12 Key Decorating Tips to Make Any Room Better

Get a great result even without an experienced touch by following these basic design guidelines

By Judith Taylor - Houzz Contributor 

I hate to break it to you, but designers don’t follow a secret rule book. There are no hard and fast laws governing what we do. We are creative types by nature and love to imagine, dream and explore, following our intuition. That said, there are some rough principles that guide us to ensure a great result every time. They are just tried and true things that work. And these aren’t tricks or skills that take years to master. Anyone can do them from day one. Consider this a foundation for developing your own quirky, creative, rule-breaking intuition.

White T Design

1. Pick the paint color last. I get calls all the time from homeowners who want to pick a paint color before they move in. I get the logic. Why not arrive to walls with a fresh coat of paint? Of course you can do it this way, but in my opinion it’s not ideal.

There are thousands of paint colors with various tints, tones and shades. And each one looks different from home to home, because light sources vary, meaning what looks good in your current home might not in your new one. You want the color that best complements your upholstery, artwork, rug and whatever else. You can pick that color only if your stuff is actually inside your home.

2. Give your furniture some breathing room. Resist overcrowding a room. Gracious living means space to maneuver with ease. This is really great news if you are working with a tight budget. You don’t need to fill up a space with lots of furniture. Spend more of your budget on fewer but better-quality pieces, and your room will look better than if it’s stuffed to the gills with flea market finds. The high-backed chairs shown here, for example, stand out because they don’t have to fight for attention.

Nest Architectural Design, Inc.

3. Hang artwork at the right height. Galleries and museums hang artwork so that the midline (center) of each piece is 57 inches to 60 inches from the floor. (The average human eye level is 57 inches.) And you should do the same.

In a room like this, where the ceilings soar, there might be a tendency to hang the art higher. But remember: It needs to relate to human scale, not the structure’s scale.

If you’re not sure, take a picture. It’s remarkable how much a photo can reveal. Print it out or use Photoshop or an app to draw on the photo. This can give you a sense of whether a larger or smaller piece of art is needed or a tall plant might be best to fill a vacant spot.

KDW Home/Kitchen Designworks

4. Know how to arrange furniture on a rug. There are basically three ways you can arrange furniture on your rug.

All on: The rug is large enough to place all of the furniture legs on top of it. This creates a more luxurious feel. For this, bigger is better. Just be sure to leave at least 12 to 18 inches of floor surface on all four sides of the rug’s borders.

All off: If you have a small room, keeping all legs off the rug is a great cost-effective choice. You don’t want to pick too small a rug, though, or it may look insignificant, like an afterthought. The rug should appear as though it could touch the front legs of each of the seating pieces. This approach is best suited when you’re layering a pattern over a larger solid or textured rug.

Elizabeth Reich

Front on: Put just the front feet of all your seating pieces on the rug to tie the arrangement together visually and create a well-defined space while lending a feeling of openness.

Blackband Design

5. Resist the urge to be too theme-y. For example, the Cape Cod look is a very popular request. You know the hallmarks: beadboard, a blue and white nautical palette, some sailboat paintings. But this has been done so many times, it lacks individuality. In this room the coastal vibe was achieved through a palette, artwork and materials that give the effect without drawing on the obvious clichés.

OLighting

6. Create a focal point. There are leading roles and supporting cast members in any production. The same holds true in design. Choose your star and make it the focal point to anchor a room. Allow other items to take a secondary role. Don’t ask everything to have a leading role; it will just result in visual noise.

Your focal point might be a dramatic hood in the kitchen, a mantel and art piece in the living room or a headboard in the bedroom. Whatever it is, choose something that will draw attention. In this room the fireplace and the lighting work together as a collective focal point, bringing your eye right to the center of the composition and anchoring it there.

Julia Cutler Interior Design

7. Consider sight lines. Your focal point should be free and clear from one room to the next, so that it feels like you’re being drawn between them. That’s why the best spot for a focal point is usually directly across from the entrance to the room.

Jamie Laubhan-Oliver

8. Edit your collectibles. Don’t hang on to a piece that just doesn’t fit. I don’t care if your great-aunt Sally gave it to you. If it’s not working for you, then find a new home for it (maybe in a different room).

The unifying theme here is the use of black in the utilitarian pieces. The balance is almost perfect. It reminds me of something Coco Chanel said about accessorizing: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” In design, know when to stop.

What to Let Go and What to Keep

Sutro Architects

9. Vary the scale. What looks good in the store may look like an elephant in the room when you bring it home. Or it’s too tiny to be of any significance. So always vary scale and proportion.

The oversize sunburst mirror frame fills up the wall space nicely here, while the sand dollars make an interesting grouping below. They would be much too insignificant individually. Threes and fives make for more pleasing arrangements than even numbers.

Gast Architects

10. Add layers of lighting. In this kitchen seating area, the backsplash is lit, the artwork is highlighted and the cabinet interiors are filled with light. One central lighting fixture would not have had nearly the same dramatic result.

Professionals build layers of lighting to create interest, intrigue and variety. In a room where everything is lit evenly, nothing stands out. Pick a focal point and perhaps a secondary focal point and highlight those. Add general ambient lighting and some lower lighting, like table lamps, for interest.

5 Questions to Ask for the Best Room Lighting

STEPHEN FLETCHER ARCHITECTS

11. Be bold. Personality is what makes a space great. Make your own statement and have fun. The more you try, the more you will begin to see what works and what doesn’t.

Incorporate unexpected elements for drama. The unconventional ottoman seats, library-style bookshelves and oversize chandelier here are all unexpected in a conventional living room, but the result has charisma. Eschew expected pieces and interpretations if you want a room that will really wow.

sarah & bendrix

12. Ignore all principles in favor of creativity. Having some guidelines gives people a good starting point for furnishing and decorating their home, even if some of them aren’t practical for a particular space.

Go with something personal that makes you smile and, above all, is comfortable. Overly designed rooms don’t really translate in modern life. A pillow collection and an art arrangement that are seemingly haphazard, as shown here, create a dressed-down look with plenty of style.

5 Things Your Bedroom Designer Needs to Know

You spend more than a third of your time here. Share your wish list, priorities and more to get the room you want

 

By Charlotte Minty - Houzz Contributor

The main focus for many people working with an interior designer is the kitchen or bathroom. This is understandable, given the functional importance and cost of renovating these rooms. Bedrooms are often overlooked and given nowhere near the same level of attention, which is a real shame.

From my standpoint as an interior designer, the bedroom shouldn’t be an afterthought at the end of a long project. Although design work for the bedroom isn’t as intensive as for the bathroom or kitchen, your designer will nonetheless need to know a fair amount of detail to get this important room right for you.

Interior Design Excellence Awards

In thinking about the bedroom, your designer will focus first on some key areas: circulation, furniture placement, views, outdoor access, light and ventilation.

In initial discussions, you will be well-served later if you share your wish list (what you want in your bedroom) and behaviors (what you do there, beyond the obvious). Let’s unpack these two important factors and add a few others.

Melbourne Contemporary Kitchens

1. Your ultimate wish list. As with any other room, you need to draw up a wish list for your bedroom. This is all about clarifying your needs versus your wants. The list should also reflect elements of your existing behavior. This will help shape your project through the design process.

The wish list can range from big moves, such as adding a new exterior door to access a private courtyard, to smaller details like wanting bedside wall lights or a recess for the ceiling-mounted curtain.

Whiting Architects

Take the time to pull together photos that show your taste. You can create an ideabook on Houzz to share, for example. It’s easier to demonstrate what you like with pictures rather than just words. And you can say whether you’re looking for a particular style, a specific product or just a lovely color.

Matthew Caughy Interiors

2. Your priorities. Next, you need to set your priorities. This is often linked to the budget, which, like any other part of your design project, needs to be defined early and communicated to your designer. How much of your wish list you get can be determined by your willingness to trade off what you would really like to have in your new bedroom compared with things you must have. The key reason to establish and articulate your priorities is so that you both have the same vision of the final result.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

3. Your behavior. How people use their bedrooms can vary more dramatically than in other rooms of the house. Disclosing your habits lets your designer know how you want to use the room. You may also want the bedroom to create a new set of behaviors or habits.

Material Design Build

If you share the room with another person, does one of you get up earlier than the other? Would the sleeping partner prefer not to be disturbed? Do you need a dark room for sleeping because any sliver of light keeps you awake? Or do you prefer to be woken up early by the morning sun? Do you spend a lot of time in reading in bed before you nod off to sleep?

Take notes about your usual sleep patterns and how you would like these to be maintained or improved in your new bedroom. For example, if you read in bed, greater consideration will be given to a comfortable and soft headboard for you to lean back on, a bedside table to hold your books, and excellent task lighting for reading. If you like your room to be dark, then blackout curtains will be essential.

Hunting For George

Since it’s the centerpiece of most bedrooms, the bed’s style, size and position are important. Quality is also critical, given that you spend a fair amount of time using this item. The bed is the main piece of furniture you need to specify if you don’t plan on keeping your existing bed.

What size is your bed? The size of your room dictates how big your bed can be. Do you need extra storage space in your bedroom? Then a lift-up storage bed or a bed frame with drawers would be ideal. Have a small bedroom? A bed on legs is often the way to go — being able to see beneath the bed adds to the feeling of space in the room and is considered excellent feng shui because it lets the chi (good universal energy) move more freely around the room.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Apart from your bed, what other activities need to be accommodated in the bedroom? Is this where you also get dressed and put on makeup? If so, what sort of a closet and clothing storage do you like? And what about a mirror with good lighting, or a dressing table? Tell your designer if you dream of a separate dressing room or walk-in closet.

Do you hang out in the bedroom in your downtime? A comfortable bedroom chair or window seat could be needed. Is your bedroom also your reading room? Add built-in shelves for your book collection. If you long for a quiet haven away from the rest of the house, work with your designer to create it.

Heidi Caillier Design

4. Existing furniture and fixtures. Agreeing on the size of the bed is essential to working out the rest of the furniture layout for the room. What other furniture and fixtures — existing or new — do you want to have? These pieces can include bedside tables, bedside lights, a dresser, a makeup table, an occasional chair, an armoire, pendant lights, an end-of-bed bench, shelving, a mirror, art and rugs.

Pipkorn & Kilpatrick

5. Your mood and style. To cap off the design process, we look at the mood and style of the proposed bedroom. Take a look at the photos you’ve collected as part of your wish list. You will often find that there is a common theme. Is it light, minimal and serene? Or is it dark and cozy with rich textures?

Consider the style of the house too — is it traditional, modern, country or eclectic? Remember that the bed is a large item, so the bed linens you choose will be a dominant feature. Good design takes time and will evolve as you go through the process with your designer. But often the results are better than you expected, helping you to sleep well with sweet dreams.

10 Ideas for Brightening a Dark Hallway

Do you come home to a gloomy welcome when you open your front door? These solutions can lighten things up

By Eva Byrne - Houzz Ireland Contributor 

 

The hall, the first space to greet us each time we return home, should ideally be a light-filled, welcoming room with conveniently located storage cleverly concealed from view. Sadly, however, our entrances are often narrow passages with little light and inadequate closet space.

There is hope, however. Check out these 10 ways, from structural alterations to decorative touches, to improve how you can both capture and reflect light in a hall of any size.

Optimise Design

1. Try a mirror. The simplest of solutions — a strategically placed mirror — will amplify your space and bounce around whatever light is available to best effect. Position the mirror to reflect both natural light and, if possible, another key feature in the space, perhaps a piece of art.

Chris Snook

This is a super-versatile idea that would work in period and contemporary properties alike.

Troughton Residential London

2. Add glass upfront. The best way to deal with issues of darkness is to introduce more natural light. Even the smallest panes in the front door or side panels will help here. Use opal or frosted glass where there are privacy or security issues.

3. Brighten the balustrade. A natural wood balustrade can appear to eat precious light. Painting the balusters white will both soften the overall effect of the stairs in the hall and enhance light reflection.

For those reluctant to paint wood features, bear in mind that painted wood is still wood, with its own aesthetic.

DDWH Architects

4. Or go transparent. If you’re planning major work, replacing the traditional balustrade with one made of clear glass will offer an even greater flow of natural light.

Anna Stathaki | Photography

5. Look up. Light from above is powerful and transforming. In fact, skylights, or roof lights, can be three times more effective at bringing in light than regular windows, according to the United Kingdom’s National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers. Investigate whether your roof profile allows the fitting of a skylight over your first floor landing. Combined with light-reflecting decor, this could allow your hall at ground level to be constantly flooded with natural light.

Stephen Newell Architects

6. Steal light from the side. If your home is detached, it may be possible to steal some light from the side.

Here, glass blocks positioned in slim, vertical columns on either side of a console table — flanking a statement mirror would work just as well — strike a contemporary note and overcome any privacy issues. Opal glass would achieve the same result.

Zulufish

Where that isn’t possible, consider this option: The owners of this house have fitted an internal window looking into the living room and stealing light from the window in there.

Original Style

7. Borrow light from an adjacent room. I’ve already touched on this with the idea of an internal window, but for something less structural, use doors with clear or translucent glass between the hall and any adjacent rooms. This will allow natural light to flow through the entire ground floor.

Single-panel glass doors work well in both period and contemporary homes. Again, opal or frosted glass will allow for privacy where appropriate.

Gareth Byrne Photography

8. Go Nordic. The Scandinavians are surely masters at maximizing light. They show us how the simple act of painting wood floors can bring airiness to any space. Choose from a range of specialist floor paints available to achieve a quality finish that will improve with age.

DMVF Architects

9. Step lightly. It’s essential to adopt a light palette when choosing colors and finishes for your dark hall. White floor tiles can work wonders here. In particular, tiles with a low sheen will reflect light beautifully.

A recessed mat well at the front door is vital for dirt management, and you could also add carefully selected runners to provide additional dirt management, color and texture as needed.

NONA

10. Paint it white. A hardwood door will absorb light and add to the general sense of gloom. Paint the internal face of the door white to reflect light and transform the ambience of any hall. This works well even where the door has no glass.

Choose a color you cherish for the outside of the door to add to that important sense of welcome.

Finishing Touches - Nailhead Trim

The use of upholstery nail head trim dates to the Louis XIII period – approximately 1600. It is likely that decorative nail heads were intended to be a more refined way to upholster and not considered for their esthetic value.

Today nails are very popular, particularly on leather upholstery and beds and there is an almost unlimited variety. Most of our manufacturers offer a number of different nailhead colours, sizes and options.

The location of nails is dependent on the frame – there has to be a solid frame part under the fabric for the nail to fasten to. Generally speaking, if there is a corner or edge where two panels of upholstery meet then that is where nails can be applied. Some frames require nail head treatment as there is not any other convenient way to cover the line where a panel has to be attached to a frame.

Nails are mostly applied by hand, using a nylon tipped tack hammer that will not damage the finish on the nail and also not damage the surrounding upholstery. Accuracy is very important and care must be taken to avoid damage.

Some manufacturers use plastic nail strips that are easy and fast to apply, but it is obvious when looking, really nails have not been applied. Like most things in life, strips are cheaper to install, saving money but they do not have the same look as real nails applied by hand.

Let's Talk Leather - Part 2

In part one we discussed how leather was created and the different types of leather. In part two we'll look at Dye and Protective Coatings.

Full Aniline Dye: - Hides are immersed in a transparent aniline dye allowing the natural markings to show through then rotated on drums until the dye completely penetrates from front to back. No protective coat is applied making the most luxurious of leathers. Generally reserved for premium leathers, it's also the reason they're so vulnerable to stains. As it is a natural product, variations throughout the grain will be seen on the final product.

Semi-Aniline Dye: - Used on corrected leathers. Despite the name, hides are dyed through but then a layer of pigment is sprayed on top to even out variations. A thin coat of lacquer seals in the colour, resulting in leather that's almost as soft as premium leather, yet harder wearing and protected against fading and staining.

Surface Pigment: - Used only on the cheapest hides, primary bi-casts. The pigment sits on top and is sealed with lacquer resulting in stiffer surface. Easily identified because the back is not the same colour as the front. The raw hide will show through if nicked or scratched and is susceptible to cracking and splitting.

Quality leather isn't an expense, it's an investment that looks better the more you use it. There's a place for bi-cast and bonded leathers but it's a false economy to think they are cheaper. Top grain full and semi-aniline dyed leathers cost more up front but last longer, age well and hold their value better.
It's confusing out there. Terms like "All Leather" and "Top Grain Seating" can lead you to believe you're looking at a quality piece of furniture when it's just the opposite. If you know what you are looking for though, it makes it that much easier to ask the right questions.

Let's Talk Leather - Part 1

From Hide to Leather:
After cleaning and conditioning, hides are sorted according to quality. Because leather furniture requires large unblemished hides, it is the most expensive upholstery covering per square foot. The outside surface of the hide is cut away from the rest and reduced by a series of rollers to a thickness between 0.9 and 1.4mm. Because the cells are closer together in this layer, it's the strongest, most supple and durable part of the hide. The layer below - called the split - is thicker and stiffer but not as strong.

Real Leather, Fake Leather & The Stuff In-Between:
Top Grain Leather: - The outer layer - or top grain - is the most desirable for furniture. Nature adds its share of markings, often requiring sanding, protein injection treatments to retain suppleness and a protective coating. This process - called correction - adds heat and light protection and makes it more resistant to spills. The more correction, the lower the quality. Those top grain hides requiring no correction, the rarest and most expensive are called full grain or full top grain. These premium leathers are incredibly comfortable because the leather can breathe. However, they are susceptible to staining and marking.
Bi-Cast Leather: - Made from the split hide below the top grain, it's vinyl coated to resit cracking, splitting and peeling. While this helps, it doesn't come near matching the durability and fell of top grain leather.
Bonded Leather: - The leather equivalent of particleboard, it contains only about 17% leather in the backing. What looks like leather is actually vinyl.

The Hottest New Neutral: Sky Blue

Inject some subtle energy into your neutral palette with a dose of this faint blue hue

By Yanic Simard - Houzz Contributor 

For years, interior design has been in a color-conservative period, with only the strictest noncolors being considered neutrals — and a cool gray or “greige” being king. However, people lately are rediscovering the joy of adding color to the home with “near neutrals,” versatile colors that can act as neutrals yet still inject some energy into a color scheme.

The hottest of them all? One could argue it’s sky blue. This timeless color has become a trendy yet classic choice for adding life to decor of any style, without clashing with other colors or overloading the senses. If your home is feeling a little ho-hum, maybe sky blue is the new neutral for you.

Stephen Graver Ltd

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Sky Blue and White

A blue sky with white fluffy clouds is a classically beautiful sight we could stare at all day. One of the reasons sky blue and white are such a powerful pair is that bright blues help white appear extra-white, meaning white cabinetry or porcelain will look simply striking.

Another reason is that the combination looks so natural that the blue can almost go unnoticed. The supersaturated sky blue shown here isn’t overbearing, and the room still ultimately feels like a coveted “white kitchen.”

Blue paint: Cook’s Blue, Farrow & Ball; cabinet paint: Wimborne White, Farrow & Ball

See more eye-catching blue islands

Poly Studio

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You can add a lot of sky blue to a space and still not feel like a bold hue is taking over. Even this modern kitchen with blue cabinetry feels airy and light.

Try Benjamin Moore’s Breath of Fresh Air for a breezy sky blue that you can almost never use too much of.

beTM interior design & project management

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The whitening effect of sky blue is especially noticeable in a bathroom with a classic white sink and tub. The porcelain will pop, as will other accents like baseboards, trim and frosty glass lamp shades.

Cooper Robertson

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And since it’s sky blue, why not use it overhead? Colored ceilings are a tempting trend that some are wary of trying, but nature has already trained our eyes to expect this color overhead. It feels so natural, in fact, that you might not even immediately notice a blue ceiling when you walk into a room.

It can also be effective for giving a bathroom without windows the feeling of having a skylight, making this a great option for condos and apartments. Plus it’s a very doable one-day DIY project.

Similar blue paint: Respite, Sherwin-Williams

AM Dolce Vita

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Sky Blue With Neutrals

Mixed with a diverse palette of neutral hues (such as taupe and gray), sky blue injects a sense of color without drawing so much attention as to break up the breezy atmosphere. In fact, the way it contrasts with a warm neutral like sandy beige helps bring out the hidden undertones. Notice how the slightly off-white sofas and thin golden barcart pop against the soft blue curtains in this photo. The overall effect is subtle and peaceful but not drab.

InteriorDesign4U

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Sky blue also holds up to dramatic modern patterns. Try mixing it with high-contrast black and white and moody grays.

Chosen Photography

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Sky Blue With Bold Color

The real magic of sky blue, however, is in how it can mix with bold hues as well as with quiet neutrals. Like a great pair of jeans, a blue wall can disappear into the background when used with more colorful pieces, so the overall look is color-rich but not clashing.

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As I’ve written about before, blue is strikingly beautiful as a tone-on-tone look, with contrasting shades coordinating easily even if some have hints of differing undertones. This kitchen eschews super-safe navy for a mix of two bright blues, yet it doesn’t feel loud or busy.

Elyse Interiors

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Pair sky blue with a dominant accent color and it lets the hotter hue be the star of the show. Classic decor manuals would insist that blue is a “boy color,” but this child’s bedroom feels dreamy and feminine with blue walls, while letting the pink frills be the first thing you notice.

Mitchell Berry Architects

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Because blue is a near-neutral rather than a true neutral, it can actually help bridge the gap between the neutrals and the vivid colors in a room, making the entire space feel more harmonious. If this room had neutral walls and upholstery, the Persian-style rug would be a major contrast, but here the many elements keep the eye moving without things feeling overwhelmingly eclectic.

Rikki Snyder

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In this cheerful bedroom, a rainbow of colors in the feature wall are tied together by the blue background, which helps the room feel peaceful and balanced. No single color completely stands out, but the blue doesn’t absorb them, either.

Barker Freeman Design Office Architects pllc

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The adaptability of blue makes it a great choice for areas that are sometimes filled in and sometimes empty, such as a coat nook or the back of a shelving unit. The wall can hold its own when the coat hooks are empty, yet the look isn’t overloaded as soon as one or two items are set down.

Bigtime Design

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Sky Blue With Cool Materials

Midcentury modern chairs in cool plastics and funky forms can sometimes come off as a little too cold. Ironically, the natural vibe of a sky blue goes a long way toward making these forms warmer, more welcoming and a little less serious. For a fun twist to any space, try a blue molded Eames chair or some airy blue-tinted glass pendants.

So go ahead, dream of a blue-sky world — and make it happen at home.