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Style your home for less

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GUILD’S LOOK: Wallpaper £13.98 per roll, B&Q; flooring £28.49 per square metre, Quick Step; bedstead from £475, Next; bedside tables £59.99 each, Dunelm Mill; bedcover fabric £28 per metre, Laura Ashley; Plain Square shade £3.99, from B&Q, trim £4.20 per metre, John Lewis

Thursday Feb 2 2012

Who says you can’t get high-end style on a high street budget? Kelly Hoppen, Nicky Haslam and Tricia Guild offer up advice for chic-but-cheap interiors to Gabrielle Fagan

We can all suffer 'room envy' at the sight of those glamorous settings in magazines or on television, but emulating their style in our homes seems ever more impossible in these cash-strapped times.

“We've all become so much more style-aware these days. There's just so much inspiration all around us, from gorgeous film and TV locations through to those boutique hotels,” says Isobel McKenzie-Price, editorial director of Ideal Home magazine.

“But just because money's a little tighter than before, it doesn't mean we're prepared to compromise when it comes to decorating our own homes.”

McKenzie-Price has interpreted the signature styles of interior designers Kelly Hoppen, Tricia Guild and Nicky Haslam in February's issue using affordable high street homeware and furnishings.

Together with some canny budget buys, she shows it's not difficult to create a room that won't just attract compliments but will also leave you feeling smug you haven't bust the budget.

So take lessons from the designers and transform your home.

FOR HOPPEN’S CHIC LOOK ...

Kelly Hoppen's style is a fusion of east and west, combining simplicity with sumptuous textures and luxe finishes, and a colour palette of taupes, beiges and creams with black as a grounding, defining colour.

Creating symmetry is key to her streamlined, structured style and it helps create a calm, ordered interior for a living space.

She advises positioning furniture to line up neatly around an existing feature, such as a fireplace or window.

“Sofas should face one another and armchairs should be at a 45-degree angle to sofas,” she says.

When adding shelves, pictures and smaller pieces of furniture, position them in exact symmetry with the larger pieces of furniture, Hoppen adds.

DESIGNER TIPS

Use the same paint colour on walls, woodwork and ceilings to create a seamless backdrop. Mix textures by teaming hard surfaces with soft fabrics, such as a lacquered table next to an upholstered sofa.

Accessorise boldly with oversized vases, big prints, huge arrangements of artificial flowers, and sculptural lighting.

LOVE THE LOOK

Start with taupe on all large areas, then add definition with lots of black, and finally lift the scheme with white accents. Paints such as Opulence emulsion paint, Dark Truffle, £21.98 for 2.5 litres from B&Q, and London Bridge, £19.50 for 2.5 litres from Graham & Brown would suit this look.

Make a statement with an L-shaped sofa, such as a Kivik sofa bed with footstool, from £904 from Ikea. Black and white accessories are essential: Spindle Table Lamp, £45, Tesco; Kelly Hoppen framed print, £64.50, and White Rose Cylinder Glass vase, £39.84, both from QVC.

FOR HASLAM’S OPULENT GLAMOUR...

Nicky Haslam's trademark style is all about charm and wit, combining classic elements with no-holds-barred modern glamour.

“Think theatre,” says Haslam. “Go for all-out opulence, glitz and glamour. Ornate fireplaces and delicate panelling will add to the whimsical feel. This style should really get people talking.”

For a dining room, use a classic combination of crisp white cotton for a tablecloth and linen upholstery, and then an injection of shimmer using silver-effect candelabra, crystal glassware and decanters.

Add sensual luxury with soft silks for curtains and cushions, and the finishing touch — an over-the-top floral centrepiece.

DESIGNER TIPS

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