EXPERT TIPS

Kelly shares her starting points to designing a great space…

1. BUDGET

From the very beginning, work out how much you’d like to spend and how much you realistically have to spend, then start from there. If it’s easier, assign different budgets to different areas of a room – for instance, one for furniture, one for accessories and one for art. 2. PLAN

Think of designing your home as organising an important day in your life, such as a wedding. People often underestimate the importance of the home; you have to live in it day in and day out, so you need to be 100% sure of your decisions in order to really enjoy the space once it’s complete. 3. FUNCTIONALITY

Think about the extended function of each room and incorporate this into your design. I’d always suggest looking at the big picture: your dining room is where you eat meals, but perhaps it doubles as a work space or area for your kids to do their homework; your kitchen is where you cook, but for many of us, it doubles as an entertaining area, too. Pinterest is amazing for ideas, both space saving and design savvy. 4. TIME

I often find people have gone into panic mode and feel they need to create their dream home in a short period of time – this is never the case! Take your time choosing what you love. I like to lay things out on mood boards; colours, textures, fabrics and magazine cut-outs. This helps me to learn to live with the features I’ve chosen before making them permanent within a room. 5. RESEARCH

From plumbers, plasterers and electricians, to painters and seamstresses, it’s vital you do research into finding the best and most reliable tradesmen to carry out the work. Talk to people about their own experiences. The internet is also a great tool to find reviews.

Meet Kelly Hoppen in person at our exclusive GH event on Tuesday 12 September. See page 130 for details.