From Muddled to Minimal To turn a slightly muddled and dated house in the Surrey countryside into a sleek and cosy family home. A rejigging of the layout and some minor extensions will make the space far more usable and attractive, as well as allowing the for the stunning views and gardens to be incorporated […]
Farrow and Ball’s colours are always and inspiration, especially Railings. This is a colour we continue to come back to year after year. It has a classic feel to it and complements so many tones. We have used it in everything from dark corridors, to bespoke furniture to the insides of drawer boxes. Everytime we […]
Our Latest Brief and Scope: Family Fun Whilst the majority of our projects are London based, we do, on occasion, branch out either overseas or buying the M25. Our newest client has just purchased a large family home in Surrey and plans to turn it into a cosy haven for her twin boys and their […]
New build properties can feel stark and soulless. The shrinking room sizes and lack of period detailing make the area appear small and bland. The proportions and styling of many of today’s new build properties do not suit period or vintage furniture, in the way that say a Georgian living room looks fantastic with a large […]
After presenting a design to a client, there are often tweaks that need to be made. Here is the evolution of a small portion of a living room in a recent project of ours. The initial brief: To transform a new build 2 bedroom flat in Wimbledon into a contemporary, interesting, warm and characterful home. […]
Good design is effortless, it hides the bad or frustrating parts of a home and highlights the parts that you have fallen in love with. Most homes struggle with storage, even the largest home needs good storage. With these images we take you behind the design to the hidden parts of the image, the parts […]
There are 2 good investments I keep my eye out for. 1, short term, is to find the darkest period houses. The Georgian gems and Victorian terraces that give you eye strain almost the moment you enter. The other is long term: find nice country houses with stunning views blighted by power lines and towers. […]
We’re often asked about our design process, and how best to display and present your Interior Design to our clients. We’ve already blogged about why we don’t use 3D visualisations so let’s talk about what we actually do. Having spoken to the client and established what they need and want to get out of the process, […]
Ever since Pinterest and Instagram have burst onto the scene, people have been more brave and experimental when it comes to pattern and colour. Bold pallets have been introduced to even the most suburban homes, and sales of magnolia have plummeted. The next frontier – multicolour and blended tones. Ombre is building momentum in the industry […]
One of our current projects has a very exciting feature – a kitchen that blends seamlessly into the lounge. The client loved the large open space, but didn’t want to feel like they were sitting in or relaxing next to the kitchen. The first thing to do when integrating or disguising any object is to […]
Most people only think of hiring a residential interior designer when they buy or want to renovate, but it can be a really useful service for renters too. If you are being sent to, or coming back to the UK, Kia Designs can help, and we can even handle everything from this end so that […]
We’re often asked how we start a design. It’s a hard thing to answer as it’s really an intangible concept. After we’ve decided on the new layout, we start by asking the client a lot of questions, and getting a firm idea of what they don’t like and what they gravitate towards, as well as […]
We recently had a brief for a client who seldom cooked, and had no interest in the kitchen. The property is also a 2nd home, rarely used. The problem was we were planing on changing the layout of her property, from a 2 bedroom to a 3 bedroom and required the room currently housing the […]
Completely restyling your home can be daunting if you’re just unhappy with its current state but haven’t given much thought to how it should look. Lots of professions can be called upon for logistical help, or you might have clearer ideas on how you use the property and what doesn’t work, but don’t know how do […]
When you live half way around the world it can be difficult creating the same homely feel to a property that you only visit 4 or 5 times a year. For our clients who live in Dubai but visit London often that challenge can be particularly difficult when you have become accustomed to a property […]