I’m an interior designer to the stars – the major decorating mistake you’re making that makes your home old-fashioned
WHEN it comes to interior design, colour is everything.
But according to celebrity interior designer Kelly Hoppen, it’s best to take a less is more approach.
She said her most frequent question is people asking her if they should paint their walls, skirting boards and doors the same colour, or different ones.
Her response is simply: “Always in the same colour.”
“It’s really old-fashioned to pick things out in white,” Hoppen explained.
“And especially in small spaces, if you painted all one colour – I’m not talking dark colours, I’m talking beautiful, neutral colours – it will give you the illusion of space, height and everything will flow.”
The South African-born, British designer believes too much colour in one space will be too much for your brain to take in and enjoy.
“Think about a corridor. Lots of doors, architraves, skirting boards,” she said.
“If you start picking those out in different colours, your brain is going to be going like this.
“You want to walk in and everything should feel seamless.
“And that’s why it should always be in the same colour.”
Hoppen’s celebrity clients include David and Victoria Beckham, actor Martin Shaw and singer Boy George.
She believes that homes should make the most of the natural light available to them, which neutral colours bounce off better.
Those not blessed with big windows can use lamps, chandeliers and candles to bounce light around a room.
Hoppen shared her one-colour theory on TikTok but it caused a bit of a stir.
“I’m an interior designer and I absolutely disagree,” one viewer responded.
“Imagine painting a whole room grey,” a second criticised. “It would be like living on a battleship.”
“I’ve painted everything blood red,” a third joked. “It looks like an abattoir.”
However, others loved the concept, with some even saying they’d tried it themselves and were thrilled with the results.
“Just redecorated everything in one colour, including the ceiling,” one woman beamed. “It’s spectacular.”