Michelle Shakallis Interiors

Michelle Shakallis Interiors Michelle Shakallis Interiors specialises in residential interior design working with private clients in Kent

22/06/2026

Before designing a room, we ask what problems you want to fix. If you are renovating it means that it doesn’t work for you, either the functionality of the room or the style doesn’t align with yours, or even both. 

We ask a lot of questions to get the end result you want. This lovely client wanted to upgrade her utility. It needed to have a toilet in it, she also wanted tall cupboards for the ironing board and vacuum cleaner, a surfaceplace to fold her laundry and for the aesthetic to match her style. 

The space was tight but we managed to tick off everything on her list. Let me know what you think?

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties, arts and crafts homes, family houses. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge.

22/06/2026

A client told me she used AI to create her mood board this week. This is fine but the reality is it isn’t interior design.

A mood board is a collage of other people’s rooms. It reflects what you already like. It is not a design.
AI doesn’t know that your back door opens the wrong way, that your ceiling is lower than standard, or that you need the dining table to seat ten at Christmas and four on a Tuesday night.

It hasn’t asked you whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, or what it should feel like to walk into your bedroom after a long day. It hasn’t asked if you use the toilet in the middle of the night so a wall of wardrobes between the bathroom to stifle the noise of the bathroom would hugely help how you sleep.

Interior design begins long before a single colour is chosen or a fabric is selected. It starts with your building, the structure, the natural light, the flow from one room to the next, the direction a door swings, how low a light hangs over a table and which ones will glare. Which suppliers are worth using and which ones I would avoid.

AI can generate a beautiful image., but if you want a real person with real experience to look at your home, book in a discovery call.

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties, arts and crafts homes, family houses. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge.

16/06/2026

Here’s why people are moving away from open plan living.

For many years open plan was the dream. A kitchen with an island, a dining area and a living area all in one space. Bifold doors opening out to the garden. All open plan and filled with light. You can watch your small children play while you cook. Some homes have open plan across 2 or 3 floors with huge feature walls highlighting it.

After living like this, you realise it’s not quite the dream you had hoped for.

The problem isn’t the open plan itself, it’s that there is no where for the sound to go or the mess to hide or space between cooking and resting.

I am now being asked to design kitchens that are slightly different. Rather than one huge room that feels like a school hall the room needs zones or small divides. It doesn’t have to be completely separate but the idea of closing away the hum of the dishwasher or the mess of the washing up while you are relaxing. It can have a threshold without a door to provide visual space. A floor plan where each space flows but has its own character and purpose.

Those small children when you first bought your home will grow. They will want their own independent spaces. It is great to have a snug off the kitchen dining area if you also have a separate living room.

I’m all for open plan living, if you have plenty of materials that absorb sound, lots of storage to hide mess and a separate living room or play room so some members of your family can have some space when needed.

Do you regret removing walls to create an open plan home?

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties, arts and crafts homes, family houses. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge.

15/06/2026

I design a sink and a hob into clients’ kitchens all the time as they really want them, but would never put in my own island.

Here’s why. The island is the sociable heart of the kitchen. It’s where people gather, where the kids do homework, where you lay out a buffet or make a friend a cup of tea. That only works if the surface stays clear.

A sink fills it with dirty plates, a draining rack and splashing. A hob puts your guests in the splatter zone with an extractor roaring over every conversation. Both turn the best surface in the room into a working zone.

So in my own home, the sink and hob go against the wall. The island stays open, clean and ready for anything.

Do you regret putting a sink or hob in your island? Or are you planning to? Tell me below.

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties, arts and crafts homes, family houses. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge.

12/06/2026

Details matter. The difference between a room that looks right and one that feels right is rarely obvious.

It’s a colour used twice instead of once. A lamp that fits just right. A picture that feels considered in the space.

These are the details that matter and make a room feel finished.
If you’d like help getting yours right, the link in bio will take you to a complimentary discovery call.

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties, arts and crafts homes, family houses. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge.

10/06/2026

The quality of a room comes down to the quality of what is in it.

My advice would always be to wait a little longer for the piece that is made properly, or buy something solid second hand. Either way, you will never regret choosing well-made over cheap.

This is , one of the suppliers I come back to again and again. Natural materials, solid wood, honest construction. You always know exactly what you are getting.

We have all bought flat-pack furniture and felt that sinking feeling the moment the doors do not align. Life is too short and it will end up in landfill.

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties, arts and crafts homes, family houses. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge.

08/06/2026

How much will it actually cost?

Whether you are thinking about a garage conversion, a loft, a single-storey extension or going full double-storey, the figures vary enormously. The gap between what people expect to spend and what it actually costs is real.

Swipe through for honest 2026 build costs for Kent
homeowners, plus how much each option typically adds to your property value.

Full breakdown on my blog. Link in bio.

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties and arts and crafts homes. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge. Bespoke design, Kent.

03/06/2026

This arts and crafts home office feels like an extension of the person who uses it. Every item in this room was chosen with intention for how this client uses the room and the style they wanted to create for their home.

What does your home office say about you?

Luxury interior design, Kent. Period properties and arts and crafts homes. Whitstable, Faversham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge. Bespoke design, Kent.

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