Will Hydrocortisone Injection Suppress Testosterone

Will Hydrocortisone Injection Suppress Testosterone

Neuropsychopharmacology. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2006 May 25.

Published in final edited form as:

PMCID: PMC1470424

NIHMSID: NIHMS3815

Testosterone Suppression of CRH-stimulated Cortisol in Men

David R. Rubinow, M.D., ¹ Catherine A. Roca, M.D.,¹ Peter J. Schmidt, M.D.,¹ Merry A. Danaceau, R.N.,² Karen Putnam, B.S.,³ Giovanni Cizza, M.D.,⁴ George Chrousos, M.D.,⁵ and Lynnette Nieman, M.D.⁵

David R. Rubinow

¹Behavioral Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health,

Catherine A. Roca

¹Behavioral Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health,

Peter J. Schmidt

¹Behavioral Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health,

Merry A. Danaceau

²Nursing Department, NIH Clinical Center,

Karen Putnam

³Geriatric Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health,

Giovanni Cizza

⁴Clinical Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Disease,

George Chrousos

⁵Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD

Lynnette Nieman

⁵Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD

See other articles in PMC that cite the published article.

Abstract

Despite observations of age-dependent sexual dimorphisms in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, the role of androgens in the regulation of HPA axis activity in men has not been examined. We assessed this role by performing CRH stimulation tests in ten men (ages 18–45) during gonadal suppression with leuprolide acetate and during testosterone addition to leuprolide. CRH-stimulated cortisol levels as well as peak cortisol and greatest cortisol excursion were significantly lower (p < .05, .005, and .01, respectively) during testosterone replacement compared with the induced hypogonadal condition (leuprolide plus placebo); cortisol area under the curve was lower at a trend level (p < .1). Paradoxically, CRH-stimulated ACTH was increased significantly during testosterone replacement (p < .05). The cortisol:ACTH ratio, a measure of adrenal sensitivity, was lower during testosterone replacement (p < .1). A mixed effects regression model showed that testosterone but not estradiol or CBG significantly contributed to the variance of cortisol. These data demonstrate that testosterone regulates CRH-stimulated HPA axis activity in men, with the divergent effects on ACTH and cortisol suggesting a peripheral (adrenal) locus for the suppressive effects on cortisol. Our results further demonstrate that the enhanced stimulated HPA axis activity previously described in young men compared with young women cannot be ascribed to an activational upregulation of the axis by testosterone.

Keywords: testosterone, cortisol, HPA axis, ACTH, CRH, men

Introduction

Substantial evidence suggests that reproductive steroids modulate the response to stress. Supportive data include observations of sex differences in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity/responsivity (Kitay, 1961; Brett et al, 1983; Horrocks et al, 1990; Kirschbaum et al, 1992; McCormick et al, 2002; Roelfsema et al, 1993; Greenspan et al, 1993) and demonstration of acute regulatory effects of gonadal steroids on the HPA axis in animal castration and replacement studies (Kitay, 1963; Burgess et al, 1992; Critchlow et al, 1963; Bingaman et al, 1994). As the first observations of sex differences showed increased HPA axis activity in female rodents, most attention has focused on the effects of estradiol, with little attention paid to the possible modulatory role of testosterone. In animals, several castration and androgen replacement studies suggest that androgens inhibit stress-stimulated, but not basal, corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations (Handa et al, 1994; Papadopoulos et al, 2000), findings consonant with the many studies showing enhanced response to a variety of stressors in female compared with male rodents (LeMevel et al, 1979; Lesniewska et al, 1990). Sexual dimorphisms (largely age-dependent) in stimulated HPA axis activity have been variably reported in humans (Greenspan et al, 1993; Seeman et al, 2001), but there are virtually no studies identifying the role, if any, of androgens in the reported human dimorphisms. Indeed, in one of few studies evaluating the impact of reproductive manipulation on the HPA axis in men, estrogen was administered and observed to increase the hormonal response to psychosocial stress (Kirschbaum et al, 1996), similar to results in non-human male primates (Norman et al, 1992). Thus, the effects of testosterone on the HPA axis in human males are unknown and limited to speculations based on observed sexual dimorphisms in lower animals. To remedy this dearth of information, we investigated the stress modulatory effects of androgens by performing corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation tests in men under two induced hormonal conditions: leuprolide-induced suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, with and without testosterone replacement.

Methods

Subject Selection

Healthy male volunteers were recruited through advertisements in local newspapers. All men were between ages 18 to 45, were without current medical illness (as assessed by medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests and EKG), were medication free, and had no history of psychiatric disorders, including alcohol and substance abuse, as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III-R or IV (SCID-IIIR or IV) (First et al, 1996). The protocol was reviewed and approved by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Institutional Review Board, and all subjects gave both written and verbal consent to study participation. Subjects were paid for their participation according to the schedule of payment issued by the National Institutes of Health Normal Volunteer Office.

Study Design

Leuprolide Study

Eleven men were recruited for the study. Ten participated in the ovine-CRH study; the eleventh individual failed to suppress testosterone levels following leuprolide acetate administration and was not included in the analysis. Of the volunteers, eight were Caucasian and two were African American. Mean age ± S.D. was 31.4 ± 7.5. Volunteers received three monthly injections of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist leuprolide acetate (Lupron) (7.5 mg) following a two month screening period during which the absence of illness and mood disturbance was confirmed. Following one month of leuprolide acetate alone, men were randomly assigned to receive add-back of either 200 mg IM testosterone enanthate or sesame oil injections every two weeks for a month in a double-blind, crossover design. The ovine-CRH study was performed 1–12 days after the second injection of testosterone or placebo. CRH infusions were performed a mean (± SD) of 5.6 (± 5.6) days after the second injection of testosterone and 3.7 (± 4.0) days after the second injection of placebo.

Blood at baseline for each CRH test was analyzed for plasma levels of testosterone, estradiol and cortisol binding globulin (CBG). Additionally, 24 hour urine samples were obtained and analyzed for urinary free cortisol (UFC), the majority within one day of the infusion (i.e., most collections began one day prior to CRH, but several ranged from 2 to 5 days after CRH administration ); mean ± SD = 1.2 ± 1.7 days.

Ovine-CRH stimulation test

Subjects were instructed to fast from midnight before the test and to present to the clinic between 7 and 8 a.m. Subjects were weighed and then placed in a semi-recumbant position. An intravenous catheter was inserted in the antecubital vein and the subjects rested for 40 minutes prior to receiving 1mcg/kg ovine CRH (oCRH) by IV push. Blood samples for ACTH and cortisol were drawn at 15 and 1 minute before and 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 minutes after administration of oCRH. Blood samples were collected in pre-chilled tubes containing EDTA and were centrifuged and aliquoted promptly; plasma was stored at −70C until assayed.

All assays were performed by Esoterix Inc. (Calabasas Hills, CA). Individual subjects had samples from all of their tests run in the same assay.

CBG was measured directly by radioimmunoassay (RIA); the intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) were 7.8% and 11%, respectively. Estradiol was measured by RIA after extraction with LH20 column chromatography in a modification of the procedure by Wu and Lundy (1971). The intra-assay CV was 3.2%, and the inter-assay CV was 9.2%. Testosterone was measured by RIA following extraction with column chromatography, with an intra-assay CV of 7% and an inter-assay CV of 9%.

Cortisol was measured directly by RIA with intra- and inter-assay CVs of 3.9% and 8.3%, respectively. The ACTH- immunoradiometric assay uses paired monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, reactive respectively with the N terminal and the C terminal regions of ACTH. The intra-assay CV was 6.2%, and the inter-assay CV was 11%.

Statistics

Sample size for this repeated measures design was calculated in a power analysis performed with NCSS PASS (Kaysville, UT) and based on a delta obtained in an earlier study (Roca et al, 2003); a sample size of nine had an 80% power to detect the predicted differences as significant at an alpha of 0.05.

To determine whether the hormonal conditions were successfully created, baseline levels of testosterone and estradiol were compared with paired t-tests. Baseline measures of HPA axis function (cortisol, ACTH, CBG, UFC) also were compared across hormonal conditions with paired t-tests. Differences in CRH-stimulated ACTH and cortisol levels were assessed with analysis of variance with repeated measures (ANOVA-R), with hormonal condition (testosterone versus placebo replaced) and time (nine levels included the average of the pre-CRH values and each of the post-CRH values) as within subjects variables. As each subject had 18 data points (nine time points in each of two conditions), ANOVA-R (Systat; Port Richmond, CA) was employed as the primary statistical comparison because it takes maximal advantage of all of the data collected, unlike summary measures (e.g., area under the curve [AUC], which may not discriminate between differences in the shape of the response curve). The cortisol:ACTH ratio was used as a repeated measure to assess adrenal responsivity. Bonferroni corrected post hoc comparisons were performed when the results of the ANOVA-R were significant. Three additional summary measures of CRH-stimulated HPA axis function were compared across the two hormonal conditions with paired t tests; AUC, stimulated peak value (MAX), and difference between peak value and baseline [mean of the values 15 minutes and immediately prior to CRH] (delta MAX). (AUC was calculated by a baseline-corrected trapezoidal integration method.) Comparisons of these three measures were performed for both ACTH and cortisol. The alpha (level of significance) was set at 0.017 to adjust for type I errors associated with multiple comparisons.

Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were calculated to determine if changes in baseline levels of testosterone, estradiol, testosterone/estradiol ratio, or CBG across conditions were associated with changes in stimulated measures of ACTH and cortisol (AUC, MAX, and delta MAX). To further estimate the relative contributions of testosterone, estradiol, and CBG to the variance of CRH-stimulated cortisol and ACTH levels across hormonal conditions, a mixed effects regression analysis was performed with SAS Proc Mix (Cary, NC) with the following factors included in the predictive model: hormone condition, time, testosterone, estradiol, CBG. This procedure permits assessment of each of the in the presence of the effects of the other variables of interest.

Results

Mean plasma testosterone levels were significantly lower during leuprolide plus placebo compared with those obtained during the leuprolide plus testosterone condition (57 ng/dl vs. 783 ng/dl, (p < .001) (Table 1). Estradiol, like testosterone, was significantly higher and CBG significantly lower during testosterone replacement, as expected (p < .01, and p < 01, respectively) (Table 1). Baseline values of ACTH and cortisol did not differ across the hormonal conditions. Urinary free cortisol (UFC) did not differ between the induced hormonal conditions (although complete paired collections were obtained in only seven subjects). CRH-stimulated cortisol was significantly decreased during the testosterone-replaced condition (effect of condition, F_1,9 = 7.39, p < .05) compared with the induced hypogonadal (relatively testosterone deficient) condition created by leuprolide with placebo replacement (Fig 1). Consistent with this finding, the maximum CRH-stimulated cortisol and the delta MAX were significantly lower during testosterone replacement (p < .005 and p < .01, respectively), with a trend for lower cortisol AUC (p = .057) also seen. Paradoxically, CRH-stimulated ACTH was significantly increased during testosterone replacement compared with the placebo-replaced hypogonadal condition (effect of condition, F_1,9 = 5.22, p < .05) (Fig 1). While there was a trend for the ACTH max to be increased during testosterone (p = .06), no differences were seen in the delta MAX or AUC. No condition by time interactions were observed for either CRH stimulated cortisol or ACTH. Significant effects of time were observed for both cortisol and ACTH as expected. There was a trend for the cortisol/ACTH ratio, a measure of adrenal sensitivity, to be lower during testosterone replacement (F_1,9 = 4.23, p = .07), largely reflecting the failure of the ratio to increase at the later time points in the testing (Fig 2). Changes in cortisol and ACTH AUC, MAX and delta MAX from the hypogonadal to testosterone replaced condition were not significantly correlated with changes across conditions in testosterone, estradiol, CBG, or the ratio of testosterone to estradiol. The correlation between changes in estradiol and AUC cortisol across conditions did reach a trend level of significance (r = −.63, p = .054). A mixed effects regression model examined the contributions of testosterone, estradiol, and CBG, alone and in combination, to the variance of stimulated cortisol and ACTH. No individual effects were seen for CBG or estradiol, and a trend was seen for a significant contribution of testosterone to the variance of cortisol (over time and across conditions). When CBG was removed from the full model (given the weakness of its contribution), the effect of testosterone surpassed significance levels (F_1,131 = 3.97, p < .05). No effect of testosterone, estradiol, or CBG was seen on stimulated ACTH.

CRH-stimulated cortisol and ACTH levels (mean ± SE) during hypogonadal (leuprolide plus placebo) and testosterone replaced (leuprolide plus testosterone) conditions in men. Significantly lower stimulated cortisol levels (p < .05) and significantly higher stimulated ACTH levels (p < .05) are seen during testosterone administration.

Ratio of CRH-stimulated cortisol and ACTH values (mean ± SE) during induced hypogonadal (leuprolide plus placebo) and testosterone replaced (leuprolide plus testosterone) conditions. A trend is seen for lower cortisol:ACTH ratios during the testosterone replacement condition. This trend suggests that testosterone reduces the adrenal response to ACTH.

Table 1

Effects of Leuprolide with or without testosterone add-back on basal and CRH-stimulated hormonal measures. Values are shown as mean (SD).

	Leuprolide + Placebo	Leuprolide + Testosterone	T-test
Testosterone (ng/dl)	57.00 (63.91)	783.00 (413.54)	5.50, p < .001
Estradiol (pg/ml)	0.75 (0.22)	3.32 (1.33)	6.08, p < .001
UFC (μg/24hr)	47.57 (17.27)	55.14 (35.91)	0.86, ns
CBG (ng/dl)	2.93 (0.38)	2.4 (0.52)	3.54, p < .01
ACTH baseline	13.12 (4.27)	15.97 (10.03)	1.31, ns
ACTH AUC*	4308.55 (3545.15)	4426.15 (2532.89)	0.24, ns
ACTH MAX*	54.76 (31.30)	61.08 (30.22)	2.14, p < .1
ACTH ΔMAX*	41.64 (29.89)	45.11 (23.70)	1.21, ns
CORT baseline	10.43 (2.95)	10.53 (3.09)	0.12, ns
CORT AUC*	1903.18 (579.04)	1602.20 (345.03)	2.18, p < .1
CORT MAX*	25.75 (3.17)	22.93 (3.24)	3.90, p < .01
CORT ΔMAX*	15.32 (3.32)	12.40 (1.73)	3.48, p < .01

Discussion

Prior studies suggest that young men have an enhanced cortisol (Collins et al, 1978; Forsman et al, 1982; Polefrone et al, 1987; Kirschbaum et al, 1992; Kirschbaum et al, 1995)) [but also see (Gallucci et al, 1993; Stoney et al, 1987; Heuser et al, 1994)] and ACTH (Kirschbaum et al, 1999; Kudielka et al, 2004) response to cognitive and pharmacologic stressors relative to women, presumed to represent a suppressive effect of estradiol or an augmenting effect of testosterone. In contrast, our data demonstrate that the effect of testosterone in young men is to inhibit rather than augment the cortisol response to CRH stimulation. Compared with the leuprolide-induced hypogonadal state, testosterone replacement produced a blunted cortisol response, decreased AUC, as well as decreased cortisol MAX and delta MAX. These findings are consistent with studies in rodents revealing a suppressive rather than enhancing effect of testosterone on stimulated HPA axis activity (Handa et al, 1994; Bingaman et al, 1994). A variety of central mechanisms (decreased CRH, decreased AVP, increased glucocorticoid receptor [GR] concentrations) have been postulated to underlie the suppressive effects of testosterone in rodents, with recent data suggesting that testosterone suppresses stimulated cortisol secretion through its metabolite 3 beta androstanediol, which acts through ER beta in the PVN, but not through ER alpha or the androgen receptor (Lund et al, 2004) (RJ Handa, personal communication, 4/19/2004). The surprising finding in our study of increased ACTH during testosterone replacement, however, localizes the suppressive effects on cortisol to the periphery.

A possible explanation for reduced stimulated cortisol in the face of increased ACTH is decreased adrenal sensitivity. In fact, as measured by the cortisol: ACTH ratio, adrenal sensitivity tended to decrease on testosterone + leuprolide relative to placebo + leuprolide, with the reduction primarily reflecting the two fold decrease in the ratio at time points 120–150, again suggesting diminished cortisol response to ACTH. Reductions in adrenal sensitivity have been postulated to explain similar cortisol values in young men and women despite significantly elevated ACTH levels in the young men (Roelfsema et al, 1993; Horrocks et al, 1990; Kudielka et al, 2004). The present data would suggest even greater modulation of adrenal sensitivity by testosterone, as not only is ACTH significantly higher, but cortisol is significantly lower compared with the hypogonadal state. The effect of testosterone on cortisol, however, appears to be confined to stimulated levels, as no difference in either basal cortisol or urinary free cortisol was observed across the induced hormonal conditions. Using dispersed inner adrenocortical cells, Nowak et al. (1995) showed that testosterone inhibited ACTH-stimulated but not basal corticosterone output in vitro. As testosterone reduced both pregnenolone and (particularly) post-pregnenolone steroid levels in this model, both the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone and the activities of several steroidogenic enzymes (3betaHSD, P450C21, and P450C11) appear to be inhibited (Stalvey, 2002). Stalvey (2002) similarly demonstrated a reduction by testosterone of 3 beta HSD activity, immunoreactivity, and m-RNA in cultured mouse adrenal cells under both basal and stimulated conditions. The restriction of the effects of testosterone in the current results to (ACTH) stimulated rather than basal conditions (Nowak et al, 1995) suggests that testosterone may interfere with ACTH signaling at the adrenal. While testosterone-related decreases in ACTH bioactivity have been observed in vitro (Coyne et al, 1969), the resultant decrease in cortisol would be expected under basal conditions, which was not observed in this study.

Downstream effects of the removal and administration of testosterone may have contributed to the results observed in this study. Testosterone replacement was associated with significant increases in estradiol (393%) and decreases in CBG (18%). While decreased CBG could account for lower stimulated cortisol values during testosterone administration, the changes in CBG across hormonal conditions were not significantly correlated with changes in the summary measures of HPA axis function (AUC, MAX, delta MAX); further, the mixed effects regression analysis demonstrated that CBG did not account for a significant portion of the variance of stimulated cortisol or ACTH when testosterone and estradiol were included in the model. The effects of estradiol on cortisol secretion are complex. In ovariectomized animals, inhibition of HPA axis responses to stressors is seen with short-term, physiological levels of estradiol replacement (Redei et al, 1994; Young et al, 2001; Dayas et al, 2000; Komesaroff et al, 1998), while higher doses and longer treatment regimens enhance HPA axis reactivity to stressors (Burgess et al, 1992; Carey et al, 1995; Viau et al, 1991). We observed a significant negative correlation between the increase in estradiol (but not testosterone) and the decrease in cortisol AUC from the hypogonadal to the testosterone replaced condition. The consequent suggestion that testosterone inhibition of stimulated cortisol is mediated by the testosterone metabolite estradiol is contradicted by several factors. First, while data are inconsistent, many in vitro and in vivo studies are convergent in showing that estradiol enhances rather than inhibits corticosteroid secretion at the level of both the adrenal (Nowak et al, 1995; Fukui et al, 1961; Kitay, 1961) and the pituitary (Kitay, 1963; Lund et al, 2004; McCormick et al, 2002; Giussani et al, 2000). Second, consistent with this possibility (and more immediately relevant) is the demonstration by Kirschbaum et al. (1996) of increased cognitive stress stimulated cortisol (and ACTH) secretion during short term estradiol administration to young men; increased mean plasma cortisol concentrations during estradiol administration were also observed in castrated male macaques (Norman et al, 1992). Finally estradiol did not account for a significant part of the variance of stimulated cortisol if testosterone was included in the regression model. Indeed, only testosterone was found to account for a significant part of the variance of stimulated cortisol secretion.

The increased stimulated ACTH secretion during testosterone replacement could reflect decreased feedback inhibition or increased corticotroph sensitivity to CRH. While both testosterone and estradiol modulate glucocorticoid receptor activity in brain regions mediating restraint of the HPA axis (Burgess et al, 1992; Carey et al, 1995; Redei et al, 1994; Peiffer et al, 1991), a more parsimonious explanation suggests that the blunted cortisol secretion during testosterone administration results in less restraint on ACTH secretion, consistent with the greatest difference in the cortisol: ACTH ratios between conditions occurring from 120–180 minutes. Similarly, a central action of testosterone or estradiol should appear as increased basal ACTH levels and would not be apparent with exogenous CRH stimulation (or would appear as blunting due to CRH receptor down regulation at the corticotroph).

As an alternative explanation, the increase in CRH-stimulated ACTH during testosterone replacement could represent the effects of increased levels and activity of vasopressin (AVP) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), which would augment the response to endogenous or exogenous CRH. Such an augmentation of AVP by testosterone was postulated by Rubin et al. (1999) to explain the increased ACTH response to cholinergic stimulation seen in men compared with women. Testosterone regulates AVP synthesis and receptor activity in several brain regions critical to HPA axis control, including the PVN and medial preoptic area (Viau et al, 1991; DeVries et al, 1985; Viau et al, 1996). Results from several earlier studies in animals would have predicted decreased rather than the increased ACTH response to testosterone that we observed (Viau et al, 1996; Kitay, 1963; Handa et al, 1994; Miskowiak et al, 1988). Nonetheless, the findings of Viau (1999; 1996), Patchev (1996) and others suggest that the effects of testosterone on AVP (and subsequent effects on ACTH) are complex and differ according to brain region (e.g., PVN vs. MPOA), paradigm (basal vs stress [type-dependent]- stimulated), gender and species. Despite compelling evidence in the literature for both central and peripheral regulatory effects of testosterone on the HPA axis (Handa et al, 1994; Viau et al, 1999), the changes in cortisol in our study would appear to represent a peripheral effect of testosterone (although additional effects on endogenous CRH secretion clearly cannot be ruled out).

In conclusion, we have shown that testosterone regulates CRH-stimulated HPA axis activity in men. Similar to findings in animal studies, CRH-stimulated cortisol was decreased during testosterone-replaced compared with hypogonadal conditions. The concomitant increase in ACTH suggests that the decrease in stimulated cortisol levels by testosterone or its metabolites is mediated at the level of the adrenal gland. While provocative, these results must be viewed with caution. Notwithstanding the value of the repeated measures design, the sample size is small, and the differences observed across hormonal conditions, while significant, are small in magnitude (particularly the ACTH results) and of unclear clinical significance. Nonetheless, our findings complement our earlier demonstration of the regulatory role of progesterone on the HPA axis in women (Roca et al, 2003) and suggest that, as in animals, the reproductive axis actively participates in the regulation of the stress axis and is not merely acted on by it. While the effects observed in this study are quite modest, they demonstrate that the enhanced stimulated HPA axis activity previously described in young men compared with young women cannot be ascribed to an activational upregulation of the axis by testosterone. Finally, the potential health implications of the removal of restraint on stress-stimulated cortisol secretion during the hypogonadism of aging deserve examination.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the data management assistance of Ms. Kristen Dancer.

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Will Hydrocortisone Injection Suppress Testosterone

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470424/

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Thomasville Cinnamon Hill Bedroom Set

Thomasville Cinnamon Hill Bedroom Set

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Have the Bedroom of Your Dreams With Thomasville Bedroom Furniture on eBay

You can come home to the bedroom that you've always wanted with new or vintage Thomasville bedroom furniture. The right bedroom furniture can help you get a good night's sleep and feel more rested the next day. Find new or used furniture for your room on eBay.

How do you choose a Thomasville bedroom set?

Thomasville bedroom furniture comes in a large selection of styles, and your choice will depend on your taste. You can choose from affordable furniture made in styles like the mission, baroque, cottage, French country, Mid-Century modern, shaker, southwestern, traditional, or Victorian style. Thomasville bedroom sets are made from wood, fabric, leather, and rattan. The types of wood include cherry, maple, oak, walnut, and mahogany, and they can come in either solid or veneer. Some of the styles of beds are available in two-poster or four-poster options.

Accessories that are included in Thomasville bedroom sets

Thomasville bedroom furniture sets you'll find on eBay include between two and nine items. You may want a padded bench to place at the bottom of your bed or you may just need a standalone armoire for extra storage. In addition to these items, Thomasville bedroom sets may include any of the following:

• Mattress and box spring, may include bedding
• Headboard and footboard, may be padded or upholstered, may be lighted, may have doors
• Bedside table or night stand
• Chest of drawers or lingerie chest with between five and nine drawers; may include pull-out jewelry tray
• Dresser with between six and nine drawers

Important features to consider when selecting Thomasville bedroom furniture

The size of the bed you want will determine which furniture is right for you. The beds come in double, queen, king, and California king sizes. The color of the bed will also play a role in your decision. The eBay Thomasville bedroom furniture is available in white, ivory, beige, brown, and black. Some of the sets may require assembly while some will arrive pre-assembled.

Other features to keep in mind are architectural carvings or scrolling in the wood, lighted mirrors, lighted canopies, and drawers. Some of the Thomasville bedroom furniture sets have different styles of feet and may come with brass hardware.

Details to look for in preowned and new Thomasville furniture

If you are looking to buy new Thomasville bedroom furniture, it will be unused and not have any wear or damage. It may be a showroom floor model, sample, or factory secondhand. Preowned Thomasville bedroom furniture from the 1980s that has been refurbished or repainted is available on eBay. Preowned Thomasville bedroom furniture from the 1990s may also be available. Both of these preowned categories offer furniture that has either been restored to its original condition or has been changed from its original color. You may also find Thomasville bedroom furniture that has been discontinued.

Content provided for informational purposes only. eBay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thomasville.

Thomasville Cinnamon Hill Bedroom Set

Source: https://www.ebay.com/b/Thomasville-Bedroom-Furniture/20480/bn_1518615

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Modern Bedroom Furniture Melbourne

Modern Bedroom Furniture Melbourne

What Should I Know About Buying Used Furniture?

Photo Courtesy: Maskot/Getty Images

Is it time to replace that lumpy old couch or revitalize your dining room with a table-and-chair set that actually makes guests feel welcome (and comfortable)? Buying used furniture is a great way to get new-to-you furniture for sprucing up your home without hearing muffled cries of anguish coming from your wallet. If you're looking to decorate on a budget and buy your pieces used, you might have some questions about the process — it's not exactly the same as buying new, after all. Below are some important considerations to keep in mind as you get started in your quest for used furniture.

Used Furniture Is Usually Safe — Except for These Pieces

If you've never purchased used pieces of furniture before, you might be wondering whether it's safe to do so. In general, the answer is yes, especially when it's an item that you can wipe down and clean easily, such as an all-wood dresser or a metal-and-glass dining table. However, there are some pieces you really shouldn't buy used if you can avoid it.

Photo Courtesy: James Braund/Photodisc/Getty Images

Used mattresses, whether they're for adults, kids or babies, have a higher potential of posing health hazards because they could be contaminated with bodily fluids, bed bugs, mold and mites. Plus, it's impossible to know what's lurking inside a mattress without cutting it up to find out. A bed frame, on the other hand, is usually a safe purchase as long as you can clean it. If that bed frame is upholstered, however, you might also want to pass it up.

Overall, it can be best to avoid all types of heavily used upholstered furniture, such as couches, chairs, headboards and other pieces. These may have stains of unknown origin that you won't be able to remove (and won't want to, because who knows what they might be?). But upholstered items, with years of regular use, can also become lumpy and bumpy and uncomfortable to sit on, which defeats the purpose of bringing a new piece of furniture meant for relaxation into your home. Unless you're planning to learn DIY upholstery skills, skip upholstered items that are obviously old, misshapen and stained. Opt for items that are new with tags in this situation.

You Should Make It a Point to Hold Out for Quality

One of the main reasons you might want to buy used furniture is that you can get a great deal on a gently worn piece that was a lot costlier when it was brand new. And you should spend a little time trying to do just that. Look for pieces from well-known, durable brands like Flexsteel, Lexington, Bassett, Woodbridge and other companies that have reputations for producing higher-end, built-to-last furniture. If you can find them, you'll be investing in a piece that can last for years to come, and you'll be paying a better price on top of that.

Photo Courtesy: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision/Getty Images

On the flip side, unless you're looking for some garage shelving or a piece that won't see too much heavy use, such as a bedside table, it's best to avoid purchasing mass-produced, self-assembled furniture secondhand. These pieces are usually nowhere near as durable as factory-built pieces from trusted brands, and they also might not have all their original components. This means they may have lost some of their structural integrity. So, even if you're paying a low price, you might not be happy with how well they perform or get that much use out of them.

What a piece is made out of is just as, if not more, important than who made it. Self-assembled furniture is made with cheaper materials, like particleboard and veneer. And while there's nothing inherently wrong with these materials, you're usually not getting that great a deal when you buy them used because they depreciate quickly. Aim for solid hardwood and metal furniture instead. It'll last you longer, and these materials are easy to clean.

Take a Look in Person Whenever You Can

It's not always possible to check out a used item in person — maybe you're browsing on an online auction site — but you should aim for in-person shopping when it comes to used furniture. This gives you the opportunity to sit in a piece or otherwise use it to determine how comfortable it is and whether you'll be able to enjoy it. That's something you can't judge just from looking at a picture.

Photo Courtesy: Mint Images - Bill Miles/Mint Images RF/Getty Images

It'll also give you a better idea about the item's condition and quality, which, again, are somewhat easy to conceal in photos online. It's simple for a seller to show scratches and other damage, but they can't convey that a dresser's drawers stick, for example, in photos. Even seeing this in writing doesn't give you the clearest idea about how much of an impact the damage might have on the furniture's usability.

Unlike when you're buying something brand new, there's generally a greater likelihood that a piece of used furniture will have those dents, dings and maybe even some deeper types of damage. And of course you'll want to know about these things before you decide to make a purchase. Not only can they influence your overall decision to buy, but they may also give you a potential bargaining chip. If a piece needs some repairs that you're comfortable making, you may have an easier time negotiating a lower price because of its condition.

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Modern Bedroom Furniture Melbourne

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Apartment Bedroom Storage

Apartment Bedroom Storage

Genius Apartment Storage Ideas

In a rental, built-in cupboards and closet organizing systems are often not available or possible. But these apartment storage ideas show that you can achieve good-looking, polished storage that you can take with you when your lease is up.

It's hard not to gush about how great a chest or cabinet can be. They're a huge storage asset, yet completely versatile. You can put one in your entry as a hall table, in the dining area as a buffet, next to the bed, or even in the bathroom. You can buy chests new from furniture stores, or make over the secondhand ones that are rife at garage sales and thrift stores. They come in all shapes and sizes, so they'll fit a variety of spaces. This vintage chest warms a living room, showing off books and pretty accessories while stowing not-so-attractive cleaning supplies behind cabinet doors.

Storage Solution: Shelves

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Runner-up to chests as Most Likely To Succeed in storing your stuff are shelving units. This case of cube-shape cubbies helps visually separate an entry from the living space in a small apartment. The cubes are see-through, so the piece doesn't completely block the space. And it's filled with shapely and colorful objects, as well as office supplies and extra tableware that are hiding in attractive boxes and baskets. Shelves can also pull double-duty organizing books at your bedside or storing towels and hair products in a hallway. The best thing about shelves is how inexpensive they are. There isn't a lot of material cost, and if you're willing to assemble it yourself, you'll get a storage steal at any discount home store.

Storage Solution: Open Table

Small bedroom decorating

Tables with open bases create lots of potential for storage. This bedside table has a footstool tucked under it, doubling the surface area for your tablet, a glass of water, and your phone. The footstool also has an open base, so you could even tuck a small basket under it. This same concept applies to coffee tables: Pick one with an open base and fill the space with a stack of decorative boxes that hold craft supplies or throw blankets. You can tuck a variety of tall things under console tables -- umbrellas and rain boots under one that's placed against the wall in an entry, for instance.

Storage Solutions: Hooks

April SEO Images

Small hooks have a way of solving mighty storage problems. Where will you hang your keys, jacket, and bag when you come in the door? Hang a row of hooks. How will you keep your necklaces from tangling? Hooks are the answer. Don't have much cupboard space in your kitchen? Screw in large hooks for pots and small ones for utensils. They are quick to install and easy to remove when you leave, and if your landlord has a no-holes policy, you can use adhesive hooks for lightweight (less than 5 pounds) objects.

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Apartment Bedroom Storage

Source: https://www.bhg.com/decorating/small-spaces/apartments/apartment-storage/

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Turn 1 Bedroom Into 2

Turn 1 Bedroom Into 2

Turn One Room Into Two With These Genius Ideas

Carve out an extra room within your home with these fab room-splitting tips and tricks

29 April 2019

Houzz India Contributor. Home Decor Enthusiast. True-Blue Bangalorean. Founder & Chief Content Consultant at Mangomonk. I work for sunshine and sandwiches. Visit me at www.mangomonk.com.

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Have you ever wished you could conjure an extra room in your home – as a study, a TV room or a cosy den, perhaps? If you've resigned yourself to a small home with limited bedrooms, take heart in knowing that the key to creating multifunction in a compact home lies in creating zones within existing spaces. With a little inspiration, you can magic up an additional room without having to call in a builder. Here are some simple ideas to turn one room into two.

1. Go for a decorative screen
Screens with intricate carvings, trad jali (traditional Indian latticework) or contemporary metal designs can breathe oodles of character into a room, while serving as effortless dividers. If you prefer not to jar the aesthetic of your larger space, consider going for a screen with delicate fretwork, as pictured above, to channel light both ways.

Alternatively, if you want to create two distinct zones within your room, go for a solid screen like the one on the left to maintain maximum privacy on both sides.

Find an interior decorator near you

For a more extravagant look, play up your design to include embellishments that fit into your room decor.

2. Bring in a shelving unit
A basic shelving unit – open or closed – is perfect for giving your room a multifunctional facelift. By placing your unit between your two spaces, you can create a sense of division while also maximising the space within the unit for storage and display. An open unit is a good option if you plan to keep a visual connection between your zones…

3. Install glass partitions
Glass doors like these are a good choice if you're looking to create a division without robbing your larger space of light and volume. Install them floor to ceiling to merge them into the shell of your room and make them a luminous gateway between your spaces.

For a look that spells visual continuity, go for sliding doors that can be swept all the way back.

4. Play with elevations
Instead of using dividers and screens to close off spaces, consider splitting your room into functional levels. In a kids' bedroom, for instance, you can easily accommodate a split-level play room like this one. However, make safety a priority when planning such elevations in a kids' space. Consider this option only if your kids are independent enough to handle being at a height unsupervised.

A bed hoisted onto an elevated platform can visually signal a sleep zone, and relegate the lower level to other activities.

5. Embrace accordion doors
Accordion doors can afford you the luxury of folding your partition all the way to the wall when you want a large, seamless space. Plus, they make for an aesthetic addition to any room, serving as an understated design statement.

Take a look at door designs on offer on Houzz

6. Seek out a sculptural accent
Is it a sculpture? A shelving unit? Or something in between? The truth is, anything can work as a room divider if you think about it, and a divider that bends the rules can easily straddle the line between aesthetics and ergonomics. Think outside the box and consider accents like statues, handicrafts and quirky furniture to divide your room while also serving as its pièce de résistance.

7. Draw the curtains
An easy-breezy way to split your room into two without making a permanent commitment to your walls is to introduce curtains. Gauzy curtains like these are an excellent way to zone your spaces while still maintaining visual fluidity.

Read more:
How to Design One Bedroom For Two Children
How to Partition Spaces Without Using Walls

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Which of these room-splitting ideas would work in your home? Tell us in Comments below.

London's Award Winning Full Service Interior Design Studio

Turn 1 Bedroom Into 2

Source: https://www.houzz.in/magazine/turn-one-room-into-two-with-these-genius-ideas-stsetivw-vs~119962241

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1 Bedroom Apartment Interior Design

1 Bedroom Apartment Interior Design

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

95 ways to decorate a flat

All the most stylish flats from the House & Garden archive collected in to one handy gallery

Like all small spaces, flats can require a bit of ingenuity to get right, but it's so satisfying when you manage to organise everything to exactly accommodate your requirements. We've gathered together some of our favourite design ideas from the archive, as well as helpful tips from interior designers below.

• Make as much use of height and light as you can. In a tiny flat in London, Beata Heuman has positioned bookshelves high up on the walls, drawing attention to the considerable height of the room. 'With all that vertical volume, extending details like the artwork and bookshelves draws the eye upwards,' she says.

• Install as much custom joinery as you can afford. In Irene Gunter's small London flat, the bed in the main bedroom sits against a false wall a couple of feet from the actual wall, creating a useful area of hidden storage behind, and there are floor-to-ceiling wardrobes and window seats with integrated drawers.

• Eliminate or hide bulky objects wherever possible. In a 25 square metre Paris flat, designer Marianne Evennou installed underfloor heating as a way to avoid having to install cumbersome radiators, and managed to hide the washing machine in a corner cabinet in the kitchen, with a door opening in the entrance hall at the machine's rear.

• Zone the space carefully. It might be tempting to tear down all the walls in a small flat and create open plan spaces, but Marianne Evennou says she is a great believer in creating a number of distinct zones, 'I find you have a much greater sensation of space that way. You have the impression of moving around, rather than being stuck in a box. Plus, it's more cosy.' Half walls or walls with internal windows can be a helpful way of separating spaces while still allowing the flow of light and air. For a more affordable option, try internal curtains, especially if you're in a truly small space like a studio flat.

• Find flexible furniture. When it comes to furniture, Marianne Evennou recommends flexible pieces like folding chairs and bistro tables. 'You often need to move things around in small spaces,' observes Marianne. 'So it's best to stick to furniture that is mobile and flexible.' Don't feel that you have to be confined to modern pieces, however. As our decoration editor Ruth Sleightholme points out, " Georgian furniture often has quite narrow proportions and could be brilliantly utilitarian at times." In the kitchen, don't waste space on a draining board, but consider an open storage option like a stainless-steel unit from Stovold and Pogue that doubles as a cupboard and drainer.

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  STEPHAN JULLIARD

  Take inspiration from Marianne Evennou's creative use of colour and choice of flexible furniture to enhance the proportions and maximise space in this Paris apartment. A pair of foldable 'Pliante' chairs from Maison Gatti flank a French bistro-style dining table from the same company in the kitchen.

• Simon Brown

  Small London flats require a clever use of space, which Beata Heuman has achieved wonderfully here. An open plan kitchen-living room has plenty of storage, but building a banquette onto the kitchen counter allows for a dining space that doesn't take up too much room. The custom-made banquette, covered in 'Heritage' leather in mustard from Yarwood, and an oak and powder-coated brass table – both by Beata Heuman Studio – are teamed with 'Vilda 3' bentwood chairs by Gemla. The 'Hackney' floor lamp in a bronze finish is by J Randall Powers for Visual Comfort

• Rachael Smith

  A former studio flat was transformed into a new hallway in Cecile Gavazzi's flat, situated between the kitchen and the dining room, for the three-storey apartment. She originally bought one duplex flat, then bought an adjoining one when it came up for sale and finally, another adjoining flat in the next door building. Smart wooden panelling in a bespoke shade of blue from Papers & Paints conceals plenty of useful storage.

• Paul Massey

  When it came to decorating her small south London flat, designer Irene Gunter said 'One of the key things I wanted to achieve was to create plenty of storage without feeling compromised on space.' The bed in the main bedroom sits against a false wall, behind which is a useful area, and there are floor-to-ceiling wardrobes and window seats with integrated drawers.

• James McDonald

  Rients Bruinsma built every part of this studio flat in Shoreditch himself, creating a seamless open plan living space that combines the kitchen, dining room, living room and bedroom in one. Part of the genius of the design is the compact, sleek kitchen. "It looks almost like it could be a bar," says Rients, "but I cook huge meals here and I manage perfectly well." The walnut kitchen was built onto the outside of the marble bathroom. Although it takes up little space, it includes a dishwasher and washing machine hidden behind the cabinets.

• Alexander James

  Landscape architect Kim Wilkie has furnished his flat in a way that perfectly complements architect William Smalley's quietly austere design, with a collection of pictures, ceramics and furniture that reveals a deep interest in craftsmanship. His bed was purchased from Heal's and is covered in an antique geometric quilt.

• Alexander James

  In Kim Wilkie's flat, architect William Smalley 'wanted the interior to look massive but simple at the same time,' William explains. 'Almost as if it had been carved out of a single space. The flat is also divided by two substantial walls, and I wanted the whole design to share that feeling of solidity and weight.' The effect is achieved by matching the depth of the solid walls throughout with sturdy detailing, keeping each surface as simple as possible. The bathroom is a wonderful example of this aesthetic - it is built around clean lines and fitted with taps from Vola and a matching bath and basin from Holloways of Ludlow.

• Alexander James

  Landscape architect Kim Wilkie bought his flat in December 2012. It is flooded with light, thanks to five large south-facing windows, left uncurtained apart from discreet white-linen blinds. The study is no exception - at one end there is a glass-topped 'Dublin' desk from Habitat and a Seventies Perspex and steel chair provide a small work space. The adjacent door leads in to the sitting room. 'Three things sold the place to me,' says Kim. 'The windows, the proportions of the rooms and the entrance stairs.'

• Alexander James

  In the dining area of Kim Wilkie's flat, a large oil on linen map of London by Barbara Macfarlane hangs behind the Arts and Crafts oak dining table and chairs. To the left, a door leads into Kim's bedroom and to the right, into the entrance hall and kitchen beyond.

• Alexander James

  Natural light floods in from the south-facing windows in the sitting and dining room, where the furniture is kept simple to draw the focus onto the industrial artwork. To the right of the Purbeck-stone chimneypiece, shelves hold 35 sculptural ploughshares dug up on Kim's farm, with cast-iron gratings and schist roof tiles on top.

  The first things that catch your eye in the sitting room are the powerfully sculptural ploughshares, dug up from the fields around Kim's Hampshire farm and arranged on backlit shelves below a 'frieze' of decorative cast-iron gratings. Arts and Crafts furniture, outsize wood engravings by Julian Meredith and contemporary ceramics testify to his love of the handmade, as does the beautifully dovetailed ladder in the study, made for Kim by the sculptor Simon Thomas.

• Sarah Hogan

  The bathroom of this Holland Park flat is fitted with encaustic floor tiles sourced from Portugal. They complement the freestanding bath from The Water Monopoly. The fresh palette works with the abundant natural light to make the room feel spacious.

• Sarah Hogan

  In this Holland Park flat, the main bedroom, with its en suite bathroom, is one of designer Nicholas Spencer's great triumphs in terms of use of space. The bed is positioned on one side of this division, facing the window, meaning the owners can lie in bed and watch the sun set.

• Sarah Hogan

  This flat is at the top of a substantial Regency house in a part of Holland Park where some of its unconverted counterparts are home to minor embassies and consulates. At 140 square metres, it is hardly a shoebox. That said, Nicholas and his wife Sophie, who make up the interior architecture practice Spencer & Wedekind, have created an interior that is far more than the sum of its square metres. An excellent example of Spencer's ingenuity is the reappropriation of the wall between the kitchen and living room - it has been extended and deepened to make space for storage, while also creating the effect of a mini-hall.

• Sarah Hogan

  This flat in Holland Park is a perfectly ordered space, with a small hall at the entrance dividing the bedrooms from the living areas, which include the east-facing sitting room at the front and the kitchen and dining area at the back. Dividing these two spaces is a set of glazed pocket doors, which allows natural light to always fill the middle of the rather deep building. Cleverly, the doors have been positioned to hide the working area of the kitchen, saving the owners from staring at pots to be washed while they relax in the sitting room.

• Sarah Hogan

  This sitting room in Holland Park is at the front of the flat and illustrates how designers Nicholas Spencer and Sophie von Wedekind have fulfilled a 'comfortable but without clutter' brief. There are inviting sofas surrounding a 'Jean Marc' coffee table by Julian Chichester, and plenty of discreet storage. Detail is provided by pieces including a Seventies brass sculpture from Fiona McDonald, which sits to the far right of the windows, and cushions from Violet & George.

• Luke Edward Hall

  In a flat belonging to artist and interior decorator Luke Edward Hall, a mid-century style dark green 'Fleetwood' sofa from Sofa.com marks the division between the seating area and dining table. It was chosen for its neat size - 'As much as I'd love a big squishy George Sherlock sofa, they're not always practical in a London flat,' says Luke. A colourful array of cushions, including a velvet ikat and a burgundy cushion from Luke's own range, decorate the sofa.

  A spectacular 1960s Fontana Arte mirror, found on 1stDibs, hangs above the sofa. 'I love the segments of peach and blue glass together and the bronze frame on this one,' explains Luke. The mirror is framed by a pair of shell sconces from The English Lamp Company and a pair of plaster ones from Peter Hone. They're ideal for balancing a couple of pineapples on when throwing a party, according to Luke!

  The peach coloured marble topped table was found at one of their favourite shops, Ebury Trading and was something of an investment piece. They have balanced it with six Marcel Breuer style chairs, which were a steal from eBay. 'It's good to mix things up; it's worth spending money on important items that you've fallen in love with, but not everything has to cost lots of money,' says Luke.

• Luke Edward Hall

  The hallway of Luke Edward Hall's London flat is painted in Farrow & Ball's fresh 'Folly Green' colour - this choice brightens a potentially dark space. A colourful antique kilim from the Rug Store in Richmond sits on the floor beside a plaster ionic capital by Peter Hone. The walls are covered from floor to ceiling with framed prints, exhibition posters and maps. Luke and Duncan collect 20th century exhibition posters from the likes of Picasso, Hockney and Calder, with the yellow Matisse one in the hall being a favourite of theirs. For framing, they use Circa 48 on Brecknock Road, which is just a stone's throw from their house. 'It's incredibly reasonable and they can supply just about any frame you wish,' says Luke.

• Luke Edward Hall

  An ebonised oval mirror sits above the sink in the bathroom of Luke Edward Hall's London flat and the large flamingo print complements the wallpaper. A roll top bath and a large shower was installed four years ago along withtongue and groove panelling on the bottom half of the wall, which is painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Pigeon'. The walls are hung with 'Apothecary's Garden' wallpaper, a 1926 Charles Voysey design, which is printed by Trustworth Studios.

• Luke Edward Hall

  At Luke Edward Hall's flat, a mustard velvet sofa from Sofa.com is decorated with cushions from Svenskt Tenn and from Luke's range. This sits opposite Duncan's study nook. The overall effect is warm, cosy and welcoming.

• Luke Edward Hall

  The large main living area of Luke Edward Hall's flat is painted in Leyland's bold 'Forest Storm'; this makes the space cosy. There was initial concern about how dark it was ('I did think for a moment, what have we done - we're living in a dungeon,' says Duncan) but the final result is very beautiful. Fortunately, the room benefits from two large sash windows, so it remains bright and light.

• Jake Curtis

  In the spare room of Ben Pentreath's Bloomsbury flat, leads out to a small terrace. Ben ha used several pieces of traditional brown furniture to furnish the room. Vintage Wedgwood Jasperware can be seen in the cabinet on the left. The walls are papered in the timeless 'Willow Boughs' by William Morris, one of Ben's favourite designers.

  'Timelessness interests me; it's important in both architecture and decoration. I think about longevity and am interested in looking outside what is completely current. Jokey animal heads on the walls are not my thing; nothing dates faster than fashion.'

• Jake Curtis

  In Ben Pentreath's flat, the bathroom and the two bedrooms are both wallpapered. As Ben explains, 'I like using wallpaper because I love the layers of pattern and colour that it brings to a room.'

  In the main bedroom http://www.soane.co.uk/Soane's delicate 'Seaweed Lace' wallpaper contrasts with the bold blanket from Pendleton.

• Jake Curtis

  You pass through a white door as you enter Ben Penreath's flat. In the stairway, the walls are covered in framed artworks. The print based on Radio 4's Shipping Forecast (centre) is from Flowers and Fleurons, a small letterpress workshop in Brighton that produces hand-printed limited edition prints. This particular one is the 'Finisterre' edition in subtle greys, printed for Ben.

  The pendant light is 'Beat Wide Black' from Tom Dixon, while the red chair on the right is a Prince of Wales Investiture Chair from 1969 designed by the Earl of Snowdon.

• Jake Curtis

  Ben Pentreath's flat is contemporary, but also quite traditional. 'Both styles are equally valid simultaneously, but whereas architecture has more rules, more right and wrong, decoration is more fluid. Things that shouldn't work do; even if something jars, it can unexpectedly feel just right. Architecture, of course, is there for ever, but decoration can come and go. Nonetheless, my favourite approach is to mix things that will endure.' Which is, in essence, a pretty intelligent - and certainly timeless - philosophy for design.

  The compact galley kitchen is monument to Ben's approach to design - white units and shelving are matched with unusual dark green walls (try 'Euphorbia' by Paint Library for a similar colour).

• Jake Curtis

  Ben Pentreath's flat is on the top floor of a peaceful Georgian building belonging to the Art Workers' Guild. It is light and bright - an ideal Sunday morning space where you really can smell the coffee, a place that requires no huge effort on the part of the viewer to appreciate its manifest charms.

  The living room is a perfect example of Ben's approach to design. The fireplace overmantle, from the Aesthetic Movement, is tasteful yet unusual. Spalshes of colour, such as the Green 'Turquoise Flower' Ikat Lampshade by Melodi Horne, pepper the room and bring a sense of relaxed fun to the space.

• Paul Massey

  In Rita Konig's bathroom, Hinson's 'Martinique' lines the walls. Wallpaper in the bathroom may seem a little kooky but the surprise is a welcome one. The iconic leaf print sits nicely next to the high-gloss 'Deep Brunswick Green' from Papers and Paints that Rita has chosen for the horizontal and vertical boards that surround the bath.

• Paul Massey

  Rita Konig's spare bedroom has curtains in 'Broadcloth' felt from Hainsworth and is lined in Tyler Hall's 'First Bloom' wallpaper from Tissus d'Hélène, with a Guatemalan tapestry that Phil brought back from his travels.

• Paul Massey

  The blue and white kitchen in Rita Konig's flat has Corian-topped units.

  Rita talks about the merits of one level, flat living - 'People are spending so much money on these vertical houses. I have friends with houses worth millions and they spend their whole time in the kitchen in the basement. Not having stairs when Margot was crawling was amazing. It was like being in an enormous hotel suite, where no one has to go downstairs in the middle of the night to get the milk.'

• Paul Massey

  Rita Konig bought her flat in 2012, having spent six years in New York. Today she lives in an amalgamate of her original flat and the one next door.

  A few steps up from the kitchen leads to the dining area, where the walls are painted in 'Greville Pink' by Adam Bray. Contrasting with this are the yellow leather-upholstered chairs from Philippe Hurel and a drawing by Bill Mauldin from Honor Fraser Gallery in LA. The effect is striking but not alienating: the room is at once clean and cosy.

• Paul Massey

  Rita Konig is not a woman who is afraid to speak her mind. Reassuringly opinionated on anything from cut-pile carpet (loathsome) to kitchen sinks (should never be visible from the sitting room), she administers her design dictums with a confidence and certainty quite at odds with her easy-going, almost girlish manner. She is at once a style commentator - as European editor for T: The New York Times Style Magazine - and a design agony aunt, dispatching regular, compulsive decorating advice to readers of House & Garden through her column, 'Rita Notes'. The daughter of design royalty Nina Campbell, she has been brought up on good taste, and is herself a decorator in high demand on both sides of the Atlantic, with current projects including a US hotel refit and a London townhouse.

  The sitting area of her flat in west London is a masterclass in layering, with textiles in different patterns and textures covering the sofas and cushions; Etro's red cotton velvet 'Palinuro' from Pierre Frey is used on one sofa and China Seas' 'Ziggurat' from Tissus d'Hélène on the other. The open fireplace surrounded by a chimneypiece found at Petworth Antique Centre, and walls covered with a mix of framed prints, photographs, drawings and paintings, add to the relaxed look.

• Paul Massey

  The bedroom of this Edwardian flat in south London is simple but, like the rest of the house, is furnished with a blend of classic contemporary designs and understated antiques and vintage pieces, many bought at The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair at Battersea Park.

  The lack of preciousness is refreshing and luckily does not come at the cost of sophistication - there is an elegant spareness to the space.

  'Everything I look at, I love,' says owner Caroline of the choices she made with designer Harriet Anstruther. Harriet is equally as thrilled: 'You absolutely hope that is what you will be able to offer your client'.

• Paul Massey

  Designer Harriet Anstruther kept the colour palette pared back in this South London flat, but there are a few well-placed hits of bold colour - the most dramatic of which is the wet-room tiles. 'I loved the idea of my client waking up to this rich blue, which is offset perfectly by the glamorous gold fixtures and fittings,' she says. The electric blue tiles used to inject a pop of colour are by Bisazza.

• Paul Massey

  At the rear of this south London flat, designer Harriet Anstruther raised then cuffed the kitchen ceiling at both sides to create a flat top, to which she added a pair of skylights. She also removed one of the kitchen windows and enlarged and repositioned the remaining two. The kitchen itself is entirely bespoke, and much is concealed behind a wall of built-in storage. 'Storage was the biggest challenge in this flat. Now every little void has built-in cupboards,' explains Harriet. Glass pendant lights from Curiousa & Curiousa hang above the table, which is surrounded by vintage Tolix chairs by Xavier Pauchard in their original paint.

• Paul Massey

  The loft space of this south London flat is now a bedroom with an en suite wet room. The loft conversion meant that Harriet could create a sitting room-cum-study at the front of the house in lieu of the bedrooms. This new room she connected to the original sitting room by adding sliding pocket doors built into the dividing wall. She added a new wall (also with pocket doors) between the landing and original sitting room so it could be closed off and used as an additional bedroom when needed. 'I also use it as a cosy place to relax on winter evenings,' says Caroline.

• Paul Massey

  After living in it for 20 years, in 2012 Caroline O'Donnell decided her flat needed an overhaul. 'I was so much busier and needed my home to be better organised. I had also come across that phrase: a place for everything and everything in its place. It really struck a chord,' she says. Caroline found designer Harriet Anstruther the twenty-first-century way: through a Google search. 'I narrowed it down to three interior designers, but in the end it was about personality,' she explains. 'Harriet and I were a good fit, and that was vital.'

  A small study area in the corner of the sitting room is pictured above. A 'Bertoia Side Chair' from Skandium has been paired with an antique desk.

• Simon Upton

  Around the bathroom walls in Patrick Williams' flat, above matchboard panelling, runs a narrow shelf made from oak from a table his parents had when he was a child. A bigger piece forms the loo seat. The old bath was bought for £80 and the Victorian taps were reconditioned and de-chromed, as was the shower-curtain rail and waste pipe. The basin is from Labour and Wait - Patrick got a deal on it as it was chipped; for him this is welcome patina.

• In interior designer Patrick Williams' flat, books are transformed into a design feature. Vintage Penguin paperbacks are arranged in colour order: the spectrum created is visually stunning.

• Simon Upton

  The round window that allows light from the kitchen into the hall in Patrick Williams' flat was found in Epsom. It is just one of hundreds of unique finds that furnish the house, such as William Morris fabric that was used for cushions on the church pews - 'a nod to my God,' quips Patrick, who brought the pews back on the roof of his car.

• The bedroom in Patrick Williams' flat is entirely painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Lamp Room Grey'. It is a haven of calm watched over by a stone statue of the Virgin Mary. Patrick enclosed the bed, hiding the original chimney breast and cleverly making use of the voids either side for a bedside shelf and walk-in cupboard. Here, the floorboards were bought on eBay at 8am, collected from a house in Clapham by 9am, and installed by the end of the day, swiftly moving from one house to another.

• Rachel Whiting

  The parquet and all new joinery in this Barbican flat - including the discreet wall-hung television unit, the bathroom panelling and the 10-seater dining-room table - is made from old laboratory worktops; the darkness of the wood echoes that of the window frames. Oranges, reds and browns bring warm to the Brutalist architecture.

• Rachel Whiting

  Despite the almost complete redecoration, the owners of this Barbican flat did decide to keep the original galley kitchen, designed by Brooke Marine, which had been well kept. It is simple and light, stylish and timeless.

• Rachel Whiting

  The owners of this Barbican flat immediately liked the idea of using reclaimed materials, such as the beautiful Hopton Wood fossil limestone on the floor and walls of their bathroom, rescued from Heathrow Terminal 2 - 'it seems made for the Barbican, its colour aligns with the concrete.' As an aside, the last batch of Retrouvius's 2,000-square-metre haul has found its way to a rather different home; it was sold to the Duke of Devonshire to be laid at Chatsworth - the quarry is local - and Lismore Castle, his Irish estate.

  It was an easy decision to get rid of the original Barbican bathroom - 'though appropriate for the architecture, it was 40 years old and tired and dated,' say the owners - but they were able to donate useful or unique parts to the Barbican Salvage Group for others to reinstate elsewhere.

• Rachel Whiting

  As soon as you enter this flat, with its two bedrooms off to the left and the living areas to the right, the atmosphere is one of enveloping cosiness and delightful details and textures. Voile curtains are adorned with delicate pieces of lace from a collection Maria has accumulated over the years. The furniture is mostly mid-century Italian; its elegant shapes add femininity and soften any harshness, and as the wife is Italian, it seemed fitting.

• Rachel Whiting

  The Grade II-listed Barbican, a Seventies brutalist London landmark divides opinion; many dismiss it as harsh, ugly and 'municipal'; others, as this couple do, see it as 'something to be cherished'. Europe's largest multi-arts venue is on the doorstep, and 'the vibe of east London is close by, yet it is a very peaceful place to live. You grow to love the concrete,' they enthuse.

  The couple loved the architecture of their flat but were less taken by the decor when they bought it. They went in search of somebody to help them rethink the interiors, and Maria Speake was the undisputed first choice. Having spotted a stand for Retrouvius - the reclamation company that Maria runs with her husband, Adam Hills - at the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in Battersea, they took a card, came straight home and looked up the website. 'All was revealed,' says the wife. 'I knew Maria could make the flat special.' In fact, so certain were they that they waited over a year for this popular designer, by which time the wife knew all Maria's projects on the website off by heart. While they waited in the queue, they hoped that the Barbican would be a lure.

  Maria chose mostly mid-century Italian furniture for the study, as she did for the rest of the house; its elegant shapes add femininity and soften any harshness, and as the wife is Italian, it seemed fitting.

• Rachel Smith

  Interior designer Ann Boyd has forged a reputation for creating crisp, elegant, predominantly pale interiors. She was brought up on the west coast of Scotland, so the pale hues of sand, sea and sky are her allies. 'It's not in my nature to live with strident colours; I like serenity,' she says.

  In the tiny kitchen of her west London mansion flat, Ann has applied a stripped down aesthetic. While the kitchen is fitted with handle-free Ikea units, the bathroom has been clad glamorously in mirror glass, so that it appears twice its size.

• Rachael Smith

  Some small flats shriek 'space-saving solution' at every turn, but this cool, calm space just looks effortlessly elegant. 'It is literally half the size of my previous home, but I like a challenge,' explains owner and interior designer Ann Boyd.

  In the bathroom, Ann has installed a short-projection loo and wall-hung basin - both from Bathstore - in combination with a backdrop of mirror-glass panelling to 'cheat' the room's compact proportions.

• Rachael Smith

  In the bedroom of interior designer Ann Boyd's mansion flat, tucked discreetly behind the custom-built headboard, open shelves are piled with Ann's favourite white, grey and black clothes. She surveys her mini dressing area with pride. 'It works brilliantly, doesn't it?'

• Rachael Smith

  Interior designer Ann Boyd admits that her instinct for spatial planning makes her the 'guest from hell'. When she downsized to this tiny London flat, she put her principles into practice, creating an ingeniously ordered, bright and luxurious pied-à-terre.

  To create a feeling of cohesion through the flat, Ann painted the walls in the drawing room and the bedroom in 'Lead III' from Paint and Paper Library; the sofa, from George Sherlock, is covered in a Bruno Triplet linen.

• Alexander James

  The calamine pink used in the bathroom of Lavinia Bolton's flat makes us long for the days of the powder room! The 1950s-inspired pastel shade is chic and feminine.

• Alexander James

  The kitchen of Lavinia Bolton's flat sits immediately opposite the large drawing room. It is pretty, light and functional. Lavinia's gorgeous glassware is put on shelves rather than hidden in cupboards; a discreetly decorative touch.

• Alexander James

  Lavinia Bolton's London flat is an object lesson in unassuming good taste, as well as a testament to her own creativity and enterprise. The bedroom displays her approach to interior design beautifully. The soft, muted blues and greys sit elegently next to metallic accents.

• Alexander James

  A French mirror creates a focal point on the sitting room wall of Lavinia's flat, which is densely hung with Lavinia's collection of paintings. The sofa, from Lavinia's Bolton Sofa Bed Company, is upholstered in a Sister Parish fabric from Tissus d'Helene; the patterned cushion is from Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam. Throughout the flat, the high is mixed with the low and the family heirloom with the cheap-as-chips. It's an engaging style, and one that reflects a long personal and professional acquaintance with many of the best interior decorators in the business.

• Alexander James

  Lavinia Bolton needs no introduction to regular readers of House & Garden, as she has been one of its legendary house finders since 1986. Between then and now, she has scoured the British Isles and beyond in pursuit of the best in interior decoration, and at last count has visited about 4,000 houses on behalf of the magazine. Yet this is the first time that one of her own houses has featured here. 'After all these years,' she says with a laugh, 'I thought, well why not?'

  The layout of her Chelsea flat is sensibly arranged. From the hall - wide enough for departing guests to put on their coats without bundling into each other - a left-hand turn reveals an arched central corridor, with a kitchen to the left and a large drawing room immediately opposite. At the far end of the hall is the study/second bedroom on the left, with the bathroom and bedroom round a dog-leg corner to the right.

• Simon Brown

  To heighten the dimensions of the tiny bedroom in her west-London flat, interior designer Beata Heuman has painted the ceiling in 'Lulworth Blue' from Farrow & Ball. To emphasise the leafy view on to Brompton Cemetery, she has placed 'Pax' wardrobes with mirrored doors from Ikea on either side of the window. The blinds are in 'Serafina' (white) by Marvic.

• Simon Brown

  This bed, belonging to interior designer Beata Heuman, has been dressed up with a luxurious mix of textures and patterns, including a blue and white throw from Lisa Corti in Florence. A 'Geometric' mirror from Mufti takes the place of a traditional headboard. 'It's quite glamorous and a bit unexpected,' says Beata.

• Simon Brown

  The sitting room in interior designer Beata Heuman's small west-London flat is filled with improvised artwork; she has hung an acrylic-painted sample, originally done for a fresco later installed by NH Design on a project in New Orleans, with a sample for a door panel beneath it.

• Simon Brown

  Interior designer Beata Heuman believes that 'People are sometimes afraid of custom-made things, but you just need to know where to go.' The antiqued bronze table found in the sitting room of her west-London flat cost £30 from Portobello market. She recommends looking for inexpensive off-cuts, available direct from individual fabric manufacturers; the sitting room curtains, for example, are made up in a discontinued fabric that Beata was able to buy cheaply as it was water marked.

• Simon Brown

  In her small west-London flat, interior designer Beata Heuman had an L-shape sofa custom-made to fit the corner of the sitting room. It is upholstered in 'Pods' linen from Christopher Farr. Not an inch of storage is wasted - the sofa even includes a useful pocket to hold magazines! Above the sofa is an abstract that she painted herself.

• Davide Lovatti

  A large, internal glazed window provides views from the main bedroom into the sitting room and vice versa in this small London flat reworked by Italian architect Daniele Petteno while a concealed Venetian blind provides privacy. The bed sits on a 60cm podium which acts as storage in its own right as well as elevating the floor level to allow access to all the cupboards.

• Simon Brown

  Throughout her small west-London flat, interior designer Beata Heuman has used mirrors to reflect light and create an illusion of space; in the sitting room, a pair of bronze-framed mirrors, hung opposite one another above the doors, increases the sense of ceiling height.

• Davide Lovatti

  'My clients had asked me to include an office space within the apartment,' says Daniele Petteno, the architect who reworked this London flat. So in the main bedroom, he designed a built-in desk to the right of the access steps, made in European oak and treated with the same wax by Turgon used on the wooden flooring. The continuity of the materials makes the room feel larger.

• Simon Brown

  In the dining room of first time buyer and interior designer Beata Heuman's west-London flat, the bespoke blackboard acts as a constantly changing piece of artwork and was made to Beata's design.

• Simon Brown

  In her small west-London flat, interior designer Beata Heuman has combined an inexpensive 'Glendevon' kitchen from Howdens with Chloe Alberry antique brass handles (top right) and a calacatta marble worktop from Stone Interiors. She also added shelves above the units and painted the walls to match, with Dulux '2005Y20R', so the kitchen blends in rather than stands out.

• Davide Lovatti

  The kitchen in this small flat, reworked by Italian architect Daniele Petteno was designed by DPAW in conjunction with Space Cucina, with units by Schüller made to order off-site and further customised during installation. To add textural contrast within the black 'L', the MDF cabinets have a laminate finishin 'Lava Black', and the rougher textured Compac Quartz worktop is in 'Nero Ebony', supplied and installed by Space Cucina. An internal window by the hob allows views into the main bedroom.

• Davide Lovatti

  Architect Daniele Petteno has used two intersecting L shapes to demarcate space in this London flat: one white, one black. The black 'L' comprises storage cupboards in the kitchen and adjacent sitting room, and faces into the sitting area. It is only 2.25 metres high - why?

  'I deliberately created the lower height for the storage unit so that both this side of the living space and the kitchen area feel cosy, especially at night,' says Patteno.

• Davide Lovatti

  When faced with the task of reworking this compact London flat, Italian architect Daniele Petteno's solution for storage in the sitting room was 3.8-metre high, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. They look striking within the modern grey decoration scheme.

• Ola O Smit

  House & Garden stylist Alexander Breeze lives in a rented flat. His landlady was reluctant to let him paint over the eighties 'Regency-stripe' wallpaper below the dado rail, so he chose to 'kill this pattern was more pattern.' The upper half has been decorated with a mural inspired by Classical antiquity and the art of Giovanni Panini (a man Breeze deems to be a very Primitivist de Gournay). The background colour is 'Burlington Arcade' by Mylands. Recreating this look in your own home isn't difficult and doesn't recquire a paint brush - simply mismatch one pattern with another!

• Ola O Smit

  It is always worth spending money on paint, as stylist Alexander Breeze says, 'It's obvious when you say it, I know, but it's the backdrop to everything else. You see more of the walls than anything else in many rooms, so choosing the right paint is very important.'

  In this living room of his London flat Alexander has used Mylands 'Egyptian Grey' marble matt emulsion.

• Ola O Smit

  In the living room of stylist Alexander Breeze's flat, the mantelpiece is home to lots of odds and ends and pictures of friends and family. The mantelpiece has proved to be the perfect place to display decorative bits and bobs, candid photographs and small trinkets with sentimental value. Follow Alexander's lead - layer them put and don't be too precious!

• Ola O Smit

  The table in this dining room is a lesson in how to mix and match - there are two twentieth-century mahogany reproductions of Chippendale classics and two of them are sabre-legged Regency dining chairs but all of them have seat pads covered with 'Carriacou' fabric from Pierre Frey. This fabric's expensive, but it is detail like this that really makes a space. Splash out on the finishes and the final effect will be irresistible!

• Ola O Smit

  House & Garden stylist Alexander Breeze has generally kept the furniture neutral in his living room, creating a foil for the bright artworks and accessories, like the cushions on the sofa. If he decides to go monochrome in the future, he needn't have to start all over again.

  The ottoman is from Oka, which, though expensive, should last the test of time. The largest picture on the wall is a portrait from c.1900 was found, unstretched, at an auction used as a rug (which may account for it's distressed state) - Alexander got it for almost nothing. Re-stretching it was inexpensive, costing less than £100. The thangka of the left purports to be nineteenth-century Tibetan.

• Ola O Smit

  Colour is the focus of Alexander Breeze's kitchen. The room is big enough for a dining table and chairs and Alexander 'wanted the room to be bright, fun and conducive to lively conversation, hence the broad swathes of bold colour.'

  The table is from Ikea but have been given a complete makeover by Alexander 'When I saw it I couldn't help but think of painting the top of it. The legs just wouldn't be enough! After stripping the lacquer back I quickly painted it with a fun stripy pattern, purposefully done by hand without stencils so it's obviously rustic, then two coats of varnish to protect it.'

• Ola O Smit

  House & Garden stylist Alexander Breeze has used his professional knowledge in his small flat. The beauty is in the detail, the scheme emerges through small decoratice touches.

  For example, the imposing picture above the original fireplace that was found at auction. Breeze admits that, 'It's not everybody's taste, but I'm a sucker for Catholic art and couldn't resist this Christ-like figure. It was described in the catalogue as by 'a follower of Théodore Géricault', so now I refer to it, optimistically, as 'the Géricault'.'

  The mantelpiece is home to lots of odds and ends and pictures of friends and family. The bronze sculpture of Hercules is a Chinese copy of a seventeenth-century original - unusually for lots of Chinese copies, it's the most terrific quality - and I bought it on eBay for a song.

• Ola O Smit

  In the small London flat of stylist Alexander Breeze, a Japanese screen can be found on the wall facing the window in the main bedroom. It was chosen because 'It ties together the reds and greens in the room.' The chest of drawers and the Regency-style chair, both found in a junk shop, where given a fresh lick of paint by Alexander; he plans to cover them with red and white ikat fabric. We can't think of a better finishing touch!

• Ola O Smit

  Stylist Alexander Breeze's bedroom is painting in a very matt yet rich grey-green: 'Olive' by Farrow & Ball. He bought an inexpensive bed and painted it himself. The striking plywood headboard was designed by Breeze and made with the help of bespoke laser cutting service Cut Laser Cut.

  This bedroom is an ode to antiquity with touches of the Neoclassical, Empire Style and Classical-inspired littered throughout the space, most of which was designed and made by Alexander himself - the headboard with colours of an Attic vase, for example. Follow Breeze's lead, pick up a pot of paint and get experimenting with patterns and motifs from your favourite era!

• The ultimate modern scheme for a ground floor Victorian flat. Victorian Crittall screens differentiate the living room from the dining room by Turner Pocock. The patterns on upholstery and rugs mimic the statement made by the mirrors - both are bold and graphic. The twin mirrors on either side of the fireplace reflect the natural light beautifully and really open up the alcoves.

  View Turner Pocock on The List

• Simon Brown

  In Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat, cushions from Beaumont & Fletcher are among the golden accents in the spare room. Despite the small floorspace of the flat, the ceilings were restored by Hannah to their original double-height meaning every space in the flat has been made larger without losing its cosiness.

• Simon Brown

  The main bedroom in Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat features an ornate cream mirror which elegantly mimics the branches in the pattern of the antiqued 'Badminton' de Gournay wallpaper. Floral bedding as well as a floral lamp build on the theme.

• Simon Brown

  In Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat, the artwork in the dining room includes a painting by Alf Löhr from Broadbent Gallery and a graphic piece based on a design by Kelly Wearstler - contemporary artwork freshens the space. Two mirrors are included in the long, narrow dining space to make the room feel bigger.

• Simon Brown

  The long narrow spaces of Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat posed the biggest decorative challenge, when Hannah and Rachel first moved in the space was boxed in and almost 'coffin-like'. Now the space is bright and airy without compromising on privacy - this corridor separates the bedrooms and entertaining areas.

• Simon Brown

  In the sitting room of Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat,, velvet pieces, including an antique lamp from Les Couilles du Chien, contrast with the peacock-print wallpaper from de Gournay. Hannah prefers silk wallpapers, explaining how 'painted walls feel much colder as it becomes part of the architecture, not the decoration'.

• Simon Brown

  De Gournay's 'Early Views of India' lines the hallway walls in Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat; the pineapple sconce was a wedding present, while the brass-shaded lamp came from Collier Webb. This wallpaper is a perfect example of why Hannah feels that 'there's always something new to look at, always new things to find' in her home.

• Simon Brown

  In Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat, a table and chair create a work space in the living room. The table is placed next to one of the double height windows which is accessorised with dark blue blinds. de Gournay wallpaper once more makes an appearance, one of the joys of the paper is that it can be taken from house to house as Sophie explains - 'I can take it with me if I move; it just peels right off in full pieces'.

• Simon Brown

  A glass shower cubicle in the bathroom of Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat, allows the de Gournay wallpaper to become the main decorative feature of the room. Though neutral in colour the paper is not devoid of interest - it features gilded lucky fish.

• Simon Brown

  'Lining the kitchen walls with gold leaf and painting the woodwork turquoise has made the tiny cooking space feel like the inside of a delicious chocolate box'. This room in Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat, was designed with cosiness in mind; it is the only space where the celing was not restored to double height and the wenge worktop was chosen specifically to be 'more cosy and warm than stone'.

• Make the most of every surface, as in this Ikea design, by attaching rails, shelves and hooks to the side of a cupboard. Its stainless steel 'Rimforsa' rail, £6, holds everything from cooking utensils and chopping boards to tablets. The bamboo tablet stand costs £10.

• The use of a natural palette full of texture and earthy tones in this modern flat by Sophie Ashby continues in this bedroom, creating a calm and peaceful space. Naomi Paul was commissioned by Studio Ashby to make the beautiful hand-woven, offset wall and table lights.

• Studio Ashby designed the dining table in this modern city flat, which consists of an angular pedestal dining base topped with a thick slab of beautiful Verde Guatamala marble. The deep green colour of the stone enriches the flat's natural palette and matches the paint colour on certain feature walls.

  The pendant light made by Giopato & Coombes from hand blown glass was inspired by soap bubbles, emphasising the lightness of the space.

• The living room area in this transformed flat features a curved sofa designed by Studio Ashby, the shape of which was inspired by the River Thames, and was decorated with pale colours.

  The joinery piece maintains the open layout of the flat, keeping the overall scheme light while using strong angles and varied materials to add interest. Its design reflects the strong lines of the modern architecture along the Southbank. Calacatta marble, unlacquered brass (forming a characterful patina over time) and birds eye maple were used to create the facets.

• Ashley Hicks

  Designer Ashley Hicks has put an immense amount of thought into the deign and layout of his rented Lonon flat. Apart from the Louis XVI sofa in turquoise silk, he designed all the furniture in his sitting room, and painted the walls and faux-mosaic, coffee-table top himself.

• Ashley Hicks

  The corridor seen from the sitting room. Speaking to House and Garden, Ashley described his vision: "I gave the long, white corridor some added zip with David Hicks Sixties-style striped borders of braid on red vinyl and a hot pink, lacquered top for a console with a camel's leg that I carved and faux-bronzed. On the walls, I hung a group of my father's portrait prints from 1967, including Sandie Shaw, the King of Tonga and little me, aged four."

• Ashley Hicks

  The main bedroom, which Ashley shares with his wife, has a blue scheme with a matching geometric screen. The bed had hangings held by a giant hexagon, with a David Hicks by Ashley Hicks embroidered fabric on the headboard and cushions, and its hexagon design repeated in huge scale with appliquéd ribbon on the bedspread. Screens on either side were covered with Cole & Son's 'Hicks Grand' paper - more hexagons. Ashley turned the wardrobes into a faux museum with stuck-on vinyl prints of my photographs of small objects in real museums, which gave the room a quite different dimension and feeling. He also bought a cheap, walnut-veneered chest of drawers online and customised the handles with polymer clay in his own coral-inspired forms.

• Ashley Hicks

  Ashley's daughter Ambrosia's bedroom has been made to look bigger with mirrors the family already owned with vintage braiding used to cover the joins. The bed includes a tented canopy in his brown-and-white 'Openweave' print, with leopard cushions and a chaise longue in a print named after Ambrosia. Accents of bright grass green included Tingewick lamps with shades trimmed in pheasant feathers.

• Simon Upton

  At Nicky Haslam's London flat, a canopy inspired by a Cecil Beaton drawing and matching miniature lights affixed to the bed make for an intricate and detailed use of a small area. Nicky brought the bed with him from his former flat and found the table lamps in a second-hand shop.

• At Vanessa Branson's flat in Holland Park, no space goes to waste. In-built cubby holes with basket drawers fill an otherwise awkward space under a slanting wall, creating stylish storage space, and a shelf for trinkets. On the exposed brick wall hangs a collection of artwork, adding to the character of the small space.

1 Bedroom Apartment Interior Design

Source: https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/small-flat-ideas

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