10 Interior Design Tips for Beginners — Fort Wayne IN
Decorating your Fort Wayne home can be a significant challenge. After all, you need the space to be optimally functional for daily living. At the same time, you want the space to reflect your personality and be aesthetically pleasing. When you hire an interior designer to decorate your home, they will pull together some critical elements to create a cohesive, brilliant design that you will love. These interior design tips will get you well on your way to creating a beautiful space that lives up to your expectations.
1. Select Your Style
Before you make any design decisions, it is vital to select a style you want to follow. It can look odd if your living room is bohemian chic and your kitchen is industrial modern. This is particularly true if the rooms are contiguous. Pay attention to the flow of the home, and ensure that each design element you select adds value and stays true to the style you selected.
2. Choose Your Color Scheme Carefully
Everything from the color of light fixtures to the paint on the walls plays an important role in the overall design. Selecting the right color for the walls can seem like the most crucial color decision you have to make, but all colors are equally essential to the overall design. This includes the finishes on your light fixtures as well as the other fine details throughout the room.
3. Optimize the Power of Patterns
If you are not a professional interior decorator, it can seem intimidating to use patterns in your space. As a result, you may be inclined to stick exclusively to the use of solid prints for the colors you have selected. While you do not want all aspects of the design to be overloaded with overpowering patterns, a few contrasting patterns can create personality in the space. This may be what sets apart a room that does not feel quite right to a room that feels perfectly well put together. Consider using patterns on your light fixtures or other accents to bring a few unique elements into the space.
4. Play with Different Textures
Textures and patterns are often viewed as being similar, but they play different roles in interior design. Textures have a three-dimensional, tactile quality that has a different visual effect on the space. While you understandably may think about texture on kitchen barstools, cabinetry, and other common areas, remember that the small accent pieces in the area can also show off their own textures for additional flair.
5. Pay Attention to Scale
Regardless of the size of your room, scale is crucial. Extensive features in a small space can seem overpowering. They can also emphasize the small size of the room. On the other hand, small elements in a large room can be overlooked and may seem underwhelming. The impact that they may have had on interior décor may be diminished.
6. Use Artificial Light Strategically
Are you trying to highlight a unique accent feature in the room? Do you want to moderate mood with the strategic use of tinted light colors? There are many styles of light fixtures that can be used in home design. Some, such as task pendant lights, can hang over a sink and can provide essential light for washing dishes and more. Other light may shine through tinted glass and may cast a beautiful hue throughout the space.
7. Optimize Natural Light in Your Interior Design
Likewise, natural light has a place in most rooms throughout the home. Create a design that allows ample natural light to filter in during the day. Keep in mind that light fixtures can impact décor even when they are not in use. With this in mind, lighting should be as functional as it is aesthetically pleasing.
8. Choose a Focal Point
What is the focal point of your room? In some spaces, the answer to this is clear. For example, the focal point in a kitchen may be a large island. This is an area of the room where you can let your creativity fly. For example, you may add your accent colors or incorporate a few specific textures to this area that are not present elsewhere in the room.
9. Focus on Functionality and Comfort
Each room in your home has a unique function. While you want your home to look fabulous, you need it to be livable and practical. For example, installing authentic wood floors in a kitchen may not be practical. Likewise, installing only ambient lighting and no task lighting in a kitchen may detract from the functionality of the space. Focus on the activities that will be done in the space, and ensure that your design supports those activities.
10. Hide Cords and Cables
Cords and cables are, unfortunately, a part of life. Anywhere you have electrical features, you also have cords and cables. Work with an electrician to conceal all light fixture cords that are not essential to the décor. Some fixtures, such as pendant lights in a kitchen, seemingly must have a displayed cord. Ensure that these features are properly designed so that they complement the décor rather than appearing out of place.
Hassett Designs is a preferred interior decorator in Fort Wayne that you can trust with all of your home decorating needs. From selecting the right pendant lights for your kitchen to creating the perfect color palette and more, we offer the full range of interior design services you need to accomplish all of your goals. Contact our design team at Hassett Designs for professional assistance with your upcoming project.