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Finding Your Interior Design Style: Tips to Help You Design the Interior of Your Home
Designing your home can seem like a daunting and exhausting process, but it doesn’t have to be. When it comes to home decorating it’s important that your home has a cohesive design layout that resonates with you! That means designing for your life, not your walls.
Do Your Interior Design Research
First and foremost, you need to do your research. The internet is filled with resources to help you plan everything from inspiration boards to budgets. Whether you are scouring Pinterest for design inspiration or shopping for interior designers on Houzz, you need to spend some time discovering what is out there and what it’s going to cost to make your dream a reality. Once you have settled on a few options that align with your vision, you are ready to move onto the next step.
A Common Mood
Good interior design starts with a strong foundation —- the room’s layout, wall colors, furniture composition, cohesive accents and more. These elements create the unique ambiance that sets the mood in your home.
Decide on a mood or theme that is going to guide your design decisions as your start to delve deeper into the interior design process. Be sure to create an ambiance that resonates with your individual style. Once you have established the ambiance, it’s time to design your home around your life.
Decide on the Flow
Now that you have decided on a mood to guide your design decisions, it is time to look at the more abstract elements of the space —- what you will need for that space today and what you will need for that space tomorrow. How do you plan to use the room? Where is the room situated within the rest of the house? Is this a through room? Or a hang out spot? What design elements do you need to include? And what can be left out?
Understanding the flow of your home will help you make important interior design decisions. While envisioning your home’s flow, Play around with different scenarios (e.g., holiday party, weekday afternoon, hot summer day, etc) to prepare for the variety and chaos of everyday life. While you are envisioning the flow, start deciding on the general placement of major elements, like the couch and tv, this will come in handy later when you add the finishing touches.
Design for Life
Don’t forget to design your home for your life! While you may love the minimalist rooms saved to your Pinterest boards, that may not work with your lifestyle. A good interior design layout accounts for the daily wear-and-tear, functionality AND aesthetic of your everyday life.
When deciding on an interior design that fits your life, take a look at different fabrics, multi-purpose furniture pieces, hidden storage space, work areas, comfort zones and more. Perhaps, the velvet couch that you first envisioned in the space needs to be swapped out for a leather one to anticipate the heavy traffic of your daily routine. Either way, envisioning your life in your new space during the design process will set you up for success down the road.
Don’t Forget the Accents
By now you should have a firm grasp on the ambiance, layout and daily use of the space your are decorating. From here things should look like they are coming together. But you’re not done yet. Now that you have a strong foundation and clear vision, it’s time to start filling out the rest of your home with accent decorations that tie the elements together and radiate your unique style.
It may be time to revisit your inspiration boards to find the perfect throw pillow combination or the exact candelabra that you need above the dining room table. What ever it is, start simple and look for items that tie together multiple elements in the room. Last but not least, have fun! This is when you get to add a touch of you!
Time to Design!
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to start designing your home! If you know what you want, then get to it. Otherwise, consider hiring a professional interior designer to make your vision a reality.
Want to find out more about hiring an Interior Designer for your home?
Contact Lisa Lerner Today
Call: 323.314.4481
Email: lisa@bennettlerner.com