The celebrated interior designer Kelly Hoppen has spoken about how good interior design can have a positive effect on your mental health and influence your mood. In a recent interview with the BBC, Hoppen explained that she prefers a neutral colour palette for her designs schemes because she finds it creates a relaxing ambience.
Hoppen is well known for her work with high-net worth individuals, including celebrities and luxury commercial interiors such as boutique hotels, airlines and cruise ships. This style of interior design is well suited to techniques such as Venetian plastering, which has grown hugely in popularity in recent years.
The plaster is made from a mixture of putty and fired limestone combined with water, and has been used since the days of Ancient Rome to provide a surface coating for walls, ceilings, and structural elements such as pillars and fireplace surrounds. It is not only practical and hardwearing, but also aesthetically beautiful.
The plaster is applied in thin layers which gives it an iridescent quality, allowing layers of light to play through the depths. It’s especially suited to neutral colour palettes of white, beige, grey, and sand because of this translucent quality. This brings a rustic yet soft feel to a room, which is perfectly suited to the relaxed ambience favoured by Hoppen.
The quiet sophistication of polished plaster is in high demand for luxury residences and commercial interiors such as those designed by Hoppen. However, as well as calming colour schemes, Hoppen also revealed what else provides her touchstone for her design projects.
During the BBC interview, Hoppen revealed that music helps her to get into the zone. She explained: “It has to be a certain music for me to get into the zone to design. In fact, it’s often through discussion of music that the decisive creative breakthroughs with clients are made.”
She continued: “I say to them, ‘If you wanted your room to sound like a piece of music, what would it be?'” Some don’t understand the question, but others say, ‘Oh, 100%, Say A Little Prayer for You by Burt Bacharach.’ And I get that! I can’t explain why, but music is design to me.”
Hoppen explained that she believes music and good interior design both have the power to promote good mental health and wellbeing. She adds that she is aware of her reputation for working with high-end luxury clients, but also points out that she shares her ideas constantly with thousands of Instagram followers, commenting “I’m such a geek about it, if I could go into everyone’s homes and help with the changes, I would. I’d love to be that magician.”
When it comes to Venetian plaster projects, they are certainly not reserved for high-end properties only. They can be carried out at a smaller scale to provide a feature wall or to coat a few items of furniture, for example.