We recently spoke to ten interior designers and asked each of them what is the easiest and most impactful tip you could give to someone designing a room in their own home. We have looked at all their answers and taken the things that appeared most across the board. These tips come straight from the professionals at the top of their field and are sure to help you with your design quest.
Avoid the waiting room
When you enter a waiting room in a doctor’s office or dentists, it is usually white or gray walls with a light-colored chair and a small table. There is likely some great natural light entering the room. Yet this is not how you want your home to look. Too often people follow the less is more approach and while the light and basic approach is nice, when done wrong it can leave your living room looking cold and sterile. You need to add some additional touches to a room to ensure there is a play of color and something to attract the eye. That may be a piece of art on the wall, a number of colorful pillows or curtains, or something else. Smaller objects in a room can really make it a room.
What you love
Make sure the room reflects who you are and what you love. Don’t order the entire page from an IKEA catalog and have a carbon copy in your home. While it looks nice, it is not you. Ensure you capture some element of your personality in the home. That may mean an ugly chair that everyone hates but you love. It could mean a large cactus in the corner or something else entirely. Don’t have a room that would look great in any house, have a room that would look great in your home.
Use mirrors
Four of the interior designers we spoke to said that they use mirrors as a secret advantage when designing a home. When you use a mirror you not only add light to a room but you make it look bigger too. You can find a mirror that is also a piece of art and use it to make a boring wall far more interesting.
Small rooms need light
While small rooms need sunlight, they also need light colors on the walls. Avoid using dark colors on the walls as it will make them seem dark and uninviting. Using light colors will make the room seem bigger and if you can add a mirror too you are doing really well.
Don’t be afraid
So many people are afraid to take risks when designing a room. They may be bold enough to add one pattern to a room but never two. Mixing and matching patterns and styles is exactly what gives a room its unique look and is something you have to do to give a room your stamp.
Use expert advice
This tip was not interior designers telling you to use interior designers. Instead, they suggested that you make sure you talk to other experts before making any drastic changes. You may need advice on plumbing, structural engineering, and local planners to know exactly what you are able to change and what you are not. You may have always dreamed of knocking down a wall that separates two bedrooms but if that will gives the house structural support you need to know. There are many regulations in different neighborhoods that stop people from being able to make the dramatic changes they dream off.
With this advice, we hope you have the key tips to give you the courage to make something beautiful in your home. While it may seem intimidating at first it will be an incredible accomplishment when you have finished. Take on the task and be fearless.
