Interior designer Kelly Hoppen, MBE, has teamed with the UK’s number one appliance brand Hotpoint, to launch a campaign to give you confidence when it comes to interior design in your home, starting with the kitchen.
Hotpoint’s research has found that as a nation we aren’t very confident in our own interior design skills – but we wish that our homes could be more stylish.
Kelly says ‘My kitchen is the heart of my home – my dining room is virtually redundant now as I entertain all of my friends and family in my kitchen. I want to show that creating a lovely, stylish kitchen needn’t be daunting, or expensive. That’s why I’ve teamed up with Hotpoint, to help create some Hot Style in kitchens throughout the UK!’
Hotpoint’s research has found that:
- 37% of people questioned lack confidence when it comes to interior design.
- 36.7% of people like their home but don’t feel it’s stylish enough.
- The dining room has become the most redundant room in the house, with only 5% people saying they spend time in theirs.
- The kitchen is becoming the new heart of the home with over 25% saying they spend most time in theirs.
- 12.6% of people are so embarrassed by the condition of their home that they don’t invite people in.
- 26.5% of people say that the economic climate has prevented them from making the improvements their home needs with over 15% not moving because of the downturn.
Interior design needn’t cost a fortune; Kelly has teamed up with Hotpoint to give you some simple and inexpensive interior ideas. Here are Kelly’s top tips to help make the kitchen the stylish hub of your home:
Kelly’s Tips For Hot Style in your kitchen
Wonderful walls
Use your walls to create surprises – build excitement with over-scaled images or unexpected accent colours. Something lots of people forget is to hang art at the right height – people often hang their pictures too high. You should be able to look at a painting without titling your head upwards.
Remember that whatever colour or texture is chosen for the walls, the ceiling must blend with it. If you use paint on walls, use the same colour on the woodwork and ceiling – it’s like wearing black tights and black shoes with a black dress.
Set the mood
Understanding how to create and set the mood is key to adding the finishing touches to your kitchen. For example, invest in some fake flowers, rather than having to refresh them every week, which can be expensive, and put in a vase with added stones or compost at the bottom to create depth and a sense of fertility in your kitchen.
De-clutter
Nowadays, the kitchen is often the main family living space, so you need to make the space accessible and ensure all the elements in it are practical. Be disciplined about not cluttering the kitchen with items you are unlikely to use; remember that you need a space that not only looks great but that is easy to maintain.
Don’t forget internal storage solutions as these will allow you to maximise your kitchen and reduce clutter and the amount of ‘dead space’. Magnet has some clever units that not only enable you to fit more in, but help to create a sense of space which can often make your kitchen look considerably larger.
Quick and easy upgrades
You don’t have to change your whole kitchen to update it. A money saving tip is save on kitchen units by only changing the doors and upgrade the whole look with a freestanding Fridge Freezer. Hotpoint’s Quadrio is great for making a statement in your kitchen and I love the unique double doors.
Secret space saver
If space is limited but you’d love all the benefits of a double oven, the Hotpoint Openspace is the one for you. I believe that kitchen products should really work for you and this oven is great – it has 20% more space than a traditional single oven, but still fits in the same space. Plus, it has four different cooking modes, one even uses an insulating divider to create two separate cooking spaces so it’s really flexible and it also looks really stylish too.
Creating a modern look
If you want to go for a really modern look without having to change your whole kitchen, then Hotpoint’s Black Gloss range of appliances is the perfect choice. This collection of sexy, stylish, products, includes fridge freezers, washing machines, dishwashers and many more to instantly update any kitchen.
Personal inspiration
My key tip in interior design is to not be afraid about thinking “outside the box”. Look around you for inspiration; for example, I often visit our local fruit and vegetable market for great table centre pieces and arrangements. Everything from polished red applies, oranges, aubergines and artichokes make great props – and you can eat them when you’re finished with them. Or try white rope in oversized brandy glasses to create impact and fill empty kitchen shelves.
Fill your kitchen with furniture that is special and unique to you and don’t be afraid of reflecting your family’s personality throughout your kitchen. This will help to build a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in your kitchen and show it off as the heart of your home.
Sleek and stylish products
Sleek and stylish products in the kitchen always impress and Hotpoint has a gorgeous range of built-in products that I love. The Hotpoint coffee maker, for example, is gorgeous and adds a great finishing touch to your kitchen – a must for coffee lovers!
Be different
Something I’m always telling my clients is to not be afraid to be “different”. Hotpoint has some really cool fridge drawers which are a great alternative to a ‘normal’ freestanding fridge freezer and give your kitchen a contemporary, stylish feel.
Lighting
As a general rule, plan for far more lighting than you think you will need. The more lighting you have, the more choices you have about creating mood within a room, whether it’s a romantic dinner for two, or an informal dinner party with friends. This can be done simply and inexpensively using freestanding lights, table lamps and, of course, candles.
For more styling tips and information on how to make your kitchen the stylish hub of your home visit www.hotpoint.co.uk/hotstyle and be in with a chance of winning a £10,000 kitchen supplied by Magnet plus a collection of stylish Hotpoint appliances!