Guides
Guides reviews, comparisons and buying guides from KDS London.
Navy Kitchen Ideas: Blue, Teal and Cobalt Cabinet Designs
Navy kitchen ideas that work: the best blue cabinet shades, worktop and hardware pairings, and how to use navy, teal and cobalt without dating the room.
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Gold and Brass Bathroom Accessories: How to Style Warm Metallics
How to choose and style gold bathroom accessories and brass fittings, from brushed vs polished finishes to mixing metals and avoiding tarnish.
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Green Bedroom Design Ideas: Shades, Furniture, and Styling
Green bedroom design ideas for a calm, grounded room: choosing sage, olive or forest shades, pairing furniture and metals, and styling green that lasts.
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Grey Bathroom Ideas: How to Use Grey Without It Feeling Cold
Grey bathroom ideas that stay warm, not clinical: the right undertones, warm paint picks, materials and accents to keep a grey bathroom calm and inviting.
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Luxury Bathroom Design: What It Takes to Create a High-End Feel
What luxury bathroom design really means in 2026: the materials, layout and spa details that create a high-end feel, and where the budget actually goes.
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Kitchen Colour Ideas: The Best Shades for Every Style
Kitchen colour ideas for 2026, from warm neutrals and muted greens to deep blues and two-tone cabinets, with honest advice on what suits your space.
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White Kitchen Ideas: Cabinets, Units and Design Inspiration
White kitchen ideas for 2026: the warm-white cabinet tones, worktop pairings and finishes designers use now, plus how to stop a white kitchen looking clinical.
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Kitchen Drawer Units: Sizes, Styles, and Where to Buy
A UK guide to kitchen drawer units: standard widths and heights, pan drawer vs drawer-line styles, soft-close runners, and where to buy them.
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Fitted Bathroom Furniture: Built-In vs Freestanding, and What to Buy
Fitted bathroom furniture explained: how built-in units compare with freestanding, what to buy for small bathrooms, and how to plan a fitted scheme.
Read the guideBlack Kitchen Ideas: Dark Cabinet Designs That Work
Black kitchen ideas that feel rich, not gloomy, from matt shaker cabinets to two-tone islands, with the paint colours and lighting that make them work.
Read the guideHallway Design Ideas That Make a Great First Impression
Hallway design ideas for real homes: colour, lighting, mirrors, storage and flooring that make a narrow or dark entrance feel bigger and more welcoming.
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Modern Bathroom Ideas That Pass London Building Control
Modern bathroom design ideas checked against the rules that stop them: electrical zones, Part F extraction, tanking, and what a London flat lease allows.
Read the guideHallway Lighting: Fixtures That Work at 2.4m Ceilings
Hallway lighting for real London houses: what fits under a 2.4m ceiling, how to light stairs safely, and the three layers that fix a corridor feel.
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Living Room Fireplace Layouts: Furniture Ideas That Work
Living room furniture ideas with a fireplace: the three layouts that work, why the TV-above-it plan usually fails, and the London rules that change the brief.
Read the guidePainting Kitchen Cupboards: The 14-Day Curing Rule
Painting kitchen cupboards properly: the degrease and primer choice that decides adhesion, and why the paint needs 14 days to harden, not 24 hours.
Read the guideOffice Design Ideas: 10 sq m Per Person, 500 Lux at Desk
Office design ideas grounded in the real standards: 10 sq m per person, 500 lux on the desk, and the zoning that makes a London home study actually work.
Read the guideDownstairs Loo Design: The Layouts That Actually Fit
Downstairs loo design that works: the layouts that fit under a stair, the 6 l/s extract fan rule for a windowless WC, and why the basin decides the room.
Read the guideCream Kitchen Ideas: 6 Shades That Do Not Go Magnolia
Cream kitchen ideas that age well: six named cream shades compared, what actually causes yellowing, and the worktops and metals that keep cream warm.
Read the guideU-Shaped Kitchen Design: Why 2.4m Is the Real Minimum
U-shaped kitchen design starts with room width: the Building Regs clearances of 1200mm and 1500mm, what the two corners cost you, and when to drop a leg.
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Bathroom Vanity Units: Sizes, Wastes and the Height Trap
Bathroom vanity units in the UK: the standard sizes, why wall-hung means moving the waste, the countertop basin height mistake, and the 6 l/min tap rule.
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Open Plan Kitchen Living Room: the 2-Month Notice
An open plan kitchen living room stalls on three things, not on the design: a party wall notice that takes two months, a fire rule, and extraction.
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Black Bathroom Ideas: Get the LRV Gap to 30 Points
A black bathroom works or fails on one number the galleries never mention. The 30-point rule from Approved Document M, and what it means for tiles and taps.
Read the guideSage Green Kitchen Ideas That Survive a North-Facing Room
Sage green kitchen ideas for real London rooms: why the colour goes grey in a north-facing side return, which named greens hold up, and four ways to get there.
Read the guideL-Shaped Kitchen Design: Why the Return Wall Decides It
An L-shaped kitchen only wins you worktop once the return wall passes 1.2m. The corner maths, the 1200mm rule, and the hood trap that fails Part F.
Read the guideInterior Design Jobs UK: £23k Start, Unprotected Title
Interior design jobs in the UK start near £23,000 and reach £45,000. The four routes in, the BIID ladder, and why you cannot be an interior architect.
Read the guideInterior Design Trends 2026: Blue Beat Grey, 18% to 12%
Blue is now Britain's most popular kitchen cabinet colour at 18% and grey has fallen to fourth. The 2026 interior design trends survey data actually supports.
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Kitchen Cupboard Doors: Yours Is Probably 715mm Tall
Replacing kitchen cupboard doors: the 715mm UK standard, the 35mm hinge bore that has to line up, and why IKEA fronts will never fit British units.
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Modern Kitchen Design: Check the Consumer Unit First
Modern kitchen design in a London flat is settled by three things before any finish: the electrical supply, the lease, and where the extraction can go.
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How to Find and Hire the Right Interior Designer in London
A practical London guide to finding, vetting and hiring an interior designer: where to look, fee structures, the questions to ask and red flags to avoid.
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Kitchen Window Ideas: Treatments, Sills, and Styling Tips
Kitchen window ideas for 2026: the best treatments over the sink, blinds vs curtains, sill styling and practical fixes for awkward windows.
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Small Kitchen Design Ideas: Making the Most of a Compact Space
Small kitchen design ideas with hard UK numbers: unit widths, slimline appliance sizes, honest costs, ventilation rules and layout advice for compact spaces.
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Wooden Bathroom Cabinets: Oak, Pine, and Natural Wood Options
A UK buyer's guide to wooden bathroom cabinets: oak vs pine, solid vs veneer vs laminate, real prices, sealing and how to make them last.
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Traditional Kitchen Design: Classic Styles and How to Achieve Them
Traditional kitchen design explained: Shaker vs Victorian styles, the in-frame cost ladder, Belfast vs butler sinks, heritage palettes and realistic UK
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Small Bathroom Design Ideas: Layouts and Storage for Tight Spaces
Small bathroom design ideas that work: space-saving layouts, clever built-in storage, the right tiles and colours, and the mistakes to avoid.
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Kitchen Base Units: Standard Sizes, Types, and Buying Guide
A UK guide to kitchen base units: standard sizes in mm, the main cabinet types, how widths add up, and how to plan a run that fits and works.
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Shaker Kitchen: Style, Costs and Design Ideas
A designer's guide to the Shaker kitchen: what defines the style, the in-frame vs lay-on cost ladder, colours that work, and realistic London prices.
Read the guideGrey Kitchen Ideas: Shades, Tiles and Pairings That Still Work
Grey kitchen ideas that still look current: warm versus cool shades, two-tone units, the right worktops, splashback tiles and colours that pair well.
Read the guideKitchen Corner Units: Solutions That Actually Use the Space
A practical guide to kitchen corner units: Le Mans, magic corner and carousel solutions compared, plus how to stop the corner becoming dead, wasted space.
Read the guideSmall Bathroom Ideas with Shower: Layouts That Work
Practical small bathroom ideas with shower for UK homes: walk-in and wet room layouts, corner showers, and the design tricks that make a tight room feel bigger.
Read the guideRoll-Top Bath Ideas for Period and Modern Bathrooms
Roll-top bath ideas for a period or modern bathroom: slipper vs double-ended, cast iron vs acrylic, feet, taps, colours and how to make one fit a small room.
Read the guideSliding Bathroom Door Ideas: Space-Saving Options for Small Rooms
A sliding bathroom door frees up floor space a hinged door wastes. Compare pocket, barn and wall-slider options, privacy, cost and how to choose.
Read the guideKitchen Larder Units and Pantry Cupboards: A Complete UK Guide
A UK guide to the kitchen larder unit: types, standard sizes from 300mm to 600mm, pull-out vs fixed shelves, and how to plan pantry storage that actually works.
Read the guideComplete Bathroom Suites: What's in a Bath, Basin and Toilet Set
What a complete bathroom suite with a bath includes, the toilet and basin types to choose, what's often left out, and how to buy a set that matches.
Read the guideKitchen Cabinet Dimensions and Standard Sizes Explained
A clear guide to UK kitchen cabinet sizes: standard base, wall and tall unit dimensions in mm, common widths, worktop heights and how to plan a layout.
Read the guideVictorian Bathroom Ideas: How to Achieve the Traditional Look
Victorian bathroom ideas that actually work: the roll-top bath, high-level cistern, tiles, brassware and panelling, plus the mistakes that spoil the look.
Read the guideBathroom Wood Panelling: Why It Works and How to Use It
A designer's guide to bathroom wood panelling: which wood and panel types survive moisture, where to use them, how to seal them and how to get the look right.
Read the guideBathroom Taps: Mixer Taps, Basin Taps and How to Choose
A UK guide to bathroom taps: mixer, pillar, wall-mounted and waterfall styles, matching taps to your water pressure, tap holes and finishes that last.
Read the guideHandleless Kitchen Cabinets: Everything You Need to Know
A handleless kitchen guide for UK homes: true handleless vs J-pull vs push-to-open, the real pros and cons, costs and how to choose the right system.
Read the guideKitchen Island Ideas: Layouts, Sizes, and Design Inspiration
Kitchen island ideas for real homes: the sizes and clearances that actually work, seating, storage, lighting and the 2026 looks designers are specifying.
Read the guideBathroom Worktops: Materials, Costs, and Installation Tips
A designer's guide to bathroom worktops: which materials survive constant damp, what they cost per m2 supplied and fitted, and the cut-outs that add money.
Read the guideRed Kitchen Ideas: Bold Schemes and How to Pull Them Off
Red kitchen ideas that work: choosing between vermilion, crimson and burgundy, where to put the colour, and the worktops and metals that carry it.
Read the guideBathroom Storage Cabinet Ideas and Shelves That Actually Work
A practical guide to choosing a bathroom storage cabinet and shelves: cabinet types, moisture-proof materials, small-space tricks and what designers plan first.
Read the guideBest Paint for Bathroom Walls and Ceilings: UK Buyers' Guide
Which bathroom paint actually resists mould and steam in a UK bathroom, the right finish for walls, ceilings and woodwork, and how to apply it.
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Bathroom Colour Ideas: 9 Shades That Work in Real Light
Bathroom colour ideas that survive real light and steam: nine shades matched to north-facing, windowless and small bathrooms, plus the finish to specify.
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Bathroom Sinks: Sizes, Heights and the Waste Most Get Wrong
Bathroom sink sizes, rim heights and basin types compared, plus the slotted waste rule that stops an overflow emptying onto your floor.
Read the guideKitchen Cabinet and Door Handles: How to Choose the Right Style
How to choose kitchen door handles: fixing centres explained, which size suits which unit, style pairings that work, and the finishes that survive daily use.
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Kitchen Carcass Specs: That Wall Shelf Holds 15kg
Kitchen carcass specs compared. Howdens rates a wall cabinet shelf at 15kg for daily use, and back panels run 3mm to 8mm. What to check before you buy.
Read the guideSmall Living Room Design: Layouts That Beat 17m²
Small living room design for UK homes. The average sitting room has fallen from 24.89m² to 17.09m², so here are the layouts and furniture sizes that still work.
Read the guideYellow Kitchen Ideas: The Shades That Work in London Light
Yellow kitchen ideas that survive a north-facing London flat: which yellows hold up in low light, where to put them, and what a respray really involves.
Read the guideOak Kitchen Cabinets: Solid, Veneer or Foil, and the Cost
How to tell solid oak from veneer and oak-effect foil on a showroom door, what each costs per unit in 2026, and the finishes that keep oak looking current.
Read the guideBeige Bathroom Tiles: Warm Neutrals and How to Style Them
A designer's guide to beige bathroom tiles: the warm neutral comeback, travertine and porcelain options, finishes, and how to style them without looking flat.
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