Get the Best Out of Your Home Space
Your home is your canvas; you get to design, decorate, and arrange it whichever way you want. Finding the right arrangement that works for you and your space may seem like a tedious task, but it will be truly worth it once it's completed.
Interior designers know exactly how to place furniture and accessories in all the right spots as well as give the space a touch of colour and character. However, as we have seen this past year, sometimes you will need to rearrange and redecorate your room on your own for a refreshed feeling. We can help you with that!
Whether you are rearranging your current home or building your house from scratch, there are simple tips that you should know to help with your process. After you choose the style of your interior and thoroughly draft a list of furnishings that will make your home look stylish and trendy, think of where you will be placing them and why.
To avoid feeling overwhelmed tackling everything at once, start small and work your way up. Usually, bedrooms and dining rooms are relatively easy to arrange compared to living rooms and creative spaces. Some people would prefer to start with the more difficult rooms to get them out of the way then enjoy working on the easier parts of the house.
Whichever room you decide, the best way to get cracking is to take a good thorough look and try to notice everything in it in terms of dimensions, hidden corners, pathways, and the shape of the room. Doing so will help you divide up your space and envision the placements for your furniture. Next, we would recommend that you start with the largest piece you have and mark down the space it will occupy then build the rest of the arrangement.
For that process, you will need to revisit the list of furniture you have prepared for each room and make sure you factor in the dimensions of the space. Note down the measurements you have for each piece of furniture that you plan on buying for your home. This should help you visualize your space and get a clearer understanding of the number of objects you need.
We always consult our clients to be mindful of the amount of furniture they have with the space they will be placing it in, and always remember that less is MORE! The last thing you want is to have a space in your house that feels uncomfortable and cluttered, instead, the goal here is to have rooms you want to be in and that express your character and style.
We will let you in on a few decorating tips that will surely help you create the perfect arrangements in any room of your house.
1) Find your centrepiece
In any room around the house, there is a specific corner, wall, or window that is the main focus of the room. That would be your centrepiece which you could use as a guide when arranging your furniture. The best way is to have your furnishings converge and direct the attention to that centrepiece. Your focal point could be a fireplace, the TV set, a large window with a view, and so on.
2) Know your space and use it!
Most people tend to push sofas and chairs against the wall, however, that is sometimes unnecessary. Look at the space you have in your room, and if you have a big living room try bringing the sofa closer to the centre to create a more comfortable and cosy feeling. The same concept could apply to the dining room; when you understand the dimensions of the space you can work on finding the right dining table without having to squeeze in chairs or table settings.
3) Consider your pathways
A common mistake people fall into is forgetting to allocate enough space for walking around the room. Realizing the pathways, you will need to navigate throughout the house and leaving them empty is a very crucial step in arranging your house. To ensure this step is accounted for, measure around your pathways, leaving enough space for 2 people to pass through.
4) Follow the light
Be mindful of the natural light that you have coming through the windows, consider your living room or dining room arrangement to be in the room with the most sunlight. This will help in keeping the busiest room well-lit throughout the majority of the day, which will help boost your health and wellbeing. Also, consider table lamps and overhead lighting for when it gets dark but make sure the light is unified in terms of intensity and colour. This is crucial specifically because the colours you choose for your room may appear different when exposed to certain shades of light.
5) The key is to find the right balance
Once you have all your furnishings and accessories sorted, put it all together in the designated spaces but make sure they don’t clash. Find the right balance in how you display objects around your room. A tip we like to share is the rule of threes, having three of the same objects creates a pleasing symmetry and makes it feel like the corner is complete. You can also achieve balance through small things like creating a mix of large and small objects, especially wall paintings or mirrors as well as having the right size rug for your coffee table.
The last thing left to do is it to take a step back and admire your finished canvas. Keep in mind that you don’t have to perfect it from the first try, sometimes once it's done and you're seeing it from a wider view, you’ll think of better placements for certain objects and that is all part of the process. We would love to see your completed canvases, follow our tips and share with us your home arrangements on our social profiles!