The UK has fast become a nation of creators, with millions of people now looking how to make their home interiors more exciting.
With the choice of endless paint shades, rolls of designer wallpapers, floor coverings, furniture styles and accessories, decorating can become a full time hobby - with piecing it all together being the hardest part of the process.
While choice is always good, too much can make it difficult to get things right first time. Coordinating interiors doesn’t necessarily mean matching everything, but there does need to be a sense of unity within every aspect of a room. Interior designers make this look easy, but most people find out the hard way that it can be anything but easy.
Whether you want to create a romantic master bedroom, welcoming guest room, cosy lounge or a functional family room, redesigning an interior space requires thought and attention to detail.
The aim should be to make the room both functional and stylish. While working around your family’s needs and interests can present some challenges, it is an essential part of the mix if you want to have a room that is usable and able to stand the test of daily living.
Start by taking a look at what space you have available. If the room is small, don’t try to cram too much into it. Less is usually more when it comes to the amount of furniture in a room. Using the right amount – and also in the correct proportions - will use the space available more efficiently and make the room feel more spacious. If the room is large, don’t necessarily line-up all the furniture along the walls, which can lead to a boring layout and a waste of space. Consider dividing up a large room into smaller functional spaces using room dividers like screens and open bookcases.
Of course there is always the question of budget. This is often the interior designer’s first consideration and will help them decide all aspects of the project. There’s no point splashing out on designer wallpaper costing £45 a roll if you’re then going to have to skimp and scrape for everything else in the room. However, it will pay off to have one splurge item to set everything off, if you can afford to spent a decent amount on the basics.
Once you figure out how the room will be used, what space is available and how much money you have for the transformation, it’s time to take inspiration from the experts. Create a mood board, or a file of magazine clippings of the styles, colours and accessories you would like to use in your home. When you have a good collection you will have a clearer mind of what you want to create and what does and doesn’t work together.
When it comes to actually decorating, if you can’t do the job properly yourself, ask someone nicely to help or pay a professional if you have to. Nothing is worse than a job half done badly, especially if have decided to spend out a small fortune on that wallpaper!
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