Making A House, A Home

When it comes to designing your house to create a home there’s more than meets the eye. Pulling a room together and transforming the features to make it functional yet stylish is not always an easy task.

Here are 1-5 of our 10 best interior design tips (part 1.)

From working out what colours work best in different rooms and lighting options, to where to place furniture – there are so many elements to consider. That’s where an interior designer’s advice becomes invaluable.

Whether you’re renovating a whole house, redesigning the kitchen or adding a splash of colour to freshen up a living space – here are some helpful pointers:

1. Make it your own

Remember it’s your home. There are no rights or wrongs in interior design! Everyone has the potential to design their own home, it’s just a matter of practice makes perfect!

By all means, take the latest trends on board, but always add your own personal spin, you are in control, the space needs to reflect 'you'.

2. Where to look for inspiration

Inspiration is the starting point of any creative project, but where to find it? Here are a few go-to places for interior designers:

• magazines and books, be it interior design publications or otherwise

• online resources such as Pinterest, Instagram or interior design-related blogs

• TV shows, films, theatre...

• Travel - both close to home, and overseas

• Nature - it's all around us!

3. Try before you buy

Colours and patterns can change depending on the size of the space and lighting, so try some samples, in situ. Paint at least A2 sized paint patches, on the lightest and the darkest walls in the same room – to see how the natural light affects the shade.

Same goes for wallpaper and upholstery. Tape wallpaper samples to the walls and drape large returnable samples over existing furniture or pin them to existing curtains and blinds. Stand back and see what you think!

4. Make your own moodboard

A mood board is a great way to nurture your creativity and find inspiration that can be developed into a design scheme. Here's how:

• buy a large foam board (min A3) and pins from your local stationary shop

• collect together images of furniture and homewares, samples of fabrics, wallpapers, and flooring you might want to use

• add different textures to represent elements such as flooring and fabrics

• you can also add found objects in nature such as leaves, berries and grasses for example that you like the colour(s), or shapes of

• add them to your board using the pins

Place the board in the space it represents and live with it for a while to see how it feels. Also how it changes in different lighting.

5. Transform old to new

It’s easier if working with a blank canvas, but more often we have existing furniture and furnishings we need, or want to keep. Look closely at that existing rug and see if you can work with the colours within it. Maybe you can reupholster that favourite old sofa to give it a new lease of life.

Check back soon for part 2 of 'Making A House, A Home'.