Practically everyone has drooled over some luscious magazine spread of a room in a home that has been professionally staged to within an inch of its life. Even the most disinterested individual will have an opinion about at least one facet of their home’s interior design. Whether it’s a guy who thinks “interior design” is synonymous with frumpy throw pillows and paint chips or a college student living in a institutional-style dorm, everyone is interested in comfort and, even if they’re not aware of it, function. To that end, there are a few things to keep in mind when you begin planning to feather the inside of your own personal nest.
Stage of Life
The first thing in interior design is to consider what your life is like right now. That one element should be the foundation to start building your design on; not the architecture of the room, the type of flooring or the color of the paint. If you find yourself in the parent-of-young-children stage you certainly won’t want an interior designed for a single individual with no pets or kids. On the other hand, if you’re in the empty-nest phase of your life, you may want a décor that features the experiences of your life, travels and grandchildren (if you have any.)
Your Style
Walk through your home, sift through your wardrobe and consider the style clues that your clothing and existing furnishing hold. The clothes and furniture choices you’ve made and really like can tell you the color scheme and general design style you are drawn to. Numerous home improvement reality shows have preached this idea and it has a great deal of merit. If your favorite outfit is a classic blazer, button-down shirt and slacks, it’s a good bet that you probably like a more traditional style of décor. Now if you love the blazer but wear it with jeans and a trendy top, you probably lean toward the moderately traditional with a bit of an eclectic slant. A sleek pair of trousers, a cashmere turtleneck and elegant, understated shoes probably means you’d enjoy a contemporary design.
The furniture you really like will also provide style hints. If you are smitten with that nightstand that’s covered in mirrors, you’re probably attracted to the glamorous and luxurious. What if you like clean lines but know you’re not excited about a contemporary decor? Check out the Arts and Crafts style. It’s filled with clean lines and is down to earth and very livable. The texture of an item can also tip you off. A rich leather, plush velvet or sumptuous silk lends themselves to some styles better than others.
Color For Mood Enhancement
You may love neon green or hot pink in an outfit but painting an entire room or even a wall will probably make you feel like your surroundings are vibrating. If this is an active room in your home, such as a children’s play area, it may be appropriate. If you’re considering it for your bedroom or a bathroom you may have a difficult time sleeping or getting ready for the day in the morning with such a jarring color as your background. The colors you use in your interior design will influence the perceptions of your home. Blues and greens are typically soothing, yellow is energizing, red is bold and invigorating, brown is substantial and reliable, black is dramatic (and can be harsh), white is crisp but can be stark. Purple is tied to royalty so may be more formal but lighter shades of lavender can be soothing. Choose a color for your home based on the message you want the rooms to convey. If there are dramatic colors you love and want to use, incorporate them as accents in smaller items that can be switched out if you tire of them or find a new favorite hue.
Setting a Mood with Lighting
The color and quality of the light in a room affects everything about your perception of the design. Harsh florescent lighting is rarely, if ever, appropriate in a home. It casts a stark, unflattering light and turns colors into flat, dull parodies of themselves. Traditional incandescent lights add a yellowish cast to colors while the newer white light bulbs provide the purest light for the most accurate and vivid colors.
Brightness is also an important factor to consider. Task lighting, which is bright light focused on a particular area, is necessary for detail work and reading but is too intense for overall room light. Lighting a room with a single central light fixture will create unflattering shadows. A torchiere-style lamp casts its light toward the ceiling creating a soft, indirect light throughout the room. The best solution includes a mix of general, indirect and task lighting.
Care & Maintenance
Last, but certainly not least, consider the amount of time you have and are willing to spend on care and maintenance of your interior design. A glass-top coffee table or a mirrored nightstand is great for reflecting light around the room and adding a bit of sparkle but only if they are kept free from smudges and fingerprints. Ornate carvings in the wood of a dining room table and chairs are gorgeous when they’re polished and free of spills. If you’re willing to put in the time to keep the furnishings looking their best, by all means use them in your design. Be honest with yourself. If you love the mirrored chest but own a dog or cat or have small children, are you really going to have the time or desire to clean it daily to keep it looking its best?
While it can be a lot of fun to play with paint chips and daydream about luxe furnishings, you’ll be happier with your interior design if you take some time to think about the practical considerations before you let emotions and spontaneity carry you away. Once you’ve examined your likes, dislikes and have a realistic expectation of time you’re willing to invest in upkeep you’re ready to start brainstorming ideas for the look of your home. Try out one of the top-rated interior design software programs that we’ve reviewed to help you make those daydreams a reality. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.
