04-06-2025
Ideas to steal from the UK's poshest bungalow
Since its first edition three years ago, the WOW!house decorator showcase at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour in London has given interior-design aficionados a rare opportunity: the chance to see the work of some of the world's best designers up close and in person. The showcase, essentially a pop-up bungalow (albeit an extremely chic one) which is in situ throughout the month of June, comprises 20 rooms and two garden areas, each of which has been created by a designer given creative free rein. This year's line-up includes Kelly Hoppen, Ben Pentreath, Nicola Harding and Emma Sims-Hilditch, and the results are astonishing: every room, no matter its size, is filled with detail and inspiration, and no surface is left undecorated. Here are some of the lessons we learnt when we took a tour.
Clever design can give a newbuild room character and gravitas
The morning room designed by Daniel Slowik is filled with character and considered design touches that belie the fact it was built in just five days. That's partly thanks to the exquisite antiques supplied via the Treasure House Fair, the marble fireplace from Jamb, and several imposing portraits, one of which sets the colour scheme for the room. The tobacco-coloured trellis wallpaper and blue cushion and upholstery fabric are both from Nuthall Temple (the brand launched last year by Slowic and his partner Benedict Foley), while ingenious and unexpected elements include the reproduction cornice (£30 for three metres from Simply Mouldings – no need to splurge on expensive cornices, says Foley), and the skirting boards, which are covered in a marble-effect wallpaper by Zoffany, colour-matched to the fireplace.
The kitchen island doesn't have to dominate
Those who hate a monolithic kitchen island but like the idea of the extra storage it provides, take note of the kitchen design by Ben Pentreath's Studio. Here, a central draper's table with slim drawers for cutlery and utensils at the top and a large open shelf for pots and baskets below functions as an elegant island without dominating the space, and the dresser, with open shelves on which plates and jugs are displayed against a sky-blue painted background, is another characterful touch. The tiny tiled pantry is a clever way to make use of an alcove, with plenty of storage for the things you might not want on display, and a high glazed panel to let natural light in.
A stripe and a floral will always go together
Emma Sims-Hilditch 's design for a modern boot room imagines the dream 'back of house' space for a family home. Shoe storage and dog-washing areas – the latter, possibly the fanciest we've seen, complete with a brass shower and delft tiles – are separated off by glazed panels that allow the light to flow through, and the botanical wallpaper and floral door curtain are combined with a smart pinstripe wallcovering and tongue-and-groove panelling, giving the room a decorative yet tailored, country-house-style look.
The ceiling doesn't have to be white
Many of the rooms in the showcase have interesting ceilings, covered in everything from mirror panels, decorative mouldings and wallpaper to swathes of fabric. In each case, the treatment brings an extra dimension to the space: this example, in the 'curator's room' by Brigitta Spinocchia Freund – created entirely with furniture and furnishings by female designers and makers – features a ceiling mural by fashion designer Roksanda, which adds a textural quality and chimes with the typographic sofa below – a collaboration between Spinocchia Freund and artist Louise Gray.
Every room needs a bar
Many of the rooms feature bar cabinets or drinks trays of some sort, reflecting the continued vogue for at-home cocktail making, but our favourite by far was in the media room designed by Alex Dauley. The room is a masterclass in invisible tech, with a perforated suede wallcovering on the walls and ceilings to disguise the built-in speakers – but the pièce de résistance is the painting, seen on the right of this picture, which slides seamlessly up via remote control to reveal a hidden drinks station.
Yellow is having a moment
There's much talk of the colour trend for ' butter yellow ', but how do you actually use it at home? Designer Peter Mikic plumped for a vintage Maison Royère armchair that looks particularly comfortable and cheerful in its sunny upholstery, and provides a tonal counterpoint to Mikic's off-white Marshmallow sofa. The room is also testament to what you can achieve with some tester pots: the large-scale artwork is a mural created by an artist using Benjamin Moore interior paints.
Old and new look good together
If one needed proof that a timeless look can be achieved by layering old and new pieces in the same space, the entrance hall by Victoria Davar and Cox London is a case in point. The room, which is lined with ornate period-style panelling and filled with a sculptural metal chandelier and a mix of antiques and vintage pieces, is also peppered with a few modern touches, notably the framed abstract artworks and the slim, brass Paolo Moschino portable floor lamp.
Pattern on pattern can be calming
Designer Alessandra Branca 's bedroom mixes several different patterns, from the fabrics covering the walls and the four-poster bed to the customised E Braun & Co bedlinen, yet the overall effect is calming rather than jarring, thanks to the soothing colour palette of coral pinks, soft browns and off-whites. The antique-gilt scallop wall lights by Collier Webb above the bed add to the subtly glamorous theme.
You can use fabrics in the bathroom
Many think of the conventional shower curtain with a shudder – but in the luxurious bathroom by 1508 London, a mohair fabric by Coral Stephens has been used to great effect to screen off a bathing nook. The room features a mix of different textures, including pretty green stone-glazed Ca'Pietra tiles on the floor around the bath, a clay wall finish by Clayworks, metallic lights and an upholstered bench, showing that a bathroom doesn't have to be white and sterile to be functional.
The metro tile is still chic – if you know how to use it
The designer Nicola Harding is renowned for mixing colour and pattern with flair, and her very chic powder room is a master class in that art. There are no less than seven different patterned fabrics – no mean feat for a small space – but what really catches the eye is her inspired use of tiles: glazed zellige metro tiles from Mosaic Factory in a jewel-like teal are laid in a basketweave formation on the floor, and vertically to act as a skirting; and also form the cornice, in a rich aubergine shade.
Quiet luxury is getting louder
Kelly Hoppen is seen by many as the queen of quiet luxury; so her living room, which combined a neutral palette with striking accents of black and lipstick red, provides an unexpected flash of colour. A black marble coffee table is combined with an upholstered ottoman embellished with a long, lustrous fringe – a touch of flamboyance matched by a black lacquered screen that wouldn't look out of place in Darth Vader's bedroom – and the framed black-and-white prints, arranged casually on a shelf rather than hung on the wall, added a note of informality. All refreshingly fun, and anything but quiet.
