Interior design tips with Nicky Percival: From lighting to architectural hardware and artwork
With a wealth of experience designing sets for the National Theatre and the BBC, interior designer Nicky Percival’s work is lively, creative and unique. For the past ten years, she’s focussed on helping private clients create a home they can feel physically and emotionally connected to – somewhere that’s full of personality and character.
“My mother was an interior designer, so I grew up in houses that changed and evolved – it became my world too.”
Nicky Percival, Interior Designer
Before diving into a project, Nicky considers every perspective of the design, from layouts and lighting to hardware and furnishings. Here, we chatted with Nicky to get her interior design tips on everything you need to consider before starting your renovation.
Where should you start when planning and choosing lighting?
The lighting in your home is not just there for illumination – it also sets the mood and atmosphere for each space. There are three main layers of light you need to consider:
Ambient lighting: Also called general or background lighting, this type of lighting gives overall illumination to a room, allowing you to walk around freely and see your surroundings.
Task lighting: This provides extra, targeted illumination to areas where everyday activities like reading, cooking, eating, and working happen.
Accent or mood lighting: This type of lighting emphasises objects or architectural features you wish to draw attention to, such as artwork, cabinets, sculptures or any detail you want to highlight.
When redesigning a space, lighting should always be integral to your design rather than an afterthought. Incorporate as many layers and options as possible – this will help you to adapt the direction of light and the ambience of your room, which is just as important as decoration.
What are your interior design tips when choosing handles for cabinetry?
Functionality is key, but the look and feel is also important. You use your handles everyday, so they should be attractive, ergonomic, and comfortable. I also love to include beautiful textures as, over time, they help to create that special feeling of ‘home.’
Unfortunately, the choice of architectural ironmongery – or architectural hardware – is often left until last, as people are unaware of how this element will affect the overall design. The finer details make a scheme work cohesively, so they need careful consideration.
I love choosing cabinet hardware – I could spend ages considering all the options.
Nicky Percival, Interior Designer
What’s your advice when it comes to metal finishes? Should they all match, or is it ok to mix metals?
I’m happy to mix metal finishes, but the mix needs balancing with care. Eclectic schemes are part of my design philosophy, but it’s not a case of ‘anything goes.’
Uber-modern acrylic light fittings can suit a Georgian house with period features – it’s all about creating the correct balance. Polished nickel fittings in a bathroom can also sit happily with antique brass doorknobs.
I also love specifying coloured hardware as it’s playful and fun to use as an accent, especially in a contemporary setting.
What do you look for when choosing soft furnishings?
Soft furnishings are part of the whole picture, so fabrics for upholstery and/or window dressings need balance and contrast – stripes or checks for upholstery with floral at the windows or vice versa.
I like to contrast scale and depth of colour for a textured, layered scheme that’s effective without being overly fussy for most of my projects. I also use quality natural fabrics and like to support independent textile designers as much as the bigger fabric houses. A good quality textile is just as important as a piece of art.
What are your thoughts on murals, and can you tell us your top tips for choosing a mural and how to use it in your home?
Murals are inventive, atmospheric and very different in scale and scope from wallpaper. A mural will set the scene for a room, creating the story for all other elements to follow.
I have been lucky enough to commission a large-scale hand-painted mural recently that followed a row of arched windows in a sun-filled room to evoke a tropical/colonial theme.
It certainly gives the room wow-factor, and my client is thrilled with the outcome and the unique sense of scale and drama it’s added to the room.
That said, murals are a powerful and long-lasting design element, so whether it is a pretty tree branch with birds for a bedroom or a Trompe L’Oeil trellis playing with your sense of perspective, choose theme and scale with care.
What are your top tips for choosing artwork for your home?
Artwork is very personal, so choosing art that speaks to you is the key. Many people select art while on holiday or at special events as a reminder of a time and place that has meaning for them. Alternatively, they may choose to support a particular artist, or they just love collecting beautiful things.
Choosing art as an interior designer is slightly different. I often get asked to find specific pieces for their size, palette, and subject matter to suit a particular space or design scheme or to work with an existing collection. Adding art to your home with a sense of humour or controversy is a great way to provoke discussion and debate.