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INTERIOR DESIGN Guru Kelly Hoppen knows how to create luxurious living spaces.
The former Dragons’ Den star has collaborated with celebrities including the Beckhams and designed glamorous interiors for hotels and superyachts.
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But she also loves a bargain and says there are ways to make your space more luxurious without spending a lot of money.
This will undoubtedly sound like music to the ears of the one in three homeowners who are planning to renovate their interior this year.
“Luxury is not about how much you spend, it’s about how you feel,” she says.
“It can be very easy and affordable to add a touch of luxury and comfort to your home. It’s all about finding different ways of looking at things.”
READ MORE ABOUT BUDGET MAKEOVERS
Here Kelly shows Emma Lazenby her brilliant tricks for making your pillow softer.
- From September 12, the new exclusive home collection from Marks & Spencer x Kelly Hoppen will be available in stores and online at marksandspencer.com.
Love for layering
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Rugs are a great place to start if you want to quickly transform a space. A great way to have fun with them and add texture is to layer two on top of each other too.
You may already have rugs that are too big or too small, but by layering them you can make even more use of them.
When I was styling Boy George’s house, I placed two rugs on top of each other, slightly to the right, and it immediately gave an eclectic vibe.
People sometimes panic when it comes to rugs, but by layering them you can easily customize them to fit your space.
Be smart with pillows
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CUSHIONS are great when positioned correctly. It is common for people to place them across the back of the sofa – left, right and in the middle.
But one of the ways I’ve used pillows in my new home is by placing them against the side of each arm of the couch. It creates a completely different look.
It is also quite Nice as an armrest when you sit down.
I tried putting a smaller, flatter pillow in a different color on top of a larger pillow. That works really well too.
Turn books into art
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BOOKSHELVES and bookcases can be organized in a fun way by turning the books you don’t really need or don’t want to look at (we all have those) around so that you see the paper and not the spine.
Then you can stack them at different heights and place accessories on top, creating a space that looks really artistic.
And if you have, for example, ten random books that happen to be the same color, you can turn them over so that the spines are facing each other, stack them horizontally on top of each other, and place them between the stacks with the paper sides facing each other.
Get a wonderwall
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IF you are renting a house and you can’t paint or wallpaper the walls, or you don’t want to commit to something permanent, buy a large sheet of MDF, wallpaper it and place it against a wall.
This doesn’t have to be the entire wall, but you can place it in the middle and push it against the wall with your chair or couch to keep it in place.
You will then get a completely new background with a different texture.
You can move it to another room if you want, or even paint it a different color as the seasons change.
Mix it with marble
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THERE are some fantastic tiles available at the moment and you can buy cheap offcuts of marble which are ideal for both kitchen and bathroom splashbacks.
My main tip is to combine marble with matte tiles, so you can play more with patterns.
Just make sure you keep the same color tone.
Make a splash
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WHEN you move into a new home, it is often the kitchen that feels a little dirty, with dated walls and tiles.
A very good and easy way to freshen up the space is to install a metal splashback above the oven.
They are available in stainless steel or even bronze.
They are easy to keep clean, provide a different texture and reflect light in the kitchen.
Stack it up
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ANOTHER trick with books is to stack them on the floor against a wall. If you are like me and have a lot of books but not many bookcases, you can stack them neatly, with the larger books on the bottom and the smaller books on top.
I have put books of the same color together and every now and then I put a small statue on top. That gives an artistic effect.
The large ceramic vase from my new M&S home design range (£29.50) would fit perfectly here.
This is also a really cool way to make a small table next to a chair or sofa if you can’t afford a new piece of furniture. Just put a bowl or something on it and it looks really cute.
Make it cozy with plaids
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IF you invest in one thing for fall and winter, buy a throw. It’s the easiest way to make your home really cozy.
Place throws on the edges of your couches and chairs and your space will instantly feel more comfortable.
And they don’t have to break the bank. I love the neutral throws in my M&S range (£35). They feel so luxurious.
Increase the power of your lights
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LIGHTING “UP” from a standing lamp behind a chair or a plant adds a cozy atmosphere to any room.
It’s a great way to subtly diffuse light into a room.
Lighting is incredibly important in the home and it’s good to think about it in layers: low, medium and high lights.
Table lamps and ceiling lights give you “low” and “medium” light, while floor lamps cast “high” light towards the ceiling, which is important in the darker months.
Combine your styles
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I LOVE to mix traditional with modern. It’s very fashionable at the moment.
Never throw away old furniture that may have sentimental value.
Whether it’s a chair or table you inherited, or an old leather couch your partner brought into the relationship, don’t ignore these pieces—and don’t get divorced over them.
You can make them fit into your environment by making small adjustments, such as adding a nice blanket or a few pillows.
Dare to be dark
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IF you have chosen a color for your walls, choose a different shade for your skirting boards and doors.
This is called tonal painting and can be much more fun than opting for white on your woodwork.
Whether you chose gray, pink or green, just find other shades of that paint that blend into each other.
Let there be light
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IF your bed is right next to a wall, you can hang a mirror there. This will reflect the rest of the room and make it seem wider. Plus, it will give you something else to look at.
Hanging a mirror on the wall directly opposite a window creates a lot of light. This is always a good tip for smaller, darker rooms.
