Your home is the space you spend the most time in. It holds your most important memories, and reflects who you, and your family, are. You want it to be perfect. However, designing a home that combines comfort, luxury and your unique taste, isn’t as easy as you may think. Navigating furniture layouts, colour palettes and the intricacies of home décor can leave you feeling completely overwhelmed, and in need of an expert opinion.
7 decorating rules you should know when designing or decorating your home:
Find a focal point
Image via Sarah Witten Braker
You don’t want to be messy with your design. There needs to be one exciting main attraction in every room; this will be your focal point. Before making any major furniture decisions, pick a wall or piece that you’d like to be the centre of attention. This doesn’t mean painting one feature wall in every room. Your focal point could be a large fireplace, a fascinating artwork, a wall of windows, or anything that draws your eye. Once you decide on a focal point, you can work your furniture layout around it.
Avoid matching furniture
Image via Bella Vie Interiors
Forget what you’ve heard. Contrary to traditional decorating advice, it’s best to avoid matching furniture. While it may seem easier to select pieces of furniture that “match”, great style goes beyond that. Focus on pieces that complement each other without necessarily matching. If you already own furniture that is matching, try dispersing them around your home in separate rooms.
Create ‘Visual Balance’
Image via Bone Made
Visual balance can make or break a room’s design. Whether you prefer symmetrical or asymmetrical design, you need to level out the “visual weight” of your room. Think of it like a see-saw; if one side of the room features big, heavy furniture, and on the other side is only one small chair, it’s going to feel imbalanced and uncomfortable to look at. Aim for equal weight on every side of your room to create a sense of stability and unity.
Consider paint colours carefully
Image via Bella Vie Interiors
As a beginner decorator, choosing the perfect colours for your room can feel overwhelming and a bit intimidating. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Firstly, when looking at paint swatches, visualise how they will realistically look in the room. Consider lighting, structural elements and how the colours will affect your design choices. Secondly, view the swatches upright instead of looking down at them; lighting can drastically change how the colour looks when it isn’t parallel with the wall. Another great trick is to test paint colours by ordering samples and painting only a small portion of your wall. Make sure that the backdrop is pure white so you can see the samples’ true colour. It’s easy to get confused by off-white undertones.
Start with the perfect rug
Image via Archer Interiors
Rug placement is one of the most underrated and game-changing aspects of room design. Many designers find that the best way to construct a room is to start with the perfect rug and choose furniture and décor based on its design. Needless to say, the placement and sizing of your rug certainly matters. All legs of your furniture should fit on the rug; a small rug that floats in the middle of the room is a big no-no!
Hanging Artwork requires calculation
Image via Design Milk
Artwork placement is a tricky, but an exciting part of the room design. Where and how do you place them for a balanced, but eye-catching, effect? Here are the basics:
- If you’re hanging art above an item of furniture, make sure that there’s a space of at least 15 to 20 cm above it. You’re aiming to make it feel connected to the objects below. Consider scale when hanging artwork above a piece of furniture, making sure the piece fills 2/3 of the width of the furniture below.
- If you’re hanging artwork on an empty wall, the centre of the piece should be approximately 1.4m from the floor. The easiest way to measure this is by hanging it at eye level, assuming you’re of average height.
- If you’re pairing more than one frame, make sure to hang them 8 to 10 cm apart. Keeping the frames close helps to connect the pieces and unify your room.
Create luxury with window coverings
Image via Zephyr & Stone
Curtains are a beautiful finishing touch to a room. They’re an easy way to add warmth and comfort to your home whilst creating a sense of luxury. Consider these rules when planning curtains for your space;
- Allow at least 10 to 12 cm of space between the window frame and the curtain rod. Preferably it should be all the way to the ceiling as this will elongate your walls and create an illusion of higher ceilings.
- Never go for short curtains! For classic elegance, curtains should reach the floor.
- To create the illusion of a wider window, extend the rod beyond the edge of the window frame. This allows maximum light into the room and ensures your curtains don’t cover the window when open.
- Create a layered effect by incorporating both curtains and blinds. The shades will give you privacy while the curtains finish the room with refinement and sophistication.
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