5 INTERIOR DESIGN SECRETS TO ENHANCE YOUR SPACE
We all deserve to live in a beautiful, functional space. A space that reflects us – our lifestyle, interests and passions. Our home should be our haven and a little pocket of the world that is true to our individual aesthetic. The big question is – how do you achieve that ‘wow factor’?
A gorgeous dining room with glamorous emerald green accents, set against a largely monochrome palette. Pure perfection! Image source: Bogdan Bulgakov
Now, this would be the obvious place to mention hiring an interior designer. A seasoned professional, dedicated to helping you achieve all of the above. To elevate your vision. Someone working towards your goals and objectives with an excellent eye, extensive industry contacts and exciting, original ideas that will set pulses racing. But, more on why hiring an interior designer is worthwhile in a future post. This post is all about unlocking design industry secrets to enable you to make a difference yourself. Ideal for the budget conscious or if you just enjoy the process and want to make a difference.
INTERIOR DESIGN SECRETS – THE NEED TO KNOW
A gorgeous living space, designed by interiors guru, Kelly Hoppen
As an interior designer, I often get asked by clients, friends and family about how can they get the most out of their existing spaces. If I have any must-have, fail-safe interior design secrets or top-tips. What can be done to improve the overall look and feel in their homes? They have the ‘fundamentals’ in place – they think – but the rooms don’t feel quite ‘done’.
Essentially, I often get asked – ‘How can the interior be improved, or how can my space look better – in some quick, simple steps’?
Now, obviously this is an extremely open-ended question and one that every interior designer will answer slightly differently. Creativity is, after all, pretty subjective and every designer works in their own way and follows their individual style. However, for me, there are a few ‘design hacks’ – some top, industry secrets – that everybody should consider when redecorating or just ‘sprucing up’ their space. I thought I would share these very secrets with you and would love to hear your thoughts:
INTERIOR DESIGN SECRET #1 – RAISE THE CEILING (LOWER THE FLOOR)
Oh, to have a double/triple height space to work with on every project. Ceilings of the Buckingham Palace/Savoy ballroom variety, where even the most oversized chandelier would hang elegantly overhead. A space a little like this –
The White Drawing Room at Buckingham palace is beyond awe-inspiring. Those ceilings are so intricate and HIGH. This is the dream space to work with! (Image source: http://uk.businessinsider.com)
In reality, most of us live in homes with lower ceilings than this (sob, sob), which automatically leaves a space feeling smaller, more restrictive. And yet, so many people still paint their coving or cornicing white, along with the ceiling – something that automatically lowers the room. I often advise clients with a standard ceiling height (around 240cm) to paint out their coving the same colour as the walls. This tricks the eye into thinking that the ceiling starts higher, thus exaggerating the feeling of space within the room. To take it one step further, you could also think about painting the skirting the same colour as the walls too – this avoids the colour being broken up, thus creating a longer line and feeling of verticality. And hey presto, you have height!
Paint out skirting and coving (if applicable) in the same colour as the walls to ‘elevate’ the space. Image source: framework.eu.
You can exaggerate the feeling of height with vertical stripes, floor to ceiling curtains (hang them just under the ceiling, or – better still – inset the rail within the ceiling) and items such a tall mirrors. Essentially, anything that encourages the eye to look up.
Tall, vertical panelling and mirrors really help to extend the feeling of height in a space. This is also true of vertical stripes and installing straight-hanging floor to ceiling curtains, as above. Image source: Unknown, Pinterest
INTERIOR DESIGN SECRET #2 – CREATE A FOCAL POINT
Image Source: Leverone Design
It’s all about creating a stand out feature in your space – something to entice your eye and draw you into a room. Once you have established this, everything else can follow. Often, in period properties (which I adore), this is a fireplace with a statement surround, which you can elevate with a statement mirror. If you are not blessed with a fireplace, clever joinery can help. Build a central unit to house a fireplace or even a decorative niche (recess within the joinery) which you could fill with flowers, oversized church candles or a statement sculpture.
Image source: Sarah Mailer Design
Alternatively, create a focal point with a punchy piece of artwork – this can incorporate colours and/or textures from the space, or use a patterned or textural wall-covering, clever feature lighting or contrasting paintwork to create interest. For a children’s bedroom, you could opt for a graphic mural or wall stickers to add some punch and draw the eye into the space.
This amazing crystal mural wall-covering demonstrates how a focal point can be made of a fairly bland, understated space. Just add decorative trunks alongside a few choice accessories and ‘voila’! Image source: muralswallpaper.com
INTERIOR DESIGN SECRET #3 – BALANCE YOUR SCHEME
I have discussed this in some previous posts, in the context of introducing an accent colour (How Millennial Pink Can Work for Your Home) or metallic element (Rose Gold Accents) to an existing scheme. In truth, balance is everything. Want to introduce blue to your 50 Shades of Grey room? Do it – but ensure you balance its placement. The key to a cohesive space is to harmonise the elements. If you introduce blue patterned cushions, for example, to your dove grey sofa, perhaps consider a blue velvet occasional chair, in the corner of your scheme. Then throw in a coffee table book with a blue cover – and gold foil text, no less – some blue glassware to grace your shelving and ‘voila’. Try to avoid keeping your accent colour in one place – consider how you space it out but also, be careful not to overload the design with your new flavour. Less is always more.
This scheme, designed by luxury brand Boco Do Lobo, combines neutrals with blue accents. I particularly love the detail in the upholstery – the back of that occasional chair is upholstered in the accent colour, for a subtle nod. It will help to add the colour to the room as you look at it from that particular angle.
Note how I balanced yellow accents in the scheme below, which I designed at Sarah Mailer Design. I carefully considered the different vistas that would be seen as you looked around the room. The key is also to avoid going overboard so, for each piece, consider necessity and ask yourself if its inclusion will enhance or impinge on the scheme.
Source: Sarah Mailer Design
INTERIOR DESIGN SECRET #4 – MIX MATERIALS (TAKE THE ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH)
It’s very easy to get carried away with a texture or material you like. Until recently this was the case with high gloss in homes. I can see why this happens; if you lack confidence (or time) in design, repetition of a material makes decorating far easier and ‘safer’.
‘I know that this white gloss table will work with my white gloss kitchen and white gloss coffee table too. Oh, go on then – I’ll take the white gloss clock and frames in every size please’.
If you love ‘matchy-matchy’ (but essentially an overtly one-dimensional look) then this formula works. However, if you wish to achieve that ‘interior designed’ look, variation is key. Think about incorporating a number of textures and finishes into your space which helps create depth and interest. This will help you achieve a layered finish, which is something interior designers achieve.
I mixed herringbone knits with flat sequins, appliqued satin, shot-silk and Mongolian fur in this scheme for a fun, frivolous finish. Image source: Sarah Mailer Design
I like to mix highly textural (wood with visible grain, rough weave linens, Mongolian fur cushions, quilted or thick knit throws, nickel cast bark, coral, embossed and relief canvases) with smooth (flat velvets or silks, mirrored glazing, hand blown glassware, cast concrete or marble worktops and tiles…). I cannot stress enough the importance of variation in finish.
You can, indeed, design an entire space in one colour (e.g. white), as long as the textures used offer enough interest and variety. In fact, this is a gorgeous and exciting approach and a method that should not be overlooked. In fact, a one-colour but multi-faceted, multi-textured space can look extremely sophisticated and layered.
All white (and some cheeky neutrals). The textural variety makes it! Image source: Royal Furnish
INTERIOR DESIGN SECRET #5 – PERSONALISE
Interior designers can do most of the hard work for you but it’s what you add over time – how a space evolves organically – that really makes it a home. Personalisation has been a huge, growing trend over the past couple of years and that’s largely because we have reverted back to ‘us’ – to ‘me’. Although our world is getting smaller, with global connections tighter through the power of the web and social media, as everything becomes more generic we are striving to promote our sense of self. Your home is your personal space – an extension of you. What you choose to display within it makes it totally unique and individual.
A photo or art wall can be a great way to personalise your home. Artwork and imagery can help fill empty wall space, tell a story of your past or glimpse into your personal style preferences. Don’t overlook the power of some well-placed art.
Personalising a space doesn’t happen all at once. If it does, then it probably isn’t truly authentic. Once your overarching scheme has been devised and installed, it should continue to evolve as you collect items along the way to inject into it. Gorgeous shells or a bowl from your travels, an accent cushion you happened to come across and had to have, books you discovered and loved, photos of happy times, a bunch of flowers you bought yourself; ‘just because’.
Flowers add instant spark to a space and are a quick and easy way to personalise your interior. (We all have our favourites, after all). If they co-ordinate with the scheme then so much the better! Image source: Sarah Mailer Design
I always advise my clients to keep adding to their schemes whilst striving to maintain the look and feel we’ve achieved. And, much in line with a wardrobe cleanse, when you do buy something new, do reconsider the old. Are you holding on to it for any particular reason? Does it actually add anything or is it just ‘gathering dust’? Don’t mistake ‘personalising’ with clutter and always assess/edit your collection. Take some design risks too – scary as they may be. Often such risks really pay off so be brave!
This gorgeous monochrome mosaic floor at Gucci, Selfridges works in stark contrast to the other, less ‘busy’ flooring around it. It just goes to show, it’s great to take risks and add some personality into a space – it makes it more memorable too
So that’s it for now folks; 5 top interior design secrets spilled. I hope you found my top tips helpful and look forward to hearing about your own projects. If I’ve missed anything key or you have interior design questions plaguing you, please feel free to ask them here or on the social sites. Click links to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest or leave questions/comments below.
Girl signing off,
Sarah x
@2017 - Girl About House. All Rights Reserved.
57 thoughts on “5 INTERIOR DESIGN SECRETS TO ENHANCE YOUR SPACE”
Love this- I have never thought about painting the skirting boards the same colour of the wall but make so much sense! Thanks GATH! Xx
It really does make a huge difference! Anything that can visually elevate the ceiling is a good thing in ‘standard’ spaces. Sometimes it’s the most simple effects that have the most impact!
Another week, another great read! Maximising height is always such an effective change. And I love how you consider and debate every peice always with an overall look in mind so everything works either as a comparison or contrast to evoke depth to a room 🙂 x
Thanks for sharing these very clever interior secrets, Sarah. I fully agree that personalisation makes a home truly feel like your home, while the ceiling/floor tips are very clever indeed. It’s such a buzzkill to be confined to small living spaces, so little tricks like hanging the curtains notably high or matching the wall and skirting colours are very astute. I must try some of these in my home!
Hey great stuff, thank you for sharing this useful information and i will let know my friends as well.
Thanks so much Aashi, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Interesting stuff to read. Keep it up.
A great one!!
Thank you letting me these interesting things
Nice information. Thanks for sharing content and such nice information for me. I hope you will share some more content about. Please keep sharing!
Thanks for sharing such beautiful images and nice information.
Such an impressive interior ideas, especially the crystal mural wall covering wallpaper.
Hi there,
Thanks for sharing. It is a wonderful secrets all that you mentioned in this article. While the ceiling/floor tips are very clever indeed. Thanks for sharing such beautiful images along with nice information.
Great tips. I’m bookmarking this page. Its a great resource to keep. Thanks for sharing.
Hello,
I loved all these designs, but crystal mural wall-covering is just awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing work! You did a good job and it is worth sharing. It will help and guide many readers and will continue following more of your articles.
I like that you state that we all deserve a beautiful, functional space. My wife and I are moving into a new house and we want to change the way that we decorate compared to how we had our last place. I will send this information to her so she can make sure to consult with an interior design expert on how to decorate functional spaces.
Hi Sarah! Great article! You did a good job and it is worth sharing. It will help and guide many readers and will continue following more of your articles.
Impressive interior ideas, beautiful images you have shown. Such an interesting topic to read, Thanks for sharing this information. I have also an elegant collection of wooden products, which will help you to decor your home as well as you can arrange your clothes in this. We have Valet stand(Stummer diener), Clothes ladder(Kleiderleiter) and much more are here with great colors, available in multiple designs and dimensions. All of these are long-lasting products, all are handmade by berlin carpenters.
These Interior design tips are really cool. Thank you for sharing such useful tips.
I’m currently having my house built and I want it to have the best interior design. Thank you for this; I never knew that by raising the ceiling and lowering the floor is a nice way to make the home look bigger inside. I hope I’ll be able to find an interior design service that can cater to my luxurious taste.
These Interior design tips are really cool. Thank you for sharing such useful tips.
Pretty insightful post on Interior Design. Thanks for writing and sharing this.
Great selection of interior design trends for this year. Great Design, very attractive and very trendy. Thanks for the great sharing!!
The facts that have been discussed here are really important. Thank you so much for sharing a great post.
Great article, great tips on maximising space. Will be sharing your blog with clients looking for fresh ideas for decorating their homes.
Pretty inspirational interior design secrets/tips/ideas. Thanks for writing this post and sharing your knowledge with us.
A bedroom should reflect your personality and as the bed takes up so much physical and visual space it certainly needs attention. The facts that have been discussed here are really important. Thank you so much for sharing a great post.
Your ideas are refreshing and very creative. I would personally give it a try with the ideas you have mentioned. I will love to implement as all the ideas and thoughts shared by you on interior design are feasible and most important pocket friendly in my option. Which can be easily implemented on small space.
Really creative ideas. I was searching for an interior designer. Luckily, I bumped on it. This is a very helpful blog to decore my bedroom. Thanks
This is very informative blog.
Nice blog ,Thank you for sharing this blog.
Quality content is the main driver for users to go see a site and that’s what this website is providing. Thank you!
Thank you Sarah for this great post! Quality content and the photo you used are really cool! I really learned something new about interior design. Waiting for your next post! Thanks again
Great Blog! This post gives a better idea to decorate. Thanks for the useful information. I hope you will share some more content.
Please keep sharing!
Thank you for sharing the great ideas to make the home much beautiful. These tips and ideas truly help.
I liked your idea to mix materials so that you can have a multi-dimensional look with depth and interest. My friend has been wondering how she can best design her home. I’ll be sure to run this past her and see if she wants to experiment a bit with some of the rooms around her house.
Thanks for sharing such beautiful images and nice information.
Interior designing helps to look at every design with a guided understanding that makes the whole difference between a commoner’s version of observation and a professional’s.
Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for information about this subject for a long time and yours is the best I have found out so far.
Thanks for the great article, it helped me a lot to get rid of my doubts. I really appreciate your way of writing and explaining tricks and will be happy to share your article in my network and friends
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Interior design can be a challenging and rewarding field, and this blog post from Girl About House provides some great insights into some key design secrets. It’s great to see the emphasis on factors such as color, texture, and pattern, as these can have a significant impact on the overall feel of a space. The information and tips provided in this post are a great resource for anyone looking to improve their interior design skills.
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This article on Girl About House’s blog discusses five interior design strategies that are essential to the creation of fashionable interiors. It offers insights into practical design strategies and concepts that can boost the inside of your home. Discussions on particular design tips, personal experiences with interior design projects, or requests seeking further help on particular design issues could be included in the comments area.
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