There’s an overwhelming amount of design advice out there, from influencers and endless online tips to ever-changing trends. It can be hard to know what to trust. But when it comes to renovating a home, not all advice is created equal. To help cut through the noise, I’m sharing a few of my non-negotiables: simple, often-overlooked design principles I rely on in every project. These details consistently make the biggest difference to how a home looks, feels and functions.
Avoid corner units
Avoid corner units wherever possible when planning cabinetry or built-in joinery. Whether it’s in a kitchen, walk-in wardrobe or utility room, corners are rarely your friend. They tend to be awkward to access, inefficient to use and often end up as dead space.
In kitchens especially, L-shaped and U-shaped layouts are common, often because people feel they need to use every available millimetre. But in reality, trying to fill every corner can lead to a layout that’s harder to use and more frustrating day to day.
A simple linear kitchen run is often far more effective. It may sound counterintuitive, but removing the corners can actually increase the amount of usable storage and workspace. With everything laid out in a clean, straight line, access is easier, the flow is smoother and the design looks more polished.
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When planning a linear layout, think in zones. Place the fridge and larder at one end to group food storage. Locate the wet zone, sink and dishwasher at the opposite end. Position the hob in the middle of the run or, if space allows, on an island or peninsula to keep the main run uninterrupted.
This kind of layout doesn’t just look sleek, it’s intuitive to use, easier to keep tidy and allows for clear movement through the space. So don’t be afraid to leave the corners out. You’ll gain more than you lose.
Pay attention to ‘door swings’
It might seem like a small detail, but the direction a door opens can have a big impact on how a room feels and functions. Ideally, internal doors should open against a wall, meaning when you push the door open, it swings toward the wall beside you, not out into the middle of the room. This allows you to enter naturally, without having to walk around the door or lose usable space.
In many period homes, the opposite is true, where the doors swing into the room, often interrupting the flow and usability of the space. Historically, this was intentional. In grand homes, doors were designed this way to offer privacy from household staff. But unless you’re keen on preserving traditions of the past, there’s no need to hang on to that quirk.
Keep heights consistent
One of the most effective, yet often overlooked ways to bring cohesion to a space is by aligning the heights of doors, windows and built-in joinery. When these elements line up, they create strong horizontal sightlines that naturally guide the eye and give a room a sense of order and balance. Conversely, when heights are mismatched, it creates visual clutter and a sense that something’s not quite right, even if you can’t pinpoint why.
For example, if you’re designing a living space with built-in joinery, aligning the cabinet tops with the height of the internal doors gives the space a clean, cohesive look. Similarly, in a room with a mix of doors and windows, matching the head heights will visually tie the elements together and make the space feel considered and intentional.
It’s particularly important in renovations, where old and new elements often meet. And if you can’t do it everywhere, focus on the high-impact view lines: what you see as you enter a room, or along a hallway.
Match your metal finishes
Choosing one metal finish and carrying it through across all your hardware, from door handles and hinges to light switches, sockets, and fittings, brings a sense of unity and polish to your home. Whether you go for brushed brass, matt black, or polished chrome, the key is consistency.
When finishes are mixed, say a chrome light switch next to a brass door handle, it can feel chaotic and visually jarring, even if everything else in the room is beautifully curated. Worse, it can cheapen the look of an otherwise high-quality scheme.
There is one exception that works well both visually and practically, however. Opting for white sockets, switches, and downlights. This can be a clever way to streamline the look and reduce costs, allowing you to invest more in higher-quality hardware where it really matters, such as your door handles, hinges, and cabinetry fittings.
Colour-match your lighting
One of the most common mistakes I see is ignoring the colour temperature of your bulbs. Colour temperature is measured in Kelvins (K). At one end of the spectrum, you have warm white (around 2,700K), ideal for creating a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. At the other end, cool white (4,000K and above) emits a brighter, bluish tone, which can feel crisp and clinical. Most good bulb brands will display these ratings on the box.
Mixing different colour temperatures within the same space is a common pitfall. It creates visual inconsistency, throws off your paint colours, and can make the room feel disjointed and uneasy, even if everything else has been carefully considered.
Warm white lighting, ideally between 2,700K and 3,000K is the ideal choice to use throughout the home. It creates continuity from room to room and gives the overall effect of a softer, more welcoming, and relaxing atmosphere.
