Every home has an interior design superpower. Yes, even yours Mrs new-build, Miss apartment and Mr 80s semi.

Some superpowers jump out like POW! Some take a small adventure to reveal themselves. Some need to be handled carefully so they don’t take over the world. Some, you might even have to invent yourself. Just believe that every home can have a superpower.

The key is to not think about your house like everyone else would. It’s surprising how many assumptions we can make about certain builds and how this can affect our interior design and architecture choices. Just because you have a terraced house in Newcastle, doesn’t mean it needs to act like every other terraced house on the street. Think about what makes it unique and start from there. Own your home’s USP (unique super power) and plan everything around it.

SYMMETRY

Symmetry is the key to beauty, so if your home has it, flaunt it! Georgian houses have beautiful symmetry, but sometimes it doesn’t suit how we live now. For example, the beautiful front door might not be near where you park your car, or you may feel a desperate urge to knock some bi-fold doors into your kitchen wall so you can enjoy your dinner outside without it getting cold on the way out there.

We never want to kill the beauty of a house. You should always try to keep the proportions and regularity in place and keep everything symmetrical. So please don’t turn windows into doors as it will make the house look lopsided. Architects sometimes like to add extensions to perfectly symmetrical houses, which ruins the symmetry.

We always prioritise function over form and understand that you need to flow easily between your spaces. This doesn’t always mix well with leaving symmetrical architecture alone. If you want to step outside from your kitchen but patio doors would be an architectural compromise, consider opening up the space on another side and create or move your main garden space for better access.

PERIOD FEATURES

If your house is of a certain age, it was built with its own inherent superpowers. These give it character and tell a story of its age and origin which you can’t replace or fake. Original fireplaces, coving, window frames, doors and flooring are all treasures, unique to your home.

Our mantra is “what’s old is old and what’s new is new” so we will never try to make period features modern, or put period features in modern homes (yuck). We celebrate homes for what they are. Keep all the history and features that you can, and use colour and decor to frame, spotlight and personalise them.

If you have a kick-ass fireplace or stunning living room view, don’t put the TV centre-stage. Blend the TV into a corner to use when you need it using wall colour or recessive joinery. Remember the TV is only there to serve today’s needs, the rest of the time, your superpower is the main feature.

Don’t have any period features? No worries! There are plenty of other superpowers.

COLOUR

Did you know that features were only glossed white in the past because it was cheaper? There’s no reason why you can’t paint skirting boards, doorframes etc. in bold colours to power them up.

If you are lucky enough to have any antique stained glass in your home, make it the superpower. Take the colours and use them all over, and compliment them with papers and prints. If you don’t have a colourful feature, bring in some with stained glass and furniture that is in keeping with the age of the property.

Pick windows, doors and fireplaces out with bold colours. Even if they are not super – this will power them up. Draw attention to key windows to frame superpower views.

LIGHT

We’ve all been wowed by gorgeous vaulted rooms filled with light. The way the light hits and enters your house through the day can be a real superpower if you harness it well. Observe how light falls at different times of the day and year, and then think about what you can do to make the most of it. It might be useful to speak to an architectural interior designer at this point – hello!

We’re not saying to convert your home into a cavernous hall, but you can certainly be clever with light flow. Options could be to open up some skylights and create double-height spaces to move light through the house vertically. Or enlarge windows and remove interior walls to let light flow through horizontally.

SPACE

Spatial planning is the process of designing your interior architecture – doors, walls, stairs etc. - to create an environment that makes your life easier and more beautiful. Spatial planning will improve your home and your whole life. It elevates interior design so much that it doesn’t matter what colour you paint the walls. If you can only do one thing, spend some time with an architectural interior designer in your home, discuss how you live, what spaces you use, what you want, and let them draw you up a plan.

Spatial planning will use your house efficiently; the space you already have needs to be used before you think about extending. Often, we find that people don’t actually need an extension, and the money is better spent improving the current layout

Good spatial planning will take your interior architecture and make it fit for modern day living. Maybe you don’t need three ensuites that you never use. Maybe one larger family bathroom would work best for you, and then you can have a cheeky yoga space or upstairs laundry room.

To maximise function, we love to add butler’s kitchens, pantries, boot rooms, mud rooms and even dog-washing and drying rooms - all superpowers!

FLOW

All of these superpowers lead to an ultimate superpower which can be added to any home – flow. Optimising the way you flow through your home immediately elevates the whole space, and makes your life easier. There are several ways to power up your flow. Architecturally, you can move, remove or add stud walls to improve function and flow. You can add, remove or disguise doors to direct flow to and away from public and private spaces.

To make your whole home flow, keep your flooring consistent all the way through, this makes your interior design instantly cohesive.

VIEWS

Sometimes it’s what’s outside your home that is your superpower. If you have a gorgeous view to one side of your house, redesign your interior architecture to harness it throughout. Move all the rooms that you spend quality time in to the ‘view side’ so you are waking up, eating and relaxing with the view. Open up sightlines by removing walls through the house so you can see the view throughout. Put lesser used rooms the furthest from the view – such as bathrooms, boot rooms and snugs that are usually used when it’s dark.

Work with the theme of your view. If it is coastal or countryside, bring those colours into your interior design. Be careful not to become kitch - just because you are near the beach you do not need seaside things. There are ways of saying coastal without a sign saying ‘gone fishin’’.

Instead use the same woods that are outside or use driftwood. Look at colours outside and reflect them in art and fabrics. Don’t buy artwork pictures of the coast. Your view is that. Try abstract images and representative sculptures instead.

WHAT TO DO WITH A NEW BUILD WITH NO PERIOD FEATURES?

Don't fake it. Bring in modern architectural features that make an impact. Adding modern wood panelling or other features to ceilings adds character and won’t look out of place.

Use consistent materials, colour and texture to create a cohesive superpower. Use interesting wood all the way through to feel purposeful. Bring in a natural material through your flooring – maybe a glorious stone or wooden floor. Use all five walls (fifth is your ceiling) to make a statement, using fabric effect wallpaper.

How you use materials is important too. Create features and tie them in. Use bespoke joinery. Wrap windows in interesting materials

Don’t be tempted to add in period features such as a Victorian sash window to a new build, it is a pastiche.

““Think you have no superpower? Think again!” ”

— Cathy Dean

PICK A ROOM

If there is a particular space you enjoy spending time or entertaining in, make that your home’s superpower. It could be a kick-ass games room, a state-of-the art gym, showstopper kitchen or a sunken outdoor fire pit area in your garden.

Smaller spaces can also be powered up – like a wine store, library or biophilic wall.

FIRE

Humans are hardwired to go googly-eyed over an open flame. No fireplace? No problem.

There are several ways of bringing fire into your home, just don’t add a fireplace where there would never logically have been a real one, it will look out of place. Log burners are the only exception as they look great anywhere.

If you must add a new fireplace, take a whole wall and design a big feature. Integrate the TV, shelving and fire into the same structure. It hides TV and makes fire the focus. A wow-option is to punch through fireplaces to outdoors to make an indoor/outdoor fireplace that connects spaces and can be used all year.

Remember, with great power comes great responsibility – keep it classy!

Yours powerfully,