Is that old couch not pulling together your sitting room the way it used to? Or maybe your kitchen isn’t quite up to snuff yet. Well if you’re stuck and need a fresh perspective on how to breathe new life into your space, take some advice from design experts. Here are our exclusive tips on how to redecorate as told by interior designer professionals.
Stretch that; avoid perfection altogether. Perfection isn’t interesting. You don’t want to create a sterile, boring recreation of whatever the hottest new interior design trends are. An overly curated look often comes across as inauthentic. You want a balanced mixture of new and old. Combine pieces from antique shops or family heirlooms with newer furniture and decor.
When you do opt to add a new piece of furniture to your home, be sure to measure twice before you buy. Know the dimensions of the room you’re redecorating and figure out if your furniture will fit properly. If you’re shopping in person, bring your own tape measure.
When factoring in dimensions, it can be helpful to plot out the room on graph paper. Keep design principles in mind when drawing out your plan. Certain pieces of furniture need to be spaced out properly. If you aren’t familiar or comfortable with design principles, be sure to call in for help from interior designer professionals.
A great way to add a fun pop to a room is to install wallpaper. There are tons of cool patterns to choose from, but you need to prepare yourself for a more difficult process than you may have bargained for. Matching up the seams can be time-consuming and corners are challenging to navigate. Texture can show through so you also might have to skim coat your wall before applying.
Be sure you’re willing to put in the work to execute the installation properly. This is a frequent interior design tip.
Your home has a story to tell. The walls, doors, windows – they all come together to inform an architectural style. First thing’s first, find out what style your home falls under. Once you uncover that pivotal fact, you can work to honor your home’s architecture with the decor you select.
Get creative with your design. Work with core furniture pieces featuring a solid body color. Use these as a base to build off of. From there you can let your imagination take the wheel. As a DIY interior designer, let yourself play with different textures, colors, textiles, and materials. Mix matte metals with chrome. Infuse modern into traditional. Just be sure to strike a careful balance while combining textures.
Redecorating is a lot more time-consuming than you may imagine. Many people go into a design project like this thinking they can accomplish it in a single weekend. But you’ll want to give yourself an adequate amount of time to get the most out of the process. Be mindful of every project. Seemingly tiny projects such as hanging photos will take a good chunk of time if you want it to turn out good, not crooked.
Artwork will take your design to new heights. It can truly transform a space. Resist the temptation to buy cheap art in bulk. Invest in some well-done pieces if you can. If you can’t buy new art, here's an interior designer pro tip: check antique stores or estate sales. There are some great pieces to pick from.
At Forge and Bow, we like to think of interior design as picking out an outfit. Of course, you have your favorite shirt, pants, shoes, and accessories; put all of them together and you likely won’t have a cohesive ensemble. Trust your tastes in design but also don’t pile on every single thing that catches your eye.
Pick some steadfast basics as a backdrop and surround them with statement pieces. Don’t be afraid to splurge on your basics so that you can take them with you through several redecorating events. They will become an integral part of your design story. This will allow you to pick out cheaper, loud, trendy pieces.
