The Glade Design

15/10/2026

Three kitchen renovation mistakes that cost the most.

The fridge or pantry parked at the far end, so every meal is a walk. The cheapest tap, hinges and drawer runners — the parts your hands are on daily. And underestimating the budget, where plumbing and electrical quietly eat the splashback money.

None show up on a mood board. All show up in daily life.

https://thegladedesign.com/kitchen-design-mistakes-to-avoid/

14/10/2026

Do You Really Need a Separate Toilet? The Pros and Cons

The separate toilet has gone from standard to slightly embarrassing in about two decades. Here is how I actually decide whether one earns its floor space — the households it suits, the ones it doesn't, and the 1.2 metre rule that explains why yours feels wrong....

An interior designer's honest take on whether a separate toilet is worth the floor space — the households it suits, the ones it doesn't, and the 1.2m rule most people miss.

13/10/2026

Dulux just released its 2027 colour forecast, and this year it's three palettes, not one colour of the year.

I've pulled out the actual paint names from each one, plus where I'd use them. Treasure is my favourite. It's the moody one.

Save this for when you're choosing paint. Comment OCT and I'll send you the full October report, or read it here:

https://thegladedesign.com/interior-design-trends-october-2026/

11/10/2026

What Is Contrast in Interior Design?

Contrast in interior design is the deliberate pairing of opposites — light against dark, rough against smooth, old against new. Here is what it looks like in a real home, the difference between contrast and a clash, and the contrast mistake nobody warns you about....

Contrast in interior design is the deliberate pairing of opposites — light and dark, rough and smooth, old and new — to give a room energy and definition.

11/10/2026

The things that make this kitchen actually work are mostly things you can't see.

A pop-up power point in the bench with wireless charging, so the phones and the mixer aren't fighting over the same wall socket. Dedicated homes for multiple small appliances, because the clients asked for that specifically. Storage maximised everywhere it could be — all the tall cabinetry along the rear wall, so the island stays clear to work on.

And one constraint nobody would guess from the photos: the house has hydronic heating the clients wanted to keep. So every layout had to work around where the heating elements already were. You don't get to move those.

None of it photographs well. All of it is the difference between a kitchen that looks good and a kitchen you don't have to tidy before you can start.

Turner, Glen Waverley.

https://thegladedesign.com/top-kitchen-layouts-best-floor-plan/

09/10/2026

What Is Proportion in Interior Design?

Proportion in interior design is the size relationship between the parts of a room and the room as a whole. Here is what it looks like in a real home, the two ratios worth knowing, and the proportion mistake nobody warns you about....

Proportion in interior design is how the parts of a room relate in size to each other and to the whole. Here is what it means, where it goes wrong, and one fix to try today.

08/10/2026

Putting tiny furniture in a small living room can actually make the space feel even smaller.

I know that sounds backwards. But a room full of little pieces reads as cluttered and undecided, while one properly scaled sofa reads as calm. Your eye counts objects, not square metres.

So buy the largest pieces the room can take while still leaving 800 to 900mm for the main walkway. In a small home that often still means a three-seater, or an L-shape. Keep roughly 400 to 500mm between the sofa and the coffee table, so it's reachable without being in the way.

Fewer things, bigger. Almost always.

https://thegladedesign.com/living-room-layout-mistakes/

07/10/2026

Kitchen Sinks: What’s Actually Worth the Upgrade

You touch the kitchen sink more than anything else in the room, yet it's usually chosen in four minutes. Here's where the money is worth spending, what I'd skip, and the sizing check almost nobody does....

A designer's honest take on kitchen sinks — where the money is worth spending, what I'd skip, and the sizing check most people miss before they buy.

06/10/2026

What’s Happening in Interiors — October 2026 | Trend Report

Dulux built its 2027 colour forecast around feeling disconnected, a Marrickville apartment went burgundy without touching a wall, a Thornbury extension saved its money in the subfloor, and a national report put Australia's renovation spend above $50 billion. October's interiors round-up....

Interior Design Trends October 2026: Dulux's 2027 colour forecast, a Marrickville apartment transformed with paint alone, a Melbourne extension that skipped the concrete slab, and where Australia's $50 billion renovation spend actually goes.

04/10/2026

What Is a Focal Point in Interior Design?

A focal point is the first thing your eye lands on when you walk into a room. Here is what that means in plain English, how to find the one your room already has, how to build one when the room gives you nothing, and the mistake that leaves a space feeling restless....

Focal Point in Interior Design is the first thing your eye lands on in a room. Here's what that means in plain English, how to find yours, how to build one, and the mistake that leaves a room feeling restless.