Inspiration
Design inspiration
Palettes, millwork, lighting and tile — the decisions that separate a renovation that photographs well from one that lives well.
Design in a renovation is mostly restraint. One material leads, two support it, and the rest of the palette gets out of the way. Rooms go wrong when four things compete.
The other half is detailing: how a counter meets a wall, how tile turns a corner, how a cabinet reveal lines up with a door casing. None of it is expensive. All of it is decided before the trades arrive.
Ideas worth stealing
What we'd do in your design
01
Let one material lead
White oak, terrazzo, brass, hand-glazed tile — choose the protagonist and keep everything else quiet around it.
02
Detail the reveals
Consistent shadow gaps and aligned cabinet reveals read as care even to people who can't name what they're seeing.
03
Warm the metals
Unlacquered brass ages into the room. Mixing it with matte black works when there is a clear hierarchy between them.
04
Bring light down from above
Skylights and clerestory glazing add daylight without adding sightlines into a neighbour's yard.
05
Carry finishes across thresholds
Running the same floor through the whole level, with no transition strips, is the cheapest way to make a house feel larger.
More inspiration
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