As Waterstone Homes launches its stunning new show home in Killay, Swansea, Claire Gillard and her team at Sunrise Interiors, the interior designers behind it, share their top tips on how to achieve a show house look at home
1. Grey is the new white
Grey has soared in popularity over recent years, shrugging off its previous reputation as dull and drab to become the go-to neutral shade for today’s interiors.
The great thing about grey is that it benefits from having a lot of versatility. Unlike white, which has just a few variations, there are many different shades of grey, from dark charcoals to pastels, meaning it can achieve a range of looks from bold and dramatic to serene and elegant.
It’s important to pick the right grey though. Cooler shades, like ice grey, can make a room look and feel cold. Using greys with warmer undertones, like earthy greys, and adding elements of warm wood will help to create a cosy and inviting space. In the Copper Beeches, Killay show home, we combined light linen grey walls with walnut parquet flooring to create a timeless, luxe look.
2. Don’t be afraid of colour
While grey is good to use as a base, being brave and adding elements of bold colours is what really brings a room together and gives it that luxurious ‘show house’ feel.
Whereas white can appear too bright and distracting alongside bold colours, and beige can be overwhelmed by them, grey provides a crisp backdrop for lively shades and helps them stand out even more.
Throughout the four-bedroom, luxury family show home, we paired neutrals with hints of burnt terracotta and aqua blue – a combination that is very on-trend at the moment.
In the living room, we chose a block wall of the burnt orange colour as Waterstone Homes rooms are so large and spacious, they can take strong, bold colours.
If you’re afraid of using too much colour, or have smaller rooms, you can have a neutral room and add blocks of colour using accessories such as patterned cushions on a plain sofa, a few key pieces such as glassware on your dining table, or having a painting that combines your chosen colours. Using fixtures and fittings is a really easy way to bring a room to life or update it to be more on-trend.
3. Make a feature in your kitchen
Opting for a mixture of finishes in a kitchen creates a more personalised look than a bank of wall-to-wall matching units.
Using a contrasting colour on an island – or with base cabinets different from wall cabinets – is a great way to introduce a more daring colour or texture without it overpowering the whole room. Having islands of a different colour also adds visual interest, breaking up the cabinetry and creating a focal point for the kitchen.
At Copper Beeches, we chose paler shades of grey for the main units, as these are chic and sophisticated, and contrasted this with a bold navy island to create impact.
The strength of the navy against the softness of the grey creates a nice balance and ensures the darker colour doesn’t dominate the room, while the white worktops provide a fresh, light feel.
If you don’t want to use a completely contrasting colour on your island or cabinets, try a darker shade of your main unit colour.
To add warmth, we included bright metallic accessories as you can see in the copper lighting and barstools. Incorporating pendant lights above the island also helps create a focal point for a room.
4. Go bold in your guest room
While you may be cautious of going too bold with the colour scheme in your master bedroom, a spare room provides the perfect opportunity to be more daring with colours and pattern.
Try painting a feature wall in an out-there colour or use a patterned wallpaper to inject some fun and life into the room. In Killay, we used an eye-catching orange geometric print behind the bed, paired with matching cushions and complimentary coloured accessories. Adding beautiful orange and teal boucle-weave cushions, in keeping with the overall colour scheme, helped tie the room in with the rest of the house.
We kept the other walls and floors neutral to create a balanced look and prevent the colour from being too overwhelming.
5. Play with textures
Using textures and patterns is a great way to add interest and create an up-market look.
Textured wallpaper is a favourite of ours and Waterstone Homes because of the way it reflects and interacts with light, creating a three-dimensional effect that brings the wall alive. In comparison, painting a wall the same colour would not have the same effect as it would absorb the light, resulting in a hard, flat colour.
If you don’t want to use wallpaper, you can achieve a similar look and feel with textured cushions and throws. One tip to create a luxurious hotel or show-home bedroom is to opt for an oversized statement headboard. You can use the headboard to add colour to a room without painting any walls, while upholstering it with fabrics like velvet creates a luxurious, expensive look.
6. Be playful with children’s designs
When it comes to children’s décor, it’s easy to go for the stereotypical pink or blue bedrooms, but there’s plenty of options available, so be brave and playful with your design choices.
Theming a room is a great way of creating a youthful yet stylish environment. There are many themes that are popular with children regardless of gender, including animals, forests and polka dots, while greys, pastels and monochrome are all good options colour-wise.
Try using a fun wallpaper, such as the polar print design, or a great simple alternative is wall stickers. A theme doesn’t need to be overpowering or costly – a few key accessories and bedding is all you really need.
7. Make your hallway stand out
As hallways tend to have less furniture in them, they provide the perfect spot to add interest through flooring.
Waterstone Homes likes us to use pattered tiles in their large hallways, and as hall flooring doesn’t need to match the rest of the house, you can go as wild as you want with the design.
Adding a large statement mirror helps to finish the room and create an impact as you open the door.
■ Copper Beeches in Killay, Swansea is a small exclusive development of nine, four-bedroom luxury family homes. The show home is open from Friday to Tuesday – 10am-5pm. For a private viewing please call 01656 644440 or visit waterstonehomes.com