hold back – go all out for it!
TELL US…
Do you have a ‘wow’ piece of furniture or décor? Share your photos and stories in the Comments below.
This old haberdashery cabinet from a department store has been repurposed as a kitchen island. Used for storing gloves and scarves in its previous life, the cabinet has been shortened to fit the space.
It’s a wonderfully practical piece with tons of storage space, allowing favourite kitchen and dining items to be displayed without cluttering the room. The height of the unit is perfect for use as a work surface, so it adds valuable prep or serving space, too, though remember to fit toughened safety glass to this type of furniture first.
This piece would also look wonderful in a bedroom, where it could be used for storing and displaying clothes and accessories.
There are a few dealers who specialise in antique shop furniture; eBay and auction houses are good sources, too. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for department stores closing or refurbishing – be bold and ask if you can have or purchase old items.