Modernising a Classic: How to Refresh a 2014 Design with Today's Trends

This photo is from an interior design project I worked on in 2014. It was back when I was a design assistant on BBC’s DIY SOS, and new to working in the interior design world. The interiors were designed by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen and this was one of my favourite rooms in the house.

This photo is now 10 years old and you can’t buy any of the items in the photo any more. It got me thinking about how to revamp this design to fit with today’s trends whilst also keeping the original style. So let me walk you through my process:

1.     What are the main features in the room that need to stay?

The most striking things in the design are the deco-style wallpaper, the bird shelving, the painted ceiling, and the metal frame bed. If I wanted to recreate anything close to this room, these items needed to stay as close to the same as possible.

2. How to find new items that are a good replacement to these main features?

For this, I analysed each of the main items in the room, looking at their colour, shape and style. I tried to match at least two out of these three things when finding a more modern replacement, for example the wallpaper I found has the same style and colour, however, the shape of the pattern is different.

The Wallpaper:

Original wallpaper

new wallpaper

The Bed:

The metal bedframe in the original interior scheme was in bronze. I’ve found an alternative in a similar shape and style, but struggled to find a bronze finish. This makes me think that really this bronze colour is no longer on trend and I went with a black finish which is much more widely available.

The Colour:

The main colour in the room was mint green and it was on the ceiling and the bedside tables. The base of the tables had a curved edge, which is quite late 90s/ 00s in style. Needless to say, I can’t find a very good match. When looking for mint green side tables I came across these beauties from Dunelm with a scallop edge at the base. This feels like style upgrade for both the shape and the colour or the tables. This sage green colour has been popular in the last few years with Benjamin Moore choosing sage green as their colour of the year in 2022.

The Bird Shelves:

I’m pretty sure that the bird shelf in the photo was from Homesense. If you haven’t discovered Homesense yet, you are in for a treat. It is the home décor branch of TK Maxx, think discount prices on branded items and one of a kind items. I think the shelves were unfortunately a one of a kind item. Anyway, I also think that the original shelves in the photo are probably a bit outdated with the industrial sides etc and a revamp is a good idea. The ones I have selected have much cleaner lines and are more like a piece of line art. It’s contemporary and still has the bird shape, so ties in with the previous scheme.

The other items, like the accent colour, the artwork and the cushions don’t really affect the style of the room, so long as the main items are well selected. I chose to change up these items to make the room feel a bit fresher. 

This is the final updated design:

Shopping List:

Bed - Selkirk Solo in Black - Original Bed Company - Link

Carpet - Oatflake Fair Isle Wool Carpet - Knotistry - Link

Chest of Drawers - Remi 5 Drawer Chest in Lilypad - Dunelm - Link

Bedside Table - Remi 1 Drawers Bedside Table in Lilypad - Dunelm - Link

Wallpaper - Deco Arches - Wallpaper Direct - Link

Bird Shelves - Rustic Chic: Pair of Bird Outline Wall Shelves - Stone the Crows - Link

Art - Sage Green Wall Art - Etsy - Link

Neutral Cushions - Large Plain Velvet Cushion Cover in Porridge - Oka - Link

Green Cushions - Ladwell Sage Green Cushion Cover - Dunelm - Link

Throw - Malini Serena Blanket Jade - Olivia’s - Link

Lamp - Copita Metal Table Lamp - La Redoute - Link

Boxes - Faux Ivory Shagreen Leather Boxes - Etsy - Link

Candle - Ritual of Jing Scented Candle - Rituals - Link

Stephanie Williams Designs provides online interior design services creating mood boards and shopping lists for any of your interior design projects. If you have a photo from Instagram or Pinterest of an interior design style that you love but you don’t know how to recreate it in your own house contact Stephanie here.

How To Revamp Your Patio Area Whilst In Lockdown

With the whole nation being told to stay at home, people are taking advantage of their gardens more than ever. From a glance at social media, it is clear that many have taken up gardening and are finally getting around to those odd jobs in the back yard that they had been avoiding.

One often forgotten area of the garden is the patio. For us Brits, it only gets used for a few months of the year, this forgotten space that is part of the garden yet also an extension of your house. It’s an area that is often devoid of any design as it isn’t part of the landscape designer’s remit nor an interior designer’s scheme. Hence it often ends up as a decked space with some garden furniture, with little consideration into its design.

Image From: Livvy Land

As everyone is using their patio space more than usual, I thought it would be great to look at how you could revamp it. We want our patio areas to be comfortable, cosy and inviting - the same as we want our homes to be. So here are a few ideas:

Colour and Style:

Start of by choosing a style and a colour that you like. If you are worried that your patio space will look out of place in your property then get inspired by what’s already there. You could use a colour taken from the flowers or trees in your garden or be inspired by the style and colour in your house. If your dining space opens up into your patio, include that colour in your patio space so you can create a seamless design inside your home and out. 

Image From: House Beautiful

Soft Furnishings:

Soft furnishings are the prefect way to bring some colour and style into your patio area. There are loads of outdoor cushions available to make your seating as comfortable and colourful as you require. It’s best to have one main colour and then a couple of accent colours, for example, adding black & white patterns and mustard can add some interest and vibrancy to the grey cushions that came with your garden furniture set. 

Image From: Argos

There are also some amazing outdoor rugs that you can buy to bring some colour into your patio which would also serve to create a more domestic look by bringing the inside out to your garden. These outdoor rugs are made from woven plastic, so they won’t get ruined if it rains and they are also super lightweight making them easy to pack away. 

Another key piece of soft furnishing for the garden is the blanket - perfect for wrapping up in whilst you cuddle up with your family in the evenings with your hot chocolate around the fire pit or even in the morning with your cup of coffee and newspaper (although, realistically, this is probably an app on your phone).

Image From: Style By Emily Henderson

Lighting:

Lighting can bring a calming ambiance to your garden in the evenings. Festoon lighting is a really exciting way to light up your patio space by either creating a canopy above the dining space or hanging it around your garden fencing. This means you can evenly disperse the light and make the patio space much brighter in the evenings.

Another way to light your patio space is with candles in jars (so that they don’t blow out). There different styles of jar you can use for the candles, a hurricane lantern being quite a classic design or you could even reuse a jam jar if you are going to go for that quintessentially English look.

Image From: Crazy Chic Design

Shelter:

By creating some sort of canopy above your patio it will feel more enclosed and therefore cosier. As previously mentioned, the idea of festoon lighting is one possibility but you could also create a covering with a parasol, a sail shade (like the one in the photo below) or, if you like a bit of DIY, you could build yourself a pergola. There are many different colours and styles of parasol and shade sails so you can again bring some colour to your patio space.

Image From: Pinterest

Potted Plants:

If a patio space was to have no furniture in it then it would literally just be a blank space with some flat paving. By adding some potted plants you can bring some of the greenery from your garden to the patio space. It’s also worth considering the shape and colour of the pots that you use so they can tie in with your patio furnishings. If you decide to incorporate the colours from your house, this will help your patio create a perfect blend of your garden and your home. Try arranging your pots and planters in groups of threes or fives for a more sophisticated look that will give shape to the space and avoid too much linear progression. 

Image From: Stephanie Williams Designs

Photography By: Impact Photography

By thinking about the colours and style you like and adding a few domestic items into your patio space you can make an entirely new cosy place to sit out in both in the daytime and in the evenings. Enjoy!