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Our homes are where we recharge our batteries after a hectic day at work, reconnect with our families and entertain our friends, so it’s little wonder that having a beautiful, welcoming environment is top of most people’s home wish list. Yet if you’ve never tried your hand at interior design before, it’s easy to fall into a few common errors and then your redecoration project can turn into a big, expensive mistake. Here’s how to avoid some interior design pitfalls and get the home of your dreams…
Shop Around For Furniture
Many people make the mistake of walking into one furniture shop and ordering everything there. But if you do this, not only will your interiors be devoid of personality and style, but you won’t get the best deals either. Use websites to shop around, signing up for newsletters to access exclusive discounts and sale information. Many have traditionally been way of ordering large furniture pieces online, but more quality retailers are emerging, and using retail furniture software to ensure you get a personalised experience along with high quality design.
Choose The Paint Last
Lots of interior design novices make their first decision the colour of the walls, but this isn’t a good idea. It can leave you scrabbling about to match in accessories and furniture. Start instead by selecting the fabrics and textiles you love, such as sofas, curtains and blinds, cushions, rugs and other upholstery. Once you have these, pick out one or two colours to try out as testers on the wall that complement the fabrics. This makes it much easier to create a harmonious and complementary scheme.
Focus On A Lighting Scheme
If there’s one thing which can make a huge impact on the mood and atmosphere of your space, it’s lighting. So it pays to think through the lighting scheme of a room and understand what you need depending on its function. Do you need bright task lighting, a soft ambient glow, or a halo of downlighters? Lighting can be used to highlight great features and obscure not so great ones. Plus a statement light fitting becomes a feature in its own right, and can be a fabulous talking point for a room. Don’t leave your lighting as an afterthought, make it the main attraction instead.
Adopt a Cohesive Theme
Although you don’t want every room to look the same, neither do you want to approach everything piecemeal. You need to create a sense of flow and cohesion across the whole of your space by sticking to a similar palette or theme and adding some linking elements. This will feel harmonious and make your home appear bigger as well. Try starting with the flooring, picking one style to run through most of your space. You may want to pick a neutral carpet and some complementary wood or tiling for heavy traffic areas such as the hallway or kitchen. A simple touch like this can give your home a clear identity and looks more luxurious than a mismatched floor in every room. You could try the same trick with picture frames or blinds as well.
