Decorating
Decorating: How to Give Your Home an Injection of Designer Style
Borrow a few tips from the professionals to tweak or transform your space
Whether you’re demolishing whole rooms or simply wanting to redecorate, designing and planning how your home will look and function is a big undertaking. It’s worth spending time on the initial stages in order to avoid making silly mistakes or forgetting something crucial.
Designers will put together a mood board for each room, including inspirational images, favourite fabric swatches and paint colours, and tend to have a very clear idea of how their vision will take shape. Here are some of the tips and tricks they use that might help you create your dream space.
Designers will put together a mood board for each room, including inspirational images, favourite fabric swatches and paint colours, and tend to have a very clear idea of how their vision will take shape. Here are some of the tips and tricks they use that might help you create your dream space.
Be bold
Designers love to play with size and scale, mixing prints and clashing colours. It can be scary to commit to bold wallpaper, but a child’s room or small cloakroom are great places to experiment with fun patterns in a less prominent space.
Designers love to play with size and scale, mixing prints and clashing colours. It can be scary to commit to bold wallpaper, but a child’s room or small cloakroom are great places to experiment with fun patterns in a less prominent space.
Layer neutrals
Many people like the concept of using a ‘feature’ colour to enliven a plain room, but to create a calm, luxe feel, stylists often prefer to create depth by layering lots of similar shades, and neutrals work brilliantly for this. Be sure to include a range of textures for extra interest. Layering is such a simple idea, but one that’s really effective if you want a designer look.
Many people like the concept of using a ‘feature’ colour to enliven a plain room, but to create a calm, luxe feel, stylists often prefer to create depth by layering lots of similar shades, and neutrals work brilliantly for this. Be sure to include a range of textures for extra interest. Layering is such a simple idea, but one that’s really effective if you want a designer look.
Max out on storage
Build in storage anywhere and everywhere you can. Be clever about it and you’ll give your scheme a clean, streamlined finish with masses of cupboard space. Floor-to-ceiling cabinets, like the ones concealing wardrobe overspill in this calming, uncluttered bathroom, are a neat touch if you have a free wall.
Discover ingenious storage ideas for small space living
Build in storage anywhere and everywhere you can. Be clever about it and you’ll give your scheme a clean, streamlined finish with masses of cupboard space. Floor-to-ceiling cabinets, like the ones concealing wardrobe overspill in this calming, uncluttered bathroom, are a neat touch if you have a free wall.
Discover ingenious storage ideas for small space living
Go large
Designers dare to go further with their ideas than most of us, whether this involves tiling a whole wall behind a bathroom basin instead of a small square, or installing floor-to-ceiling shelving and an oversized clock, as in this book-filled living space.
Explore all the options and try to be a little more adventurous: you might surprise yourself!
Designers dare to go further with their ideas than most of us, whether this involves tiling a whole wall behind a bathroom basin instead of a small square, or installing floor-to-ceiling shelving and an oversized clock, as in this book-filled living space.
Explore all the options and try to be a little more adventurous: you might surprise yourself!
See the bigger picture
Many of us leave the doors in our houses open, meaning the décor in one room is visible from another. When planning any major projects, keep in mind how your home will look as a whole. Designers often stick to one colour or similar tones throughout a property; the flooring links these two spaces nicely.
Many of us leave the doors in our houses open, meaning the décor in one room is visible from another. When planning any major projects, keep in mind how your home will look as a whole. Designers often stick to one colour or similar tones throughout a property; the flooring links these two spaces nicely.
Combine colour with brilliant white
Effective colour combining is a skill that usually comes with experience, but pairing brights with a white base is an easy short-cut to fresh, fluoro style. Choose two or three colours as your dominant shades – here they’re pink, orange and turquoise – and introduce a few other complementary colours in small doses.
Effective colour combining is a skill that usually comes with experience, but pairing brights with a white base is an easy short-cut to fresh, fluoro style. Choose two or three colours as your dominant shades – here they’re pink, orange and turquoise – and introduce a few other complementary colours in small doses.
Have a place for everything
Planning is key when it comes to creating effective design. Study your belongings and ensure whatever additions you intend to make are practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. For example, when having a bespoke shelving unit built, work out the sizes of the majority of your books, so they will fit neatly without larger tomes having to be stashed elsewhere.
Learn the tricks minimalists use to stay tidy (without going totally bare)
Planning is key when it comes to creating effective design. Study your belongings and ensure whatever additions you intend to make are practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. For example, when having a bespoke shelving unit built, work out the sizes of the majority of your books, so they will fit neatly without larger tomes having to be stashed elsewhere.
Learn the tricks minimalists use to stay tidy (without going totally bare)
Make a subtle statement
Don’t shy away from creating a scheme with a bit of impact. If you lean towards neutral colours and natural materials, try incorporating bold shapes and interesting textures. Sculptural pieces, such as these Secto light shades, will transform a simple space without looking fussy.
Don’t shy away from creating a scheme with a bit of impact. If you lean towards neutral colours and natural materials, try incorporating bold shapes and interesting textures. Sculptural pieces, such as these Secto light shades, will transform a simple space without looking fussy.
Think form and function
Give your most hardworking spaces as much cosmetic consideration as the rooms you use purely for pleasure. Whether it’s Moroccan-style tiles in the kitchen or a roll-top tub in your bathroom, there’s room for a little frivolity amid the practicality.
TELL US…
What’s your secret style trick for upping the designer vibe in your home? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
Give your most hardworking spaces as much cosmetic consideration as the rooms you use purely for pleasure. Whether it’s Moroccan-style tiles in the kitchen or a roll-top tub in your bathroom, there’s room for a little frivolity amid the practicality.
TELL US…
What’s your secret style trick for upping the designer vibe in your home? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
Try to think beyond the basics of any project to the elements that need to be incorporated during the build, but that won’t become fully functional until the room is finished. Adding a niche for products in the wall next to your bath or shower is one such small addition that makes a big difference.
Browse stylish bathrooms that would tempt even the colour-shy