Published by Programme B
When we think of interior design, we think of sprawling and stunning interiors with luxury furniture and expensive accessories. It’s not the kind of image we always associate with young professionals – and if you’re one, you might understand what we mean. After all, the expensive interior design might not be something up to par with your current career standing. Thing is, good interior design doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive. In fact, you can pull off a stunning interior design as a young professional. Here are some tips:
1 Think about what you want to do with your space. The most important aspect of any interior design is to think about what you want to do with your space. This doesn’t mean just figuring out what you want to “put in” your space, but what you plan on doing when you “don’t put in” things there. In short, you need to strike a good balance between “white space” and the actual space you want to use.
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- When it comes to your actual space, figure out how much of your space do you want to allocate for your furniture and accessories, and how much do you want there for people to walk around in. Try to figure out if you can create a “walking plan” for a room, so people will naturally navigate around furniture and accessories to get to places they want. Don’t get discouraged if you have a relatively smaller room; RoomsToGo can make it easy to maneuver around your tight, cozy space. The more seamless they can go around your chosen design, the better.
- When it comes to your white space or empty space, try to see if you want to emphasize the fact that there’s more of “occupied” space or “empty” space. Be careful though, because occupied space might make a house seem lively – but it also makes houses look overwhelmingly cluttered. Likewise, empty space can make a house seem clean but too little space can make a house seem too empty.
- Think of what you want your space to look like as it “functions.” The overall design has to work with how you want your home to “work” on a day-to-day basis. Hypothetically: how does the kitchen design work when you cook? How does the living room fare with family bonding? Can you roam around your room properly, or is there enough room in your desk to open your laptop and see the schedule of the Michaels’ employees you manage? Regardless of what you plan on doing or the kind of work you have, your interior design has to work in your favor.
2. Integrate good lighting into your space. We can’t underestimate the value of good lighting in any house, regardless of its design and motif. Both traditional and modern houses can benefit from the way you use your lighting, as this technique determines how general impressions would be like when people look into your room. Be wary of just how small or large your rooms are, what elements you want to emphasize, and what sources of lighting are available. Here are some tips for you to consider:
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- Consider painting smaller rooms with lighter and softer colors. This helps the room “pop” more and appear quite larger, as there’s more light for your eyes to process. Likewise, you can use big mirrors and have mirrors across windows to evenly spread lighting around your room. These give rooms the optical illusion of space and can make rooms much larger than they are.
- Likewise, big rooms can appear smaller with darker and bolder colors. Even if you have a lot of natural light, darker rooms will feel more “boxed-in.” You can use this if you want certain parts of the room emphasized, or if you want generally-larger rooms to appear less daunting and overwhelming. If you’re not sure how to go about repainting a room and feel like you may need some help, consider finding a painter and decorator near you to give you a hand.
3. Get natural, apply greens and browns. Regardless of your chosen trend and design, you can’t go wrong with adding a bit of natural element to your space. Greens and browns, plants and wood, as well as things about nature – flowers, animals – can definitely breathe a new life to your living space. This works well with any sort of design, as this can add a “natural” flair to any house’s design approach.
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- Adding natural elements such as wood and plants can add a natural “spice” to a traditional design. They make rooms feel more everlasting and can add value to things of sentimental value. Placing plants and flowers in these spaces can add a bit of a nostalgic feel that can make any visitor feel like they’re visiting home.
- Likewise, adding green and brown shades or even wood to modern design can “divert” attention from the eyes. This helps especially if your design has a lot of angles or a prevailing neutral color scheme. Adding greens and browns can definitely bring life to very neutral shades.
4. Take advantage of different patterns and textures. Another important aspect of generating appeal to any home space is how you use your textures and patterns. This doesn’t just apply to your furniture and accessories, but your overall home atmosphere as well. Houses can benefit from a mix of rough and soft surfaces, and especially if you balance them properly around the house.
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- Don’t be shy mixing and matching soft and rough textures. If you have soft walls and furniture with bold colors, you can spice things up with pillows and decorations with “rougher” looks. This approach can add a lot of depth, texture, and warmth to a living space and can definitely make things pop more.
- This doesn’t just apply to “actual” textures and patterns. You can also mix up inexpensive, expensive, new, and old décor and furniture. The different “looks” of space can add a bit of flair and sophistication to the eyes. Don’t overdo it, though, as this can make space feel overwhelming. However, allocating a particular space or segment of the room to a particular “purely antique” or “purely modern” area can work. Likewise, small portions of a room with varying textures can add a different dimension to a place.
5. Get creative and personal. Just because you’re following some house trends doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to mix things up and add a bit of your personal spice to things up. This is especially if you have personal effects with sentimental value that you want to add around the house. Remember, your home is your personal space – so don’t be ashamed of adding the occasional family heirloom or sentimental piece of furniture and element to your home. This adds to your house’s overall “story,” and can be something that will definitely make your home feel unique.
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- Paintings and pieces of artwork can breathe life to a living space. And while you can place the occasional famous portrait or landscape painting here and there, why not put up your personal work or pictures you’ve taken? Frame up your best works and display them in huge spaces across the house. Not only does this make use of space, but this also gives your room a “living” component.
- When you want to diversify your design, don’t hesitate! The point here is to get personal but at the same time not overwhelm yourself and visitors with your design approach. Try to think of visual balance wherever you go “out of the trend” and get into your own thing. It doesn’t always have to be about symmetry, but rather if there’s a good “balance” of elements in a particular room from your point of view.
Interior Design Today: It’s About Practicality, Flair
With the above tips in mind, it helps to understand that good interior design has more to do with how you place your objects around your space, and how everything “blends” well together. An expensive piece of furniture will not immediately make a design pop, especially if your home layout is messy and unkempt. Remember, good interior design has a lot to do with how you want to arrange your things in your space to give the best impact possible to viewers, but at the same time making it livable to its residents.