Just a few simple choices often stand between you and a great looking interior. This is true of residential as well as commercial design. Before you start to fret about whether you’ve done a good job, however, take a few moments to look over the following options.
You might find that with a couple of simple changes, you’re entire space goes from broken to glamorous.
Flooring Materials
Nice hardwood floors can make a room look good even if the rest of it may not be the best. Think about walking into a large kitchen or breakfast nook. What’s the first thing that you notice? More than likely, it’s the flooring even if there are pots and pans everywhere. Since they readily polish, these types of floors can end up bringing an unexpected sheen that can distract guests who think that the walls need refinishing.
Tile is another nice choice, considering that it looks and feels crisp. You’ll want to avoid most roiling sheet laminates if at all possible, since these can look tacky in an otherwise great space.
Hardwoods and tile flooring are also easier to clean, which can help when it comes time to dealing with the next major issue that has a tendency to break a good design.
Clutter Around Your Home
While most people would agree that most aspects of design are at least in part subjective, pretty much everyone would also agree that clutter is bad no matter what you’ve done with the rest of your home. Even if your house may be dated or suffer from any other problem, you can fix things up to some degree simply by cleaning things up.
Stacks of books, mail or any other materials need to be moved away from whatever space they’re currently occupying. Just sweeping up a bit can work wonders when it comes to making your home look great again.
The modern world has created a number of modern design problems. Try repurposing an ironically vintage cabinet or end table as a dedicated place to charge all your digital devices. Taking them off the counter or out of the dining room can really help to clear up the place even if there are other design issues involved.
Paint Schemes
Certainly, paint will take much more work to get on the walls than it would to install flooring or clean up some junk. However, if things are cracked or peeling the work has to be done. In some cases, you might decide things need to be repainted just because an odd colour choice breaks everything about your design.
In order to prevent this from happening, opt for a neutral colour when you do a room. Generally, these never go out of style so they won’t have to be redone in the future. That can save money and reduce the amount of paint you need to use on a given project.
One thing that you’ll want to pay special attention to are the finishes involved. Glossy paints should never be used in any situation where someone might fire up a television set or computer in the room. Harsh lighting from scones or floor lamps can also mess with glossy paints, so use softer flatter finishes in most interior rooms. In many cases, the only real benefit of gloss paints is the fact that they can be cleaned easily, which means they do make for a good choice in a children’s room!
Lack of a Custom Look
Having read that subheading, your inner design guru might already be freaking out. You might feel the need to try one specific theme or another in order to give your place a certain feel.
However, there’s no reason that you should have to live inside of a real life photograph. Don’t be afraid to use treasured photographs or family trinkets to give your space a bit of character.
Assuming you don’t have anything in mind, you could also use finds from your local bring-and-buy to make the place unique. Little sculptures or unusual artefacts can distract from otherwise unfinished locations.
Follow your heart and you might find that reinventing your interiors isn’t so hard after all.