Did you know that people spent an average of more than 9 hours each day at home in the United States during 2020?
Since the pandemic began, people have been spending more time indoors and are turning their homes into a place they don’t want to leave.
If you spend a lot of time at home and want to improve its appearance, there are a couple of things to consider.
Continue reading for the ultimate guide to interior design that will help you create a unique and comfortable home!
Find What You Are Drawn To
Before getting too far into the guide to interior design, you must identify what you are drawn to.
Knowing your style will make the interior design process simpler because you won’t be questioning your every move. The style of your home will influence the furniture, decor, and atmosphere in your home.
Most people have a Scandinavian-style home that is simple and comfortable. If you want your home to be clean of clutter and soothing, you should consider a minimalistic style or something contemporary. Rustic and industrial decorating styles have also grown popular because they can be softened with bright decor.
If you enjoy home decor that is warm and welcoming, there are a few styles to choose from. Farmhouse, cottagecore, and shabby chic themes can be perfect for Victorian and farmhouses.
The next time you go shopping, pay attention to the decorations, colors, and styles that you think look appealing.
Set a Budget
Designing your home won’t be free, let alone cheap, which is why you need a budget.
Sit down with your partner and try to develop a realistic budget for your interior design project. Depending on how much you are trying to do, this budget can be cheaper or more expensive with larger repairs.
It is good to add additional money to what you expect so that you are prepared for accidents and surprises along the way. Materials can be expensive and don’t think that the decorations will be much better. Take a look at the prices of items you want so that you can create the most realistic budget.
Pick a Theme
While you are figuring out what style you want, you will also need to think about a theme.
Not everyone has a theme for their home, but it can act as guidance for each room’s decor. If you enjoy nature and want to bring the outdoors inside, this is a great theme for children’s rooms, bathrooms, and living rooms. You should also try a cabin theme to highlight wood, cozy scenes, and warmth.
If you want a bright theme for a bathroom, ocean and sea creatures are a great route to try. Lemon decor and bright yellow flowers can also be the start of a fun theme for your kitchen.
Don’t be afraid to incorporate a couple of ideas into one theme. This will help make the home more unique to your family and a great representation.
Utilize Wall Space
A common mistake that people make when decorating their home is ignoring the walls.
Painting the walls is important, however, putting decor and shelves up is smart. You can turn an empty wall into bookshelves or display wonderful antiques. Looking at the walls as an empty canvas will help you better utilize your space and create a full design for your home.
Pictures, mirrors, and shelves should all be hung up around your house to add more depth to the style. This type of wall decor is great because you can buy items that are practical and look good. For example, there are wonder shelves with hooks on the bottom where you can hang jackets, keys, and more.
Wall space is especially important for people in apartments or smaller homes. While you are hanging up items, make sure they are fully safe and secure. You should also monitor how heavy the decor is so that you provide enough support.
Aim for Bright & Clean
Some of the most beautifully designed homes have something in common, and that is that they are bright and clean.
A clean home with simple colors that allow light to bounce around can be refreshing to people in your home. If your home has a lot of windows, don’t be afraid to let the light in. When you want to have privacy, check https://newblinds.co.uk/perfect-fit-blinds for the best blinds!
Clean and simple colors can make your home look fresh and sparkly. Dark colors tend to show dust more easily and you won’t be as comfortable if you aren’t noticing the dust collected. If you are going for a more minimalistic style, you should focus on this aspect of interior design.
Creams, whites, and silver or gold are great colors to incorporate in a room and will help brighten up every dark corner.
Select a Color Scheme
Depending on the style you want to make your home, you will need a color scheme that matches.
Minimalist and contemporary styles use gray, white, and silver colors most often. This is because the colors are clean and simple, which supports their preferred style. If you are hoping to make a bold statement, pick a color scheme with bright hues that complement each other.
Pastel color schemes are perfect for most rooms in the house, especially nurseries, bedrooms, and bathrooms. When you find a few colors that look well together, get samples of the paint and apply them to a couple of areas on the wall to be painted.
Testing the paint will ensure that the color won’t be overwhelming, dark, or not what you wanted.
Use Layers & Textures
Incorporating different layers and textures can add a fun look to your home and is currently trending.
Blankets, furniture, and pillows are easy ways to play with different fabrics and materials. As long as your fabrics fit your color scheme and style, you can put them together to add depth to a room. Most people play with textures in bedrooms and living areas because there is more opportunity to include fabric.
You can also use different textures in the kitchen by purchasing wood, ceramic, and glass decor or utensils. If you put textures together and find that you don’t like how they look, you can simply pull them apart and try one somewhere else.
Bring In a Professional
Sometimes interior design can be overwhelming if you don’t understand the basics or have the time and energy.
Talking to a professional interior designer can relieve a lot of stress and help you design a beautiful home. Professionals have a lot of experience working with a variety of budgets and designs. A conversation about what you want can help you decide if you want to hire the help.
Interior designers often get discounted prices on furniture, decor, and home goods. They are a great resource to have if you don’t know what you are doing. Keep in mind that an interior designer will cost money, so you should look up the average rate for one in your area while working on the budget.
Create a Calming Atmosphere
If you are decorating your home to make it more calming, you should use the color blue.
Blue decorations, furniture, and blankets can help soothe your mind and help you relax every day. The reason blue is so calming is that it requires less energy to absorb contrasting colors. Accent lighting and cozy blankets are also great to incorporate if you want to feel relaxed and make guests feel calm.
Another calming color is green. When green is used in nature-themed decor, it can relieve tension. Try getting a couple of low-maintenance plants to improve the air and your mood.
Think about other things that evoke a calming mood and try to include them in your interior design plan. This will help make the space original to your family.
Practice Minimalism
Many people are changing their lifestyles and trying to live a more minimalist life.
Getting rid of garbage, clutter, and random objects can help relieve stress. It can be physically exhausting when you live in a home with too many distractions and stimulation. The idea of minimalistic styles is to simplify and reduce.
When there are fewer items in your home, you can focus on things that matter more instead. You also spend less time cleaning up and stressing about storage because you won’t have too many items.
It is common for people to start throwing everything away when they think about this lifestyle. Before you toss something in the garbage bag, however, make sure it is sentimental or needed.
Consider Shabby Chic
If you enjoy flowers, bright patterns, and a comfortable setting, a shabby chic interior design is recommended.
Comfort, elegance and rustic pieces make up the shabby chic style that is common in people’s homes. Whether you are designing the entire home or a bedroom, this look can be welcoming and beautiful.
What makes shabby chic styles so desirable is the incorporation of timeless furniture and decor. Vintage pieces mixed with rustic materials and luxurious fabrics are the core of this style. Although shabby chic styles are best suited for females, they still create a great look for anyone’s home.
Don’t Overcrowd
Most people don’t realize it, but clutter can cause unhappiness in people.
This can be a serious problem because stress and depression arise when there is more clutter around. Overcrowding with even the prettiest decor can get overwhelming and impact your productivity. Instead of putting out all of your decorations, change them throughout the year on a cycle so that not too many things are out.
Overcrowding, also known as clutter or hoarding, typically occurs in the same places. Drawers, corners of rooms, and basements are often neglected. When you start designing your home, think about storage places and try to get rid of clutter that you don’t need.
It is also important not to overcrowd your home with decor and items because it can be distracting. Guests will have a more difficult time paying attention to the delicious meal you cooked them if boxes are surrounding the area.
Try Neutral Colors
Trends are constantly changing and new styles are coming out, which means that your design could be outdated in a matter of years.
If you want to prepare yourself for future changes, you should utilize neutral colors in your home. Getting neutral-colored furniture and paint can make it easy to change the theme of a room. Creams, grays, and off-whites are excellent choices because they match nearly every color.
Although natural colors may seem dull, you can incorporate bright decor and items to help add style to the room and develop a theme. When you paint walls or get large furniture that is brightly colored, it is hard to change the theme if it has another color scheme.
Follow This Guide to Interior Design
A guide to interior design can point you in the right direction, making your home more comfortable and valuable.
Figuring out what styles and colors you are drawn to will be a lot of help when working on your interior design project. You shouldn’t have to overwhelm yourself with the planning, a professional interior designer can help and so will a plan with a budget.
Since you spend so much time indoors, you must enjoy being in the space you live in. Try to make your home as comfortable and welcoming as possible so that everyone who walks through the door feels refreshed.
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and combine your style with another to show all of the personalities in your family.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about DIY interior design and home improvement projects!
