Even if you were not born with the ability to envision a complete room by placing furniture and wall coverings and choosing rugs and accents, this is something you can develop and improve over time. Learn the basics of interior design, including design principles, decorating styles, and answers to interior design questions.
Interior design vs. Interior decorating
Decorating and interior design are often confused with each other, but these terms are not completely interchangeable. Interior design is a profession that requires scholastic and formal training in space planning, furniture design, and architecture. An interior designer has no formal training and focuses on the aesthetics and appearance of a space. Who you hire depends on whether you need structural work or space planning done, or if you need someone to just plan the furnishings.
Elements of Décor
Your first step should be to choose a style for the interior of the house. This promotes the principle of unified and harmonious design and makes the whole house look like a unified whole. It can simply be a chic choice of fancy instead of formal or traditional instead of modern. From there, you can modify it to a more specific style, such as modern French, Tuscan or Victorian.
Balance is another principle – the visual distribution of weight in a room. You can make it symmetrical, as is common in traditional interiors, or with the asymmetrical balance seen in ordinary interiors.
In any room, there should be a focal point. In a living room, this can be a fireplace or a piece of art. Differs in size, color, or texture.
Contrast and variety add visual interest to a room. Look for a rhythm with repeating elements of the same color, texture, or pattern and a sequence of sizes or colors.
Color
Choosing a color palette is one of the most important components of interior design. While you can use a different style and color scheme in each room, you often want to tie the whole house together. Consider the right colors for a small room as well as the colors and patterns of a large room.
Patterns
Combining patterns in home decor is one of the most advanced areas of interior design. Patterns should not overlap but complement and harmonize with each other. To do this, you need to consider the color, size, and scale.
Tips for getting started with your decoration
A big trap that untrained decorators fall into is editing. A good interior designer can scan a room and figure out what works in a space and when something is too much, fits the taste, or needs to be decorated. A few tips along these lines can change your room design decisions.
One of the elements of the room that the editor can usually use is the placement of pillows. Pillows can be a good accent to add color to the story of a room, or in some cases, even provide a focal point in the room. However, some people tend to use too many pillows. Avoid cluttering the sofa so much that the guest is forced to move all the pillows just to sit down.
Choosing works of art can be important for a room, but equally, consider how it is displayed. A general rule of thumb is to place wall hangers at eye level. Likewise, the height you set for the chandelier is important. A common mistake people make is hanging the chandelier too high or close to the ceiling. Lower it so that light enters the room and is noticed. If you hang it on the table, make sure that when you get up from the table, your guests or any taller guest can not hit it.
Furniture is a big investment and a big part of the room decoration budget. If you have a small budget, there are some things to look for when selecting yours. The two most important pieces of furniture – probably the most used items – are your sofa and bed. Spend more on those parts. Save on area rugs, embossed tables, and wall art. Combining high-priced items with cheaper options is a trade-off that keeps the room stylish without ruining the cost.
