When you’re on the list of the world’s most in-demand and top designers, you don’t really need an introduction, but I’ll still tell you a little about the inimitable Kelly Hoppen. Although all of the interiors created by this 58-year-old British woman are in subdued neutral tones, her style is always recognizable. It’s understated, self-contained, incredibly elegant yet captivating in its simplicity. Since the age of 16 she has designed eight books and worked with a multitude of celebrities from the Beckham family to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
I first read the book “The Golden Rules of Design. Kelly Hoppen Style” about 5 years ago, when I was just starting out in design. And the other day I wanted to reread it again and write out for myself useful recommendations, in fact, thanks to what this blog article appeared. I hope you will also find these 30 tips useful, because if you want to see your interior really stylish and cozy, it is a sin not to listen to the opinion of the expert of world renown (by the way, all the graphic material in this article – photos of Kelly Hoppen’s different projects).
ON TASTE
“The concept of style and taste is very relative. It’s not that some people have good taste and others don’t, it’s about what suits each individual person.”
ABOUT INSPIRATION
“Every day we are all influenced by the objects and sensations we see and perceive-the only difference is that I am more self-aware than others. I might see a starched white shirt and a woven patterned leather belt, and suddenly I want madly to design a room as starched and white as that shirt, where nothing would disturb that sense of starchy whiteness except a woven leather bed headboard. I might visit the powder room of some restaurant and feel a scent so memorable coming from some woman that it occupies my thoughts for a while and is reflected in my design. The fact is, this kind of environmental influence affects all of us. It’s just a matter of opening up not only our eyes, but also connecting the rest of our senses.”
ABOUT TRAVEL
“I try not to bring typical tourist souvenirs with me: there’s nothing more boring than watching airline passengers loading shelves overhead with the same mats, baskets and carved figurines.”
ABOUT COMBINING.
“I like to mix very expensive and very cheap materials – they only benefit from it.”
ABOUT ACCOUNTING
“The main problem is to determine the visual center of the room, the main place on which the eye concentrates. It can be furniture, a work of art, a large mirror or a special shape of a lamp. These are not just furnishings, these are items that are meant to be the most prominent accent in the interior.”
“In a small room, it’s sometimes fun to put something huge – like a floor-to-ceiling mirror or a very tall vase.”
ABOUT THE LIVING ROOM
“When furnishing a living room, try to avoid having all the pieces in it facing the TV. Furniture arranged in an L or U shape looks good and allows you to focus attention on the visual center of the room, like the fireplace.”
“A living room is a room where it’s important to have items that grab attention, whether it’s a clever arrangement of jewelry on a side table, cleverly organized shelves, or a collection of artwork.”
ABOUT THE KITCHEN
“If the kitchen area requires bright, direct lighting to make it comfortable to cook in, the dining area will require soft lighting that creates a certain atmosphere. I very often use separate bulbs in the kitchen and then place pendant lights very low above the table.”
ABOUT THE BATHROOM
“Since the bathroom is cluttered with hard, clean surfaces, you should try to soften its look somehow. One way would be lighting – use both direct bright light and dim light to set the mood.”
“You shouldn’t mix colors of plumbing products in the bathroom. For example, you just can’t install a white tub and a black sink.”
“Think of unusual uses for familiar things. The mirror, for example, is usually placed above the sink in one solid panel, but why not arrange it in sliced horizontal strips throughout the room?”