Louise McCarthy from Tryptych Design is the interior designer behind the show-stopping show homes at David Wilson Homes’ brand new Ladden Garden Village development in Yate near Bristol.
Here, she talks about her inspiration for the new homes and shares her top tips on the latest home trends.
Comfort culture
Hygge is huge at the moment. It’s the Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of cosiness and comfortable contentment through the simple things in life. Think being wrapped up in a cosy blanket, drinking a cup of tea and you’re on the right lines.
Increasingly people are ‘hygge-ing’ their homes, using cosy accessories to help achieve wellness within their own four walls.
Hygge was my inspiration behind the three-bedroom Greenwood style home at Ladden Garden Village. It’s all very neutral, with creams and wood. There’s a lot of fake sheepskin, fur and hide to give it a sense of cosiness. I love the fake fur throw in one of the bedrooms – you can just imagine wrapping yourself up in it after getting caught in the rain on the way home from work.
There are lots of cacti in the Greenwood show home, they’re really popular at the moment. I suppose the fact they require hardly any watering is part of what makes them so desirable; they’re about as low maintenance as plants get!
Getting creative with texture
Another detail I like in the Greenwood is the framed faux coral on the wall. What I really wanted to show people in this house is that you don’t just have to put pictures on the wall, you can use other things that create texture.
Texture is another big trend in interiors at the moment. In fact, it’s one of the key themes in the Ingleby four bedroom show home I designed at Ladden Garden Village. It’s got fake leather wallpaper (it’s a lot more tasteful than it sounds!) and a lot of velvet.
When I was designing it, I had the vision in my head of this young, very ‘bling’ couple. It’s all navy and gold, with lots of crystal bling lights and gold accessories.
The house does have a little stamp of my own identity in it. One of the children’s bedrooms is dog themed with stickers on the wall of cartoon dogs that look like they’re going for a walk around the room. My own dog, Dave the daschund, even makes a guest appearance in a picture on the wall.
I think it’s such fun to reflect your identity through interior design. It’s a theme I played with in the Holden show home at Ladden Garden Village, particularly in the children’s bedrooms. There’s a room I created with a teenage skier in mind. It’s got an industrial look with furniture that almost looks like scaffolding and a pair of old skiis on the wall. Teenagers love having bedrooms that reflect their interests and hobbies.
Creating a blank canvas
Another interiors trend that’s really big is the idea of having a blank canvas that you then accessorise with things like cushions, throws and pictures. It’s a really low-cost way of designing your home – particularly if you like to play about with trends and change your look regularly.
To create the base for this look all you need is a lot of white; white walls, white curtains, white furniture. From there you can accessorise with whatever colour palette you like for each room. Having lots of green plants will ensure you always have a hit of colour and trailing houseplants are a big trend at the moment.
I’ve used this blank canvas approach in the three-bedroom Ashurst for David Wilson Homes at Ladden Garden Village and it’s worked really well. One of the things I love about new homes is often the walls are white when you move in so you have this amazing blank canvas to work with.
- David Wilson Homes’ show homes at Ladden Garden Village are now open to visit. To make an appointment call 0330 057 6000. Homes start from £250,000.
Louise’s top trends:
- Hygge
- Juxtaposition of textures
- ‘Blank canvas’ interiors
- Cacti – the plants themselves and cactus themed accessories
- Framing unusual items like coral