If you're about to start a new home project, or perhaps you're just planning for the future (I have many Pinterest boards ready and waiting for when I win the lottery), you need to think carefully about how you want the space to look and feel before you start doing anything. You don't want to get part way through the project and then realise you've changed your mind, so make sure the project is 100 percent planned before you embark on any actual work.
With that in mind, and to reduce the risk of you changing your mind part way through the decorating, here are a few interior design tips for you to keep in mind:
1. It's your space
It's your home and it needs to be somewhere you feel comfortable. Not just comfortable in a wow-this-home-is-beautiful way, but in a this-home-reflects-who-I-am way. Your home should represent your personal style and it should be filled with things that compliment the person you are. If you look at the stunning interiors projects by Oro Bianco Interior Design, you will see that the client's unique personality is always a part of the finished design. Your story, your experiences and your tastes are what makes you who you are and they should absolutely add a layer of personality to your home.
2. Your Pinterest dream board might not work in your house
Pinterest is full of breathtaking properties with floor-to-ceiling sash windows, imposing staircases and original features, but that doesn't mean you can make your home look the same. There will be compromises you have to make because of the style of your home. For example, I love grey and natural coloured kitchens, but my kitchen is at the side of my house and it doesn't get much natural light so I opted for a lighter kitchen to ensure it looked its best. I didn't want the room to feel dark and gloomy, because I know the natural light in my kitchen can't compete with my Pinterest boards.
3. Fashions change
Interior trends may not change quite as fast as fashion, but different styles do fall in and out of favour. If an interior trend has been around for a while, there's a chance it could fall out of favour within the next couple of years. Whether that bothers you or not will it depend upon why you want that style in the first place. If an interior trend is fashionable only for a short time, it will date your room.
4. Be realistic about functionality
Everybody wants to have a glossy-magazine-ready stunningly beautiful house, but it might not always be a realistic dream. If you have small children, you're going to have the plastic toys, the pushchairs and the endless trail of shoes and socks associated with that. A beautiful space is still possible, but you will need to be realistic about how it will look on a day-to-day basis.
5. Technology makes things easier
Remember back in the 90s when we all spent hours designing and redesigning our perfect homes on The Sims? Well, you can do that for real with your house now. You can use digital room planners that let you mock up changes to your interiors. You can try out hundreds of paint colours without ever having to pick up a painting. You can see how different items of furniture, work out where to hang your prints and compare different curtain fabrics all from the comfort of your iPad.
This is a collaborative post. Photo by Jonny Caspari on Unsplash