When it comes to making over your home's interiors, it can be difficult knowing where to start. There may be lots of items you have on your to-do list. However, how important are they all, and how much of an impact will they have? To create spaces that you truly love, you must focus your efforts and your energy. You must channel your energy into creating one great space at a time. Plus, you must focus on all aspects of the space/room, not just the furniture or drapes.
Focus on the Flooring
Of course, the floor covering you choose to use within your home will have an impact. Flooring can darken a space in your home, but it can also elongate it, and make it look more rustic or more modern. If you want to have spaces you will love, you must think about the flooring that you want and need. For example, are real hardwood floors perfect for you, as this allows you to layer rugs? Or, would you prefer tiled floors, as they are quick and easy to clean/maintain? Thinking about how floors make you feel is important because they can have such a great impact on the whole look and feel of a space. So, with this in mind, what do you envision flooring to be like in your bedroom, living room, and kitchen?
Use Shelving Wisely
If you're using shelving in any of your rooms it's essential to ensure they don't look cluttered and unkempt. The trick is to use shelving areas for items you'll periodically use, look at and interact with. This stops the build-up of dust and it also stops the shelving from being underused and utilized. A key example is of the use of photo books on the shelving areas. Photo books are often pulled down and looked through because quality photo books display images of better quality than looking at them online. If you collect photo books full of vacation memories, graduation, wedding, etc. It's likely you and guests will flick through them from time to time. Shelves with used items are always better utilized than those with useless ornamentation that is seldom used.
Re-Purpose Existing Furniture
You do not have to hit the stores and buy lots of new furniture in your pursuit of loved interiors. Often, you can find that the pieces you love and cherish can be upcycled and given a new lease of life. Repurposing old furniture and bringing it back to life may be ideal for you and your home, especially if pieces of furniture fit perfectly within rooms or spaces. To get the most out of re-purposing furniture, you need to think about what you need, and what you have at the moment. Jumping into a project without having a clear vision can be a recipe for disaster and design confusion.
Add Antique Furniture Pieces
To create rooms and spaces you will love, you are going to want to add personal touches. You may even wish to look at adding antique furniture pieces. For example, your home office space can be very modern and sleek at the moment, but should you pick an antique writing desk, you need not worry because styles and designs can work very well together. Sometimes, clashing pieces and mixing two completely different styles can give you the personal and homely feel you are after within your interiors. When looking at purchasing antique pieces, always goes with reputable dealers. When you use reputable professionals, you can be sure that you are buying genuine antiques and not reproductions or fakes.
Don't Forget the Ceiling
Even though you may not look up that often, it does not mean that you should overlook, or even forget about the ceilings in your home. You can create a feature on the ceilings by adding stenciled artwork, or by even using a different paint color to add drama or depth to a room. When ceilings are bland and uninspiring, they can impact the rest of the room. So, think about what you can do to improve how they look and feel. For example, could you frame the ceiling? Could you add art deco tiles or patterns? Or, could you smooth out a rough ceiling with plastering? When you overlook the ceiling, you end up overlooking a key area of your room.
Lighting Has an Impact
For spaces to feel loved, and look loved, you need to ensure you set the right mood and tone. For this to happen, you are going to need to focus on the lighting that you use. The light fixtures that feature within your home, as well as the light bulbs used, can have a lasting impact. If light fixtures are bland, or not having an impact (or making a statement), then what are they doing? An art deco chandelier or a tasseled floor standing lamp can add a focal point to any sized room. When you are looking at how to improve and enhance the lighting in your home, always think about making a statement and being bold. For example, if your room is very minimal, then you may wish to have an over-the-top central wall light or ceiling light. Being bold, and even pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, is important when it comes to adding new lighting.
Think About Adding a Feature Wall
If you prefer to have neutral color schemes in your rooms, and even throughout your home, then why not add a feature wall? A feature wall in certain spaces or rooms (can be a different color, or even a striking wallpaper). Feature walls can break up the neutral color theme, and they can help your rooms and spaces have more of an identity. When you are looking at adding a feature wall, you may want to use colors that complement and match your soft furnishings and accessories. Alternatively, you may wish to try something completely different. Clashing patterns and styles can often work well in spaces. Just remember to use a color or wallpaper that does not make the room feel small or claustrophobic.
Give Rooms and Spaces a Purpose
As you focus on improving the interiors of your home and making them over, you must remember to give each space a purpose. If the purpose of a space or room is not clear, it can be difficult to decorate. You can also find that it is a room that does not get used as fully as it should. Before embarking on a makeover scheme, or scheme of renovation, always make sure you know what the room will be used for/how it will be used. When you have this, you can be sure that everything you do (or add) to a room will be in-keeping and enhancing - and never distracting.
Don't Overlook Storage
Simply focusing on design and decoration within your home is not enough. To ensure your spaces stay looking how you want them to, you are going to need to focus on storage. If you are not utilizing storage solutions, or even adding them within a makeover, you may find that spaces quickly end up cluttered. When looking at adding storage always think about what will work well for the space. Are you better to utilize storage baskets? Or, should you focus on integrated or built-in units to maximize the space you have? To get storage solutions right from the outset, you must always think about what you will be storing, and with what frequency it will be used. You don't want to be storing items high up or inconveniently located if you are going to be needing them every day - or regularly.
Be Prepared for a Bit of Trial and Error
When you are creating spaces that you will love, you are going to make a few mistakes along the way. Perhaps you are going to use a color that you love at first (then detest after a few weeks). Being prepared to try new things, and accepting that you will not always get it right is important. When you are prepared for trial and error on your home makeover journey, you will enjoy the process much more. Plus, ultimately, you are going to end up with rooms and spaces that you love and enjoy spending time in. If you are not trying out new designs or ideas, or you are not pushing your brief a little, then you may well find that rooms end up feeling overwhelmed.
Utilize Mood Boards
When you are introducing a new color scheme, furniture, or accessories all at the same time, it can be hard to visualize what result you will get. However, when you start putting together mood boards (or design boards), you should be able to get a feel for what a finished room will look like. Mood boards can be physical or then can be done on the computer or with an app. Making sure that ideas work well together, and seeing how fabrics and color swatches mix and match is easy to do with a mood board. To make the most out of a mood board, you may wish to get together all of the inspiration and ideas you want to use. Then, you can lay these out and try and find items or products that will match these. When you can do this, you can then ensure you have all of the elements you require to successfully makeover any space. When creating mood boards, always remember to note down where items can be purchased from, especially if you are making over several rooms in your home. It can get very confusing to remember how much something costs (or where it can be purchased from to begin with).
