DOS & DON’TS OF DECORATING Kit Kemp shares her design ideas

KIT KEMP IS RENOWNED FOR HER UNIQUE TALENT FOR DESIGN. HERE SHE SHARES WITH US SOME OF HER MANY CLEVER IDEAS FOR TRANSFORMING A ROOM

USING PAINT

DO…

...consider how you want to feel in each space – a restful scheme in the bedroom maybe or something more punchy in the living room.

…look at the light. Your favourite colour might not work in your room due to the aspect, so sample your colour throughout the day.

…add fun accents – we love to surprise our guests with shocking yellow or red here and there.

DON’T…

…be afraid to be bold. We love colour and specialist effects, such as ‘strié’ or dragging.

…forget to sample. Test your paint on an A5-sized piece of card or wood, not directly on the wall.

…neglect the ceiling. A coloured ceiling is a perfect example of how to draw the eye up and add height to a space.

USING DADOS

DO…

…combine plains and patterns as in the Araminta Room at The Whitby Hotel in New York (above).

…consider the room’s proportions. The height for a dado should be around 1–1.2m from the floor. Generally, the higher the ceiling, the higher the position of the dado.

…coordinate the dado with skirting and cornicing for a seamless finish – like it’s always been there!

DON’T…

…overlook your walls’ potential – adding dados means you can have a lot of fun with textures.

…worry if there is no existing dado – make your own with a strip of shaped wood, a wide trimming or even a strip of wallpaper.

…think dados are dated – they are an extra opportunity to add additional interest to your walls.

USING STRIPES

DO…

…use stripes in different directions as in the Lyric Room at Covent Garden Hotel (above).

…use stripes as a spatial tool – they are a fantastic way to add texture, movement and height to a space, especially where the designs run vertically.

…mix your stripes. You can be playful – try using the same stripe in different widths, say.

DON’T…

…think stripes are old-hat – new stripes are launched every season.

…treat stripes as just straight lines. They come in all shapes and sizes – hand-drawn, woven, dyed, printed, made of patterns, flowers…

…just use stripes on walls – there are many ways to use them in a room, such as upholstery fabrics, on floors and even on ceilings.