10 Beautiful Rooms

This edition was first published in January and is a calming set of mostly monochrome rooms. I hope you will enjoy revisiting it and seeing if there is any more inspiration to be gained. I’m already looking at the pendant light in the first picture and thinking how great it looks over the table even though it’s not in the middle of the room – that is if you dropped in other day when we were discussing overhead lighting.

Welcome to the first 10 Beautiful Rooms of the holiday and I hope it finds you well. Fancy a little peace and quiet and five minutes to yourself. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and let’s have a wander round shall we.

First up is this dark kitchen. This is the year of the dark kitchen. I’m not sure dark will ever overtake white but it’s definitely going to give it a run for its money. Whether you choose black, navy or green, this is the year to embrace something a little more bold. Remember you can always lighten the overall effect with pale floors and tables.

Look also at the huge pendant light. This year, if you’re redoing your kitchen, instead of choosing three pendant lights to hang low over the island (everyone has those) consider instead picking one huge one to really make a statement. This one is like a huge hat but the wire structure allows the light to escape so it’s practical as well as dramatic.

Another dark kitchen and yes there are two pendant lights but they are brass and, rather than the cliché of the exposed bulb – which is definitely on the way out by the way – they are more elegant and refined bring a sense of glamour to the space. This is definitely a tip for 2018 – glamour and luxe and generally creating a feeling of fabulousness at home.

Sticking with dark cabinets, what do you think of this bathroom? Patterned tiles are only just getting started (although I have been banging on about them for ages) and they work really well to soften the dramatic black and white colour scheme in this room.

She has used the same trick here; mixing circles and lines but sticking to a monochrome palette and using wood to soften it all. This is a great basis for a scheme as you could totally refresh by adding a green table or changing the lampshades for pink or orange. If you’re stuck for a colour scheme then always consider black/charcoal and white/ivory with natural wood for starters. You can any colour of the rainbow to that and it will work. You can also mix patterns when you stick to only two colours without going wrong.

A final image from Sita (and you can – and should – follow her on instagram here) and she has used the same trick in this living room. A black and white base into which she has mixed warm leather chairs, green cushions and plants and mixed up the patterns – stripes and the Persian style rug. I look at this and wish I was disciplined enough to pull it off. I would always add more colour or darker walls but it’s a great look.

And here’s another black and white bathroom with patterned floor tiles and softening wood. Keep the walls as classic metro tiles and you won’t go wrong with a scheme like this. If you get bored you can paint the bath in any colour you like to ring the changes.

This interiors scheme by the Smith Hanes studio shows what they have called a soft industrial look. That is a little more refined that the battered look you sometimes get with this style. Great craftsmanship and luxury items (that might be a wolff cooker in the background) combine to bring a more grown-up feel to the industrial style.

Finally, a couple of images to show you how to ring the changes to a monochrome scheme as mentioned above. Below the owner of this Somerset house has introduced an emerald green sofa to the room which warms up the grey walls perfectly. The cover, which looks like it can be easily changed, could be swapped for any colour you like and the room would still look fabulous.

Finally this room below which has incorporated touches of pink, which could just as well be green or, this year’s hot colour teal. So find your starting point – neutral and build up from there.

So there you have it – 10 Beautiful Rooms, I hope you have enjoyed them. Now back to work for a bit….