Transform your space with materials and colours

by Raluca Racasan

22nd October 2024

Winning projects inspire us with budget-friendly ways to transform our spaces through clever use of materials and colours.

There comes a point in any homeowner’s journey when we might fall out of love with our space. Thoughts of moving start to creep in, but as our Don’t Move, Improve! winners show, more often than not renovating can unlock new possibilities we didn’t even think of. But if a complete home renovation is not in budget, we learn from winning projects that the simple use of new materials and colours can completely transform a space without breaking the bank. Here are our favourite ideas to inspire and get you decorating.

 

1. Terracotta

View Project | Emil Eve Architects | Taran-Wilkhu

Modern design dictates a return to materiality and colours that create a warm environment and a more human aesthetic. Architects and designers have been embracing terracotta both as a material and a colour to great effect, for homes that feel inviting and calming. Emil Eve Architects, winners of the 2024 'Home of the Year', and winner of the 'Materiality and Craftsmanship' prize, made excellent use of terracotta in their Aden Grove project, cladding a rear extension exterior wall in terracotta tiles, but also painting the family home’s living room in the same colour. You can use terracotta tiles to give a new look to walls or floors, and a terracotta paint colour to instantly bring more warmth and character to a space.

 

2. Tiles

View Project | Emil Eve Architects | Taran-Wilkhu

We’ve explored the look of terracotta tiles in Emil Eve Architect’s project, but the practice didn’t stop there. Their use of slim blue tiles in the home’s master bathroom instantly elevates the space, giving it a spa-like feel. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the use of tiles on walls currently bare. Get inspired by the Aden Grove home and go for a full floor-to-ceiling look for a space that feels truly transformed.

 

3. Plaster

View Project | Mike Tuck Studio | Luca-Piffaretti

Plaster is a simple yet effective way to give your home a new feel. It has a gorgeous textured effect that has really taken off in the past years due to its human-made look and feel, and ease of use on both walls and ceilings. Mike Tuck Studio fully leaned into the warm plaster aesthetic for their Hillside House project in Walthamstow Forest, not surprisingly winner of the 2024 'Unique Character' prize. The warm peach-pink hues of the material paired with exposed brick and wood make for a space that feels friendly and comfortable for the owners’ family. Manuel Urbina Studio has also made use of plaster to finish the walls and ceilings of their Heyford Avenue renovation project, this time for a more modern look with grey tones in a minimalist designed space.

View Project | Manuel Urbina Studio

 

4. Exposed brick

View Project | Mike Tuck Studio | Luca-Piffaretti

Exposed brick has made a comeback in recent years. We want our homes to feel easy to live in, comfortable and inviting, so we’re moving towards materials that add character, have texture, and create visual interest, as opposed to a plain flat surface. Exposed brick ticks all the boxes, as we see in Mike Tuck Studio’s Hillside House, painted in white for a more subtle effect in the living area, and left unpainted opposite a plastered wall in the dining room. In Khan Bonshek’s Two-Up Two-Down House, we also see exposed grey brick along the staircase and juxtaposed with wood in the kitchen, creating a modern and characterful look.

View Project | Khan Bonshek | James Retief

 

5. Valchromat

View Project | SUPRBLK Studio | Nicholas-Worley

SUPRBLK Studio’s Tower Hamlets project, winner of the 2024 'Compact Design of the Year' prize stood out through its incredibly bold use of colour. Take a closer look and you’ll see that it’s not traditional paint that’s been used to achieve the playful, fresh effect, but Valchromat. The colour-impregnated timber board was specified for its manipulability, strength, durability, and playfulness to seamlessly integrate storage and zone out the space in an uplifting, colour-drenching style that blends in wall and furniture as one, creating the illusion of more space in a compact home. What’s not to love?

 

6. Paint

View Project | SUPRBLK Studio | Nicholas-Worley

We couldn’t talk about budget-friendly ways to transform your space without mentioning paint. Simple yet so effective, but only if you pick a colour that packs a punch. Have a look at SUPRBLK Studio’s ‘Green Machine’ project where the compact studio flat in East London is drenched in a vibrant green, punctuated by pops of red and yellow in the soft furnishings. Mike Tuck Studio chose a bright coral red for the utility/pantry in their Hillside House project, and the effect is joyful and fresh. If you want to transform an area of your home, think colour and don’t be afraid to go bold.

 

7. MDF panelling

View Project | Mike Tuck Studio | Luca-Piffaretti

Like paint, MDF panelling is a very accessible way to transform a space, and it adds texture and interest. You can get very creative with this both in terms of colour and pattern. Mike Tuck Studio used painted fluted panelling in the living area of their Hillside House project, and, to make it even more charming it goes across and effectively camouflages two doors. A great idea if you want to make a space appear less busy – carry on the panelling from the wall onto the doors, therefore hiding them for a more uniform look.

 

Transforming a space doesn’t always have to be a costly undertaking. Often all it takes is a bit of creativity and some handy work (DIY or not) and you’d be surprised how much the simple addition of texture via a different material, or a change of colour can completely alter how we experience a room. As our award nominees and winners show us, it’s thinking outside the box that gets the most outstanding results. Think tiles on the exterior of your home, not just inside, floor to ceiling, not just halfway up a wall, less traditional colours that pack a punch, and panelling used to highlight and camouflage. The possibilities are endless, and it goes to show that there’s so much improvement that can be done before we’re well and truly ready to move on to a different home altogether.