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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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.
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.
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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