Each year, our followers (you!) tell us what you like (and don't like) in interiors by responding to our Instagram posts. Some houses are timeless classics, which stay perennially popular, while other images reflect the changing tastes and trends of the year. As 2024 draws to a close, we've gathered the seven most-liked new posts of the year, to delve a little further into what you like, and the lessons we can learn from these most desirable of spaces.
A Spitalfields house by Rachel Allen
Our best-loved new image of the year is this splendid drawing room in a Spitalfields house by Rachel Allen. There are so many things to like about it – the characterful architecture (yes, it's one of those beautiful Huguenot weavers' houses), the unusual blue paint on the walls, but for us what really does it is that showstopping sofa. Made especially for the space in the style of a Howard sofa, it is upholstered in antique Anatolian textiles with the tufted reverse on the outside. The idea is an homage to Robert Kime, for whom Rachel used to work. ‘I hold my hands up that it’s a total rip off of something that Robert did, but it just worked so well,’ says Rachel. We always adore stripes, but this kind of textured, multicoloured design is much more sophisticated than a simple candy stripe, and adds wonderful depth and richness to the room. The graphic black and white stripes also contrast nicely with the more gentle, faded decoration in the rest of the room. It's a lesson to us all not to just go down the obvious road with upholstery, and to incorporate antique textiles wherever possible.
The inviting snug in Stella Weatherall's Notting Hill house
This snug has an approachable design that we can all take elements from – there's the deep and generous sofa covered in Rose Uniacke's forest green cotton velvet, the kilim rug that anchors the scheme, the framed textile from BFGF, and the informal medley of cushions that make you want to dive right in. We particularly like the way the bookshelves frame the sofa, enlivening the dark blue walls with pops of red on the interior of the shelves. What you really liked about it on Instagram was the fact that it feels lived in and authentic. It's a great reminder that not everything has to to fit immaculately into a decorating scheme – sometimes piling the things you love into a room is all you need to create a sense of warmth and character.
Christian Bense's compact kitchen
Interior designer Christian Bense had been planning a full renovation and reconfiguration of his Battersea flat when he realised that none of the changes would be allowed, and he would have to make the most of the existing layout. The main pressure point was the tiny kitchen, which at 1.5 x 2.2 metres required ‘a millimetre by millimetre autopsy in order to make it work.’ Christian rose to the challenge of squeezing in a full height fridge, dishwasher, bins, boiler cupboard and plenty of storage by taking cupboards right up to the ceiling. ‘It was just a high street kitchen from Wren that we dressed up with DeVol handles,’ explains Christian. The decision to stick with standard size off-the-peg olive green units was a clever cost saver, allowing Christian to spend a little more on a bespoke marble-topped boiler cupboard that makes the most of the room’s small footprint. Another clever idea is the sideways positioning of the taps on the basin, which allows for a bigger basin.
The yellow sitting room at Marin Montagut's Normandy house
Yellow paint has been having a serious moment lately, and yellow sitting rooms are appearing on our pages with notable frequency. Your favourite was this charming room in antiques dealer Marin Montagut's cottage in Normandy. ‘This felt like a very new colour for me, but I like it because it’s a strong tone,’ explains the designer who has jazzed the room up with a red and white striped sofa and armchair that he found at a local flea market. If you're looking for a similar shade, Farrow & Ball’s ‘India Yellow’ is a consistently popular option for a warm, rich backdrop. We realise a lot of people are afraid of yellow, but with so many beautiful rooms demonstrating how it's done, we think it's time to embrace the sunshine.
The serene kitchen of a Chelsea townhouse by Steph Hill and Honor Devereux
This generous galley kitchen has a timeless quality to it, and we can't ever see it going out of style. Characterful floorboards provide the foundation for grey-green cabinets from Blakes London, and simple, elegant ironmongery from Devol. A marble countertop finishes it off, and there are plenty of personal flourishes in the room, including art and plates on the wall, to give it a touch of character. The colour of the kitchen feels especially good for right now. When we were considering the colours to know for 2025, freelance colour consultant Harriet Slaughter recommended “those green-based, creamy, slightly muddy grey-ish tones that evoke Georgian interiors, such as ‘Off White’ and ‘Old White’ by Farrow and Ball or their slightly warmer archived counterpart, ’Fawn’. They work especially well on woodwork."
The study of a Sussex farmhouse by Lucy Cunningham
Beamed ceilings, old panelling and a flagstone floor – the bones of this space are enough to make us love it, but designer Lucy Cunningham and her client has added plenty of lovely things to warm up the study of this 17th-century farmhouse. We're absolutely in love with the old and beautiful textiles in this room, including the upholstery on the client's antique X-frame chair, and the richly-coloured tapestry on the wall. This year we have been seeing a particular interest in textiles that recall the 17th and 18th centuries, including lovely crewelwork designs and plenty of tapestries being used as wall hangings.
The cheerful bedroom of an 18th-century Connecticut farmhouse
And now for something completely different… While this too is an old house, interior designer Kari McCabe and her architect husband Nate McBride have taken the opposite approach to their interiors, enlivening the centuries-old beams with graphic designs and primary colours. ‘My mother is Scandinavian – my grandparents are Swedish and Norwegian,’ says Kari. ‘So I've always been attracted to certain Scandinavian designers.’ She especially loves the playful patterns Josef Frank created for Svenskt Tenn, and has used the botanical ‘Vårklockor’ in the guest bedroom. We love how it sets the scene for other patterns in the room, including black and white bed cover, a gingham pillow and a Hudson's Bay blanket.
