Design rules

Interior designer Katie Ridder on the decorative details that make rooms sing

-  JESSICA SALTER

THE things that really mark out a well-designed home are the small details; they are often what’s missing and overlooked. But when you introduce finishing touches – such as a beautiful trim on a lampshade or a high-gloss paint finish on something unexpected – then the room comes together in a special way.

A brilliant example of this level of detail is Charlottenhof Palace, a former royal palace in Germany that has a blue and white striped room with fabric on the walls that looks like a tent; there is some red and white embroidery along the base of the upholstered walls, as well as on the curtains, which perfectly lines up and it’s this detail that brings it to another level.

I have such respect for artisans, whether they make beautiful lampshades or furniture or woodcraft; as a designer I rely on their skill to make pieces that make a room sing. Handcrafted pieces bring something extra to a space because they reference the person behind the object and the time and skill that went into the piece. We used a decorative artist to paint the floors of one client’s home and it adds an unbeatable element of pizzazz.