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.

Timeless Interiors: The Shaker Kitchen

Designing something to be timeless is impressive and incredibly difficult. Think of a Chesterfield sofa or a Volkswagen Beetle or even a Rolex watch - these items are all considered classics. They were fashionable in their day and still fashionable now. It is difficult for them to be out of place. Were they designed to be timeless? Probably not, but they have managed to all age well over time. 

There’s an argument to be made that in the world of interior design, the equivalent to these timeless classics is the Shaker Kitchen. It is a design favourite and it seems incredible that we are still installing this 18th century style of kitchen 300 years later. The original designer of the shaker kitchen definitely wasn’t designing it to be timeless, in fact it was designed to be purely functional.

Image from: Howdens

I love history, so let me nerd out on you for a paragraph or two. The original designers of the Shaker Kitchens were part of a denomination of the Quaker religion, known as the Shakers due to their shaking and dancing during their meetings. As part of their religious beliefs they lived a self sufficient lifestyle in closed communities, dotted throughout America. The Shakers produced all of their own furniture using local materials and even made the equipment to help them, for example they invented the circular saw, the flat broom, tongue and groove boards and even the apple corer.  

Their furniture and kitchens were designed to be simple, durable and functional, reflecting their way of life. The beauty of their furniture was in its honesty with the exposed timber that it was made from and the exposed joints. The furniture was eventually mass produced and was sold around the world becoming a firm favourite in many households. 

How could this simple and insular closed community create such an impact on our kitchens today? The Shakers were only designing kitchens and other pieces of furniture for their community to use, so they could never have envisioned that we would still be installing their kitchens into the next millennium. What is it that makes them so timeless?

Image from: Pinterest

1. Makes You Feel At Home

When choosing a kitchen, people are often keen for it to feel homely and cosy. They want a room where people feel welcome and at ease. The shaker kitchen is traditional, easily recognisable and familiar, which increases the sense of security one wants when they are at home.

The shaker style exposes its functionality, you can see the handles and the joints connecting the timber. Nothing is concealed as it would be in a handleless kitchen, so you immediately know how to navigate yourself around it.

Image from: Charlie Coull Design

2. Adaptable

The timber kitchen can be altered to fit into almost any style or shape of room. It can be painted easily and the handles of the cupboards and drawers can be changed into a different shape or style, or modelled from a different material.

The hinges can be made from different types of metal to fit into any design scheme, such as brass or copper. Also, although it may not line up with the original ethos of a shaker kitchen, the hinges can also be concealed to create a more contemporary look.

Image from: Devol Kitchens

The worktops on a shaker kitchen, like the units, were originally made from locally sourced timber. Today we have a variety of different materials that we can use to make worktops from, such as oak, laminate, granite or marble. By changing the worktop material it is possible to make the kitchen feel brighter or more lavish or even more simple depending on what style is desired.

Image from: Devol Kitchens

3. Economical

Today, we are concerned about the affect we are having on our planet. The simple, honest, self sufficient lifestyle of the Shakers is what we are striving for. Their ethical resourcing of local materials to build handmade kitchens designed to be functional and durable is perfectly in line with today's requirements. As the shaker kitchen is a classic design, it won’t go out of fashion. If elements of it do, it can be adapted, such as in the ways listed above, instead of having to replace the entire kitchen. 

The shaker kitchen is also really durable. Their iconic panels allow the timber to expand and contract without affecting the shape of the doors at different seasons.

Image from: Gabrielle Blackman

This shaker kitchen is a true example of timeless design. Even its original ethos has become a priority today. As with any classic of design, the shaker kitchen is a worthwhile investment.