The color combination and design textures/elements used in this room make it look like an interior designer has been here.

We have a lot of respect for interior designers and all of the hard work they put into their designed spaces. It takes a certain eye to be able to pull a room together and make it fabulous and functional, all at the same time.

With that being said, not everyone can afford to hire an interior designer to come into their home, guiding all their design decisions. Some of us actually want to be the one who makes our own design decisions, using our own individual style and preferences.

How can we get the inspiration to take our interiors from boring to beautiful— without the expense of a professional designer?

Let’s look at some tips to help you begin organizing and designing your rooms into a space that, until now, you thought only an interior designer could create. Follow these tips and you will begin to notice your friends sneaking a peek into your phones contact list, looking for the number of your interior designer. Whether you want your interiors to look like a luxury hotel or just jazz up your interiors, these tips will help. Shhhh… it’s our little secret that you did it all by yourself.

Magazines And Design Websites Are Full Of Design Inspiration

There is a reason for all the avid ‘Pinners’ on Pinterest — people crave an amazing home interior. As most of us have already discovered, decor websites can spark a flame of creativity that we never knew we had.

If you have not already begun to create inspiration boards for your homes decor, then begin now — this is the first step to creating the home you desire.

Go onto Pinterest to search for home styles that appeal to you. After hunting and gathering for creative images that inspire you, step back and look at all that you have collected — this should tell the story of your design style. You may be surprised at the style you crave to create.

Color Schemes: Use Three Colors Or Shades

Now that you have a good idea of a style that you hope to call yours, you need to choose a color scheme. This is the tough part. Color is so personal and creates moods within us that inspire. No matter what, choose the colors that call to you. Look at your inspiration boards — what colors are prominent in the rooms you saved?

We won’t tell you what colors to choose, but we will tell you to try for a mix of three colors or shades. One main color for walls, another color for larger accents such as couches and chairs, and then a third color that pops in smaller accessories such as flowers, pillows and knick knacks. Remember color is influenced by how much light you bring into your home. Consider using floor to ceiling windows to enhance your interiors to bring out color too!

Let’s say you choose a color combination of brown, teal and tangerine. A shade of brown would probably be the wall color, teal may be the color you choose for accent chairs or an accent wall, and tangerine could be the color you pull out in pillows and accessories. This formula of three colors works in any combination. Just remember, three is better than one or two, as a room done in one color is boring. Yes, you can have an all-white room but with three shades of white.

Add Texture To Your Home

Equally as important to color, is texture — especially if you crave a single color scheme such as all-white or all-grey. A room at first glance can seem like a single color scheme, but if you look closely you will notice shades within the same color and plenty of texture via fabrics/textiles.

An all-white room may have linen draperies, a plush velvet chair, shiny silk cushions, rattan chairs and woven baskets, and a nubby cotton sofa with a faux fur blanket tossed on the side. All of these elements add texture and please the eye, creating a warm, rich environment. Design can describe the personality of the owner, so by using textures, patterns and varying colors can bring a dull room into sophisticated with ease.

Consider the textiles that suit your lifestyle. If you have kids and dogs, then you may not want a light cotton sofa, rather a darker leather or mohair sofa may suit your needs. If you crave luxury then consider high-end silk draperies and pillows.

Whatever your style, try to add plenty of texture by adding numerous textiles into your home.

Add Big Statement Furniture Pieces

This is a common mistake most homeowners make —too many small, spindly pieces in one room. A room with leggy chairs, leggy tables and lots of small knick knacks only serve to clutter the room and confuse the eye.

Instead try for a room that is well mixed. Have a large sofa, some skirted club chairs (so you can’t see the legs) and then one or two slender arm chairs with attractive carved legs (depending on space).

This is just one example, but it gives you the idea of mixing furniture styles and sizes so that the room looks balanced —not too bulky and not too spindly. Even if you are decorating a small apartment there are plenty of decorating ideas to try.

Most designers will recommend that even the smallest of rooms have one large statement piece, such as a large armoire or cabinet. A mixture of big and little is key to a successful design. This rule goes with accessories, too.

Use Trays, Decorative Bowls And Baskets

Designers love to use trays, decorative bowls and sometimes baskets, to arrange collections or loose items that need a home.

For a hint of glamour, try adding a glitzy gold tray to your coffee table, ottoman or side table. On top of the tray, place a pretty candle, a couple of books and a small bowl of colored stones. Little vistas such as this seem frivolous, but they are imperative to a layered, decorated aesthetic.

If you desire a more rustic approach, then try woven baskets in your home. Baskets are fabulous decorative tools that can hide a lot of clutter. Try to create these little niches throughout your home.

You will love how a tray can collect bathroom soaps and perfumes, arranging these everyday items into a piece of displayed art.

Add Flowers To Every Room

Go back and look over all your inspiration boards — what do you see? Do you see flowers or plants in almost every room? We bet you do.

It seems like a simple tip, but adding floral arrangements, live plants and natural items such as vases of shells or rocks, can really add that final touch to your interior design.

There are numerous easy-care plants that you can purchase for your home that will last years if properly fed and watered. Most designers will tell you to avoid fake floral arrangements. If flowers or plants are not what you desire, then try other natural elements such as twigs or feathers placed in a large urn.

Natural arrangements add the final touch to a room — the final touch that says, ‘ An interior designer has been here’.

If you can’t hire an interior designer, you can still have a home that looks like you did. All of these little tips and tricks work together to create a warm, well-designed home. Try adding texture, color, statement furniture and elements of nature to your home today.

If you are unsure of the final outcome or arrangements that you have made, then snap a photo. Pictures of a room will allow you to see the design from a different view point, helping to see if you went wrong somewhere along the way. Remember, it’s your home and you are the one who has to live in it, so create a home that you love— a home that portrays who you are.

Do you have any design tips that you would like to share?

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References: www.freshome.com

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