7 Bathroom Design Mistakes to Avoid

Regency Homes are a distinctive feature of central and west London, which means interior design companies in Chelsea are very used to working in them.

These are, of course, elegant and architecturally beautiful buildings, a wonderful thing to look at from the outside, while they can feature many great elements that make them pleasant to live in as well, not least the large windows that are such a common characteristic of these high-ceilinged buildings.

However, for those living in such buildings in London – or for that matter other places with lots of Regency architecture like the Brighton and Hove, parts of Bristol or Royal Leamington Spa – decorating such rooms is not without its challenges.

Indeed, anyone following the progress of projects to decorate such buildings over recent years might be aware of some of the challenges and opportunities involved.

Writing in House and Garden a few years ago, architectural historian Oliver Gerrish offered advice on the best ways to decorate a Regency home.

The first thing he noted was that there is much scope for variety, as Regency interiors “can be daring and colourful or simple and light”. This, he noted, arose from the fact that there was not complete uniformity of design, but significant experimentation, with influences including Indo-Chinese (Brighton Pavilion), Egyptian (the dining room of Goodwood House) and Greek.

Similarly, your own Regency home may have some quirks that differ from your neighbours. You might even want to include touches that reflect these overseas influences.

The article goes on to feature a number of examples, complete with images, of how some very grand Georgian and Regency homes have been decorated. A notable feature of them is how many dark furnishings have been used with light (white or pastel) backgrounds. In some cases this included darkened oak wood, to provide notable contrasts of dark and light.

However, other images showcased a much brighter look, with lots of vibrant colours, stripes and variety. Overall, the lesson might be that white walls make a better backdrop when the contrast is provided by dark colours, while a warmer pale colour like peach offers a great accompaniment to a riot of colour.

This is not to say that anything goes, however. In all cases, the large windows and abundance of natural light all work best with pale colours. In a large, open room this works perfectly. Where there may be a challenge is in cases where there are nooks and crannies in shadow. These may be good places to put furnishings, as they, rather than the shadow, will be the focal point.

Of course, high ceilings can pose issues for those undertaking a DIY project, but for those bringing in the designers you can relax and left the professionals bring the best out of every part of the room.

Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to Regency, however, is emulation. In 2020, developer Cala Homes completed a new development in Cheltenham, a town full of Regency architecture. The new homes were not, of course, actually Regency, but the design echoed those of the historic neighbouring buildings.

As well as the curved terraces and latticework, there were tall windows designed to provide as much natural light as possible.

That these fine features should be built into 21st century homes shows just how amenable Regency is to offering beautiful homes – both inside and out.