Kitchen interior: Moody luxe kitchen

It's the dramatic colour scheme that makes this kitchen so special.

Inspired by a swanky cocktail lounge look, the transformation began with new Shaker-style kitchen cabinetry in a warm black-brown finish. The large central island was topped with black granite with glimmering flecks of gold. A glass mosaic backsplash adds a shimmer all around the room, with a dark mosaic border in shades of aubergine that inspired the dramatic deep purple ceiling. On one of the walls, rather than cram in more cabinetry.

Key elements in this kitchen include:

• Black-brown Shaker-style cabinetry

• Nickel-plated knobs and pulls

• Glass mosaic backsplash in two colours

• Black granite countertops

• Glass and crystal pendant lights

Kitchen cabinetry

Despite the room’s awkward layout, lots of storage was squeezed in thanks to floor-to-ceiling cabinetry. On this pantry wall, the cabinets were adjusted to fit perfectly flush with the French door-style refrigerator.

Kitchen island

A pair of glam pendant lights over the kitchen island has plenty of presence and, when combined with the purple ceiling, lends the space a moody lounge vibe. The massive island houses several drawers for pots and pans and a sleek wine fridge, which is super-convenient for hosting dinner parties.

Kitchen cabinetry
Warm black-brown cabinetry and shimmering glass mosaic tiles create an effect reminiscent of an evening gown and jewellery. The integrated dishwasher lends a continuous feel.

Tying in the space
The six-burner gas range makes cooking for a crowd a breeze. The two-tone glass mosaic backsplash ties in the purple ceiling and brings some dimension to the overall space.

Sleek bar
This sleek at-home bar was cleverly created with glass-front upper cabinets and polished aluminum legs to make it look like a piece of furniture. The subtle leopard pattern on the Roman blind is a cheeky nod to the homeowner’s love of all things animal print.

Top kitchen design tips

1 Embrace your space’s awkward features and make them the highlight of your design instead.

2 Don’t be afraid to really let your personality shine when deciding on a look.

3 Give big box store cabinetry a customized feel by taking it floor to ceiling and adding crown moulding to the tops.

4 Use cabinetry to create stand-alone furniture pieces.

5 Select the same tile in two different colours for your backsplash – one as your main and the other as an accent feature.

Interior: Tropical and preppy Miami guest house

A tropical motif and preppy palette make this Miami guest house feel more like a Palm Beach playhouse.

Palm-frond print
A Christopher Farr palm-frond print dominates this Miami guest house’s only bedroom. The headboard's silhouette references the 1930s, while the tailored bed skirt keeps the room rooted in its preppy present.

Guest house bedroom
In the bedroom, a whimsical pink lantern draws the eye up to the stepped-in ceiling. The bold pattern on the drapes, headboard and bedskirt is balanced by a strong dose of pink and neutralized by the white walls and bedding.

Guest bathroom
While the guest bathroom is often a decorator’s chance to experiment and go bold, designer Anne Hepfer kept this one neutral to contrast with the rest of the space. White walls and a marble countertop provide polish, while the weathered vanity with shuttered doors lends a beachy vibe.

Pineapple sconces
Pineapple sconces with scalloped candy-striped shades in the bathroom reference the vibrant, preppy personality of the rest of the guest house.

Tuxedo sofa
To maximize sleeping space, Anne incorporated a twin mattress on the Billy Baldwin-style tuxedo sofa with a trundle underneath. She designed durable rugs made of finely woven plastic to visually break up the expanse of terracotta flooring and ease guests’ minds about getting the floors dirty.

Pink barrel-back chairs
Anne modelled the pink barrel-back chairs after ones she grew up seeing in her grandmother’s house in Florida. “When you swivel in the chairs, the trim at the bottom swings,” she says. “These little details are like the icing on the cake or the cherry on top of the sundae – they make a guest feel special.”

A piece of art 
A Lilly Pulitzer bike with pink-rimmed tires becomes a piece of art when displayed in the living room.

Beachy Miami theme
Every element, from the coffee table books to the starfish, reiterates the beachy Miami theme, making the well-appointed guest house feel nicer than a luxury hotel suite.

Kitchenette
Anne’s fearless use of colour flows right into the kitchenette, where she used kelly green lacquer and pink swirl ceramic knobs on the kitchen cabinetry for extra impact. It’s an inviting nook for guests to help themselves to snacks and refreshments.

Interior: Nautical-style waterfront cottage

Inspired by the sea, sand and sky, Style at Home's design editor, Jessica Waks, transforms a tired cottage into a delightful retreat.

Beachy inspiration

The cottage’s design was inspired by its picturesque beachy setting.

The great room

Walking in, the biggest question was how to place the furniture in this huge, hexagonal great room,” says Style at Home design editor Jessica Waks. She created two separate conversation areas around matching rugs, with a Shaker-style coffee table centred under a custom iron chandelier for the main one. The result is both beautifully symmetrical and relaxed.

Beautifully symmetrical

Sheer drapery panels soften the great room’s hard angles, while a careful mix of painted-wood furniture (in both black and white), solid and patterned upholstery and sculptural pieces, like the spool armchairs, keeps the eye moving around the room.

Family room

Jessica chose to leave the family room’s wooden trim and wainscotting exposed to create a rustic look. Woven textures, painted-wood furniture and a pair of patterned swivel chairs keep the space from feeling too heavy.

Seaside aesthetic

The family room is a study in crisp contrasts, from the blue grosgrain trim on the Roman shades to the contrast piping on the wingback chair, which is upholstered in indoor-outdoor fabric for maximum durability. Natural touches like the woven side table and tray play up the seaside aesthetic.

Kitchen design

To keep reno costs down, Jessica kept the kitchen’s existing footprint intact, bringing in beadboard cabinet fronts and honed granite countertops.

Spacious dining room

Open to the adjacent kitchen, the spacious dining room seats 10 to 12 people. Classic Windsor dining chairs allow for elbow room around the 10-foot-long table. The blue and white tablescape lends a summer-fresh feel.

Custom corner hutch

The homeowners kept the custom corner hutch in the kitchen from the previous owners and painted it black to showcase their collection of white dishes.

Powder room

The powder room wows with its blue and black wallpaper design, herringbone marble floors, statement pendant light and decorative trays mounted as art. The stool was an antiques store find.

Outdoor terrace

On the terrace, grey-washed teak furniture blends in with the home’s grey exterior and weathered pavers, while blue and white ikat toss cushions bring the indoor scheme outside for continuity.

Interior: Modern Minimalist Holiday Decor

Black, white and red all over - it’s the perfect colour combination to meet this family of five’s modern aesthetic and stress-free decorating needs.

Talk about chutzpah. Andrea Hunt must buy Windex in bulk. The marketing professional and her husband, who works in healthcare, live in a slick, art-filled white house full of windows with three boys under the age of eight. Yet, not only is the home warm and welcoming during Christmas – thanks to dark, Jacobean-stained hardwood floors and friendly hits of red – it’s also not a hands-off affair. 

“With three boys, how can it be?” says Andrea, who adds that the crisp colour palette and streamlined design scheme is great for a family. “Keeping it minimal helps maintain calmness, and open sightlines mean I can keep an eye on the boys. Living in colour feels chaotic.” This explains Andrea’s penchant for restrained holiday decorating: “I like just enough to signal festive,” she says, “but still feel minimal and clean.”

1. Red for the Holidays
"Red is iconic to the holidays – it’s a happy colour that especially works in an all-white decorscheme,” says Andrea. “You can make a lot of impact with a little red.” And during the action-packed holidays, when her boys are at their most boisterous (whose kids aren’t, really?), this busy mom appreciates all the decorating shortcuts she can get.

2.  Christmas Tree ornaments
Mostly decorated with pretty plastic ornaments, the Christmas tree can handle running children bumping into it, notes homeowner Andrea Hunt.

3. Simple Flourishes

Grey stockings, a rubyred wreath, fresh-cut amaryllis and a boxwood garland strike a quaint Christmas scene.

4. Holiday dining room decor
A controlled colour palette presents a dynamic picture in the dining room. Suiting the home’s streamlined look, the holiday tabletop is elegant and understated, achieved through glass candle holders and crystal wineglasses and restrained punches of red in the amaryllis, table runner and small tabletop accessories.

5. A festive vignette
Sparkly silver pine cones and a branch of bright red holly berries transform the living room coffee table into a festive vignette in a jiffy.

8 sunroom decorating ideas

1 Daybed
A sofa simply won’t do when you’re decorating a sunroom. Take relaxation to the next level with a daybed like this one from West Elm, which provides the option of extra seating or the perfect place for an afternoon nap.

2 Pouf
Sometimes there’s nothing more relaxing than flopping down onto a giant pillow (or three!). A few poufs scattered across the floor work great as extra lounging options in a sunroom.

3 Wicker furniture
Bring the outdoor look inside with light, summer furniture. This wicker chair from Pottery Barn is sturdy and weather resistant so you can use as extra patio seating, but is stylish enough to be used inside without anyone knowing the difference.

4 White pillows
Load up the daybed or sofa with contrasting white, cream and flax throw pillows. These ones from Crate and Barrel have a cosy knit linen on one side, adding texture to a space and a little bit of softness.

5 Sheers
The basic idea of a sunroom is to let the warm sun shine through, but you’ll want window coverings for privacy at nighttime. Opt for roller shades or some light sheers like these that add a punch of pattern with metallic dots. 

6 Magazine rack
There’s nothing like lazily flipping through a magazine in the summer sun to make you feel totally relaxed. Keep your favourite glossies close at hand with a magazine rack or bag, like this braided grass one. 

7 White paint
Let the summer sunlight bounce off the walls with a white paint scheme. Restoration Hardware packages the perfect palette of pale neutrals for your sunroom walls, door and trim.

8 Fresh flowersRecreate a sunny garden space in your home with fresh florals. Whether picked from the garden or bought from the florist, a few flower arrangements throughout add the perfect finishing touch to your perfectly decorated sunroom.

Design Lesson: Playing with pattern

How to use pattern in a small space without being overwhelmed

Drapery, cushions, upholstery and bedding -- we surround ourselves with fabric. It's how we soften the hard edges of the world. Although the textures and patterns you choose depend on personal taste, awareness of their impact allows you to make selections that will contribute to overall harmony. That's especially important in small spaces, where an abundance of pattern contributes to visual clutter. So, consider these strategies for incorporating pattern into your home.

How to choose pattern
Living room
To allow for visual breathing room, it's best to use simple designs and combine them with solid fabrics. Robust patterns can be distracting, shifting attention from focal points, and creating a confusing backdrop for works of art.

Dining room 
Frequently more dramatic than other public rooms, this room is used mostly in the evening. For that reason, it's perfectly warranted to choose bolder patterns. In addition, patterned upholstery and carpets are highly practical. 

Kitchen 
In the kitchen, where most of the available wall space is devoted to cabinetry, pattern can be a welcome relief. A pictorial wallpaper or scenic drapery fabric can create interest and set the tone for other decorating in the room. 

Bedroom 
The pattern you pick is dictated by the mood you want to create. If the bedroom is used only at nighttime, consider a minimum of pattern in a restful palette. For those who use the room during the day, a more adventurous mix of pattern may appeal. 

Powder room 
The powder room provides a real opportunity to enjoy high-impact pattern, as it's a transitional space used for short periods of time. Choose a scenic or geometric design, classic floral or large abstract pattern, and use it abundantly.

Dos and Don'ts

DO evaluate the scale of furniture before choosing a pattern for upholstery. A dining room chair seat can't handle a large pattern. In contrast, a three-seater sofa doesn't suit a tiny motif. 

DO review the existing patterns in the room's background. For example, a herringbone floor adds energy, while a coffered ceiling brings order to a space. The crisp, heavy lines of shutters contrast with the minigrid of a mosaic backsplash. These architectural cues may influence the selection of other patterns. 

DO combine patterns that share a similar feeling or expression. For example, an exotic paisley blends easily with florals or stripes if they have an exotic feel as well. Formal damask works with shimmering silk, but may clash with rugged leather.

DO use vertical stripes, like those provided by floor-to-ceiling wallpaper or drapes, to emphasize the height of a room. To accentuate a room's width, opt for horizontal stripes, using wallpaper or artwork hung in a row as a frieze. 

DON'T ignore the rug, since it's one of the most influential patterns in any room. Because it's a major purchase, many designers begin with it when building a design scheme. 

DON'T use more than one large-scale design in a small interior, as it can overwhelm. However, you can use several small or medium patterns if they are varied in scale. Layering patterns lends a sense of depth, vital to a small room. 

DON'T overdo vivid pattern in small spaces. Remember, a fabric with pattern has more visual weight than a solid one.To include a variety of patterns, stick to a colour palette with tone-on-tone or two-tone fabrics.