Unlock Your Home’s Full Potential: The Mistake You Didn’t Know You Were Making (And How to Fix It)

We are all looking for that perfect solution, and want to make our home look magazine-worthy. We rush through picking the furniture, not paying attention to what we are getting and shopping on the whim for the latest trend. We want it all and we want it now. However, one of the most important things we can do to create a cohesive and stylish home is to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. And it takes time. Spend time thinking about the bone structure of your home, what setting it’s in and what are the main features that can be enhanced with décor. Some parts you may want to hide or expose a bit less. Here are steps to ensure long-term, unique and tailored results.

Tip 1 :Colour Scheme

Think about a colour scheme that will last and that you can enjoy. Usually, the latest trends are going on within a year so the best solution for the paint colour schemes is to keep it neutral on the walls, doors and trims. To give background to furniture or decorative pieces. Think about time, how often do you want to paint the whole house or apartment? Every year? I bet you will not. Every five years if you are lucky. And when choosing that colour, you will be stuck with it for five years. It’s a lot easier to exchange a pillow cover for the trend colour than a whole house.

Neutrals like white, black, grey, and beige offer cool or warm undertones, acting as a blank canvas for your home.

My design philosophy is to adhere to a 70/30 rule and incorporate the main colour scheme into significant furniture pieces, with 1 or 2 pops of colour, 2 mixed metals, and one natural element for a cohesive look.

The main style and colour are to be in the big pieces and the accent style is to be in the 30% of decorative items that are left. For example my studio style I have focused on achieving modern classic, transitional with a hint of art deco. My colour pallet is black, white, grey, blue, mixed gold and silver and natural wood elements in the living areas and blushes white, grey, and blush pink in the bathroom with mixed silver and rose gold metal with crystals as natural elements.

Tip 2 : Mood Boards

By creating a Pinterest board for your home you can start saving inspirations and form your design style. Everyone has their taste in design and what they like to surround themselves with. If you live alone, you can set up your home as you want. If you live with others it’s good to get some common ground on what you want the home to look at. Search for the design styles and Pin items that grab your attention. After you have around 20 images/pins you will see that there is a pattern that emerges to what you like and lean towards in terms of style.

Tip 3 : Use what you have  

Utilize existing elements to understand how you use your space. This will give you time to think and plan your next steps. By using what you have you can test which place you use the most, and how you flow around the house.

In the studio design, I have used and incorporated the existing colour scheme of the apartment. It already had a white kitchen, grey walls and grey wallpaper on the back wall. Because it was a rental apartment this has constrained what could be done, but on the other side, it narrowed the focus on which direction I could go to.

The total time to finish the whole studio with all the furniture and layout that would work took about 6 months. That’s why time is a big factor in designing your space.

Tip 4 : Order samples before you commit

Samples are a great way to see how a colour or a material feels in the space. I would highly recommend getting samples of paint and testing it on the surface you are planning to paint, to see how the colour works in different light. If you are buying large pieces of furniture you can get samples of the materials and check the feel and colour if they match the pictures online. As retailers use a different light to shoot the adverts the colour on a website can often be lighter or darker the the actual fabric. This way you can avoid disappointment when the item arrives and the feel or colour shade is not what expected. Most of the companies offer a range of free samples or charge a small fraction of the cost of the actual item. It saves time and money to get them. Testing samples for colours and materials ensures they align with expectations.

To sum up

Creating a great home takes time, it’s the best way to make the space work for the people and can truly make a house a home. By taking it step by step you create a place that will be working for you for years to come, and it’s easy to update if you will want to incorporate the latest trends without breaking the bank.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I already have that I can base my design on? Think about: the architectural structure of the space, already existing colours, how the light travels through the space,
• What design style speaks to me?
• What type of furniture do I like?
• How do I want to feel in the space?
• How do I use this space?

By asking those questions you can get to know the space around you and find the best way on how it can work for you and your needs.