Interior designer's best tips for personalizing your home
After 21 years in London working at several prestigious architecture firms and as project manager for Victoria Beckham’s stores and showrooms, interior designer Gabriella Gullberg moved back to Sweden to fully focus on her own interior design business. Gabriella’s style can be described as Scandinavian, eclectic, and creative, and for Nordiska Kök, she shares six of her best tips on how to add character and personality to your home.
Gabriella Gullberg’s own home is both personal and exciting, featuring material choices like terrazzo and linear glass.
A pocket door cabinet can be varied by keeping it open or closed, creating different expressions in the kitchen.
Today, Gabriella mostly works with private homes, but also offices and showrooms. When designing a home, she always starts with the people who will live there.
"I want the client to feel that they have received a home created just for them, one that perfectly suits them and their needs. I also always try to create something unique or different in the homes I design, so the client doesn’t feel like they’re getting the same thing as everyone else."
"I love everything personal and creative, but I also want it to be sustainable, stylish, and elegant, with timeless design that lasts for many years and brings the client a lot of joy. To this end, I want a home to be beautiful and inspiring, but also comfortable," says Gabriella, who takes the opportunity to share her six best tips for creating a personal home.
1. Mix old and new
At the same time, while it's important to consider the building that the home is located in, whether it's an apartment or a house, one should not rigidly adhere to its time period — that can easily become dull. It's always fun to mix in something modern and perhaps a classic piece as well. This makes the home more interesting and gives it more personality.
Choosing a color for the kitchen can be challenging, but Gabriella dares to challenge convention and make the kitchen personal by selecting a light apricot-pink hue.
Using high-quality materials like stone, wood, and, in this case, leather in the custom-built kitchen bench creates a home to be proud of for many years to come.
2. Use quality materials
Quality in both materials and colors is, of course, central to all my design concepts. It’s how you create a home that lasts and one that the client can be happy with for many years to come. Quality in every choice and using the right material in the right place is something I often assist my clients with.
3. Choose the right color
I love color and always try to understand, based on each unique client, what gives them the best color combination. Everything is beautiful, but people react differently to different colors. Colors are almost always the foundation for the thread I create in each unique home. This can range from deep, muted tones to finding the perfect shade of beige or white.
Starting with the flow and how you move through the kitchen is one of Gabriella's best tips.
Lighting is important for both creating task lighting and setting the right mood.
4. Start with the flow
The flow through the home is also very important — how do you use your space, how do you move through it, and what are your needs and desires? This is where the red thread comes in: you want cohesive elements, connection points throughout the home, a sense of belonging.
5. Use multiple light sources
Here, clients often need a lot of help, as it’s something most people underestimate when it comes to home design. You need multiple light sources in every room to create the right feel and atmosphere. It’s also important to consider the natural light entering the home and adjust for all seasons.
Daring to choose something personal and different can feel a bit intimidating, but Gabriella’s tip is to trust your gut and go with what you truly like.
A terrazzo countertop adds a personal touch to the kitchen.
6. Dare to be bold
As an interior designer, I always encourage my clients to make bold choices and be a little adventurous. A home shouldn’t only contain expected and safe options—it can become a bit uninspiring. I’m very focused on ensuring that the client feels comfortable and happy in their home, but I also want to help them arrive at a place they didn’t expect, perhaps a little outside their comfort zone. I think it’s also important to help the client design for their specific needs and daily life, rather than just for when guests come over. Of course, we want our friends and family to think our home is beautiful, but the most important thing is that we enjoy it every day, because that’s when life happens.
A pink kitchen with touches of warm oak creates a personal and soft feel in the space.
The light oak creates warmth and a beautiful contrast.
A stainless steel kitchen island provides a nice contrast to the warmth of natural materials, creating an exciting atmosphere.
Don’t be afraid to choose color is Gabriella’s tip.
Interior designer: Gabriella Gullberg
