Kelly Hoppen is the interior designer who pioneered the East-meets-West style creating calm, peaceful rooms where balance and elegance are key, writes Gabrielle Fagan.

A neutral colour palette – using shades such as taupe, dark, wengewood furniture, and skilful use of symmetry and scale have all become part of her trademark.
She reveals her own bang up-to-date approach in her beautifully illustrated book, Kelly Hoppen Style which features stunning rooms crucially designed for comfort as well as to impress.

In a reaction to the man-made and natural disasters in the world of the past four years, nowadays she believes: “People want to spend more time at home, and to turn those homes into cocoons of security and warmth.

“Clients are no longer demanding interiors built on the 'wow' factor - instead they are touching on different values, how they want to feel safe, comfortable, relaxed and happy.”

While her own design approach hasn’t fundamentally altered she does admit that: “I am using more colour and am bringing in a more eclectic feel to my interiors. How a room looks is important, but it must also reflect you and your family and be grounded in reality.

“The art of design now is about using space, light, colour and texture to engender good feelings. I’m convinced that a calm, quiet and harmonious interior can be as beneficial to health as a sensible diet and regular exercise."

DESIGNER SECRETS

STAR PIECES

“Star pieces act as the visual centre of a room, the place to which the eye is drawn. The star piece might be an item of furniture, an art work, a large mirror or a sculptural light fitting. They are not there to sit quietly, but to demand attention.”

They can be used in two ways: the first as a starting point to a room scheme. This usually happens when there is something you see and have to buy and then build the scheme around it because it is so special. Alternatively, a room scheme can sometimes be too perfect, and the star piece can shake up the whole scheme and add excitement.

LUXURY

“The fact is luxury is a word which needs redefining. Forget gold taps, acres of marble and wall-to-wall glitz. Now the quest is to find individual things - one-off pieces guarantee originality in a way that luxury brands, now available throughout the world, cannot. I love to mix the very cheapest things with the most luxurious.

“Luxury these days is actually about achieving a more chilled and tailored way of living, maybe with the most comfortable bed imaginable, a shower that pounds the muscles or an easy to live in kitchen, dining and living area combined.”

Her luxury materials: Tortoiseshell, silver, mother of pearl as well as linen, silk, cashmere and gloss paint and Perspex.

KELLY’S ROOMS

KITCHENS

She recommends the reverse side of granite for worktops with its more dull finish as an unusual but functional surface. She cautions against the overuse of stainless steel or aluminium which can appear cold and unwelcoming, and instead favours dark wood or white lacquer units, and concrete or glass worktops.

Consider a glass splashback lit from behind with fibre optics.

LIVING ROOMS

Draw up a floor plan so the space the furniture will take up can be estimated. Avoid having all seats facing the television. L-shaped or U-shaped arrangements work well and can lead the eye to a focal points such as a fireplace.

BEDROOMS

Kelly says: “Designing your bedroom gives you the perfect opportunity to express your personality, so don’t hold back.”

Symmetry and order for the placement of furniture is essential if you are to sleep well. Adjustable lighting is essential so you can easily alter the atmosphere. Make a statement with a dramatic oversized headboard.

KELLY’S TIPS

  • Before decorating a room, decide on the mood you would like to create and how you want it to feel – relaxed or energised, calmed or stimulated, extrovert or contemplative.
  • In a large room use large-scale objects that fill the space which will make it feel more intimate. In small rooms use a few over-scaled objects as they will trick the eye into believing the space is bigger than it is.
  • Use occasional or coffee tables as places to display favourite or precious objects on a tray. They will give a room personality and can be easily moved or changed.
  • Vases don’t need to be filled with flowers, instead use them to display shells, interesting stones, or group them for impact.