Modern interior design contributes significantly to making a home look the way it does. However, it is the people living in it who make that dwelling a home, and that should be kept in mind while considering these tips on home décor. Following them may make your house look good and easy to live in, but it is you who ultimately make it your home.
There is no magic formula to modern interior design and it is very often a matter of personal preference. However, there are certain elements of the use of space, light and color that are common to most successful home interiors. Here are some basic tips on home décor to help you get started.
Study the Room
Before embarking on any decorative work, first look at your room. There are those that try to decorate and furnish their entire home in a specific decorative style, such as predominantly white with splashes of bold colors or using only a mission style of furniture. That might be their preference, but it is also good to consider each room individually.
Some houses are constructed with a lot of bare woodwork, such as large wooden bay windows or expanses of wooden wall paneling. Others have little natural lighting, and relatively low ceilings. It is important that you take a close look at your room and its shape, and decide on the type of lighting and wall décor you will require before thinking of the furniture.
Tips on Home Decor: Lighting
Break the hard lines of rectangular rooms with the curves of round rugs, triangular corner cabinets and oval mirrors. You can achieve similar effects by using tinted soft lighting in selected corners; amber and pale orange lighting are particularly effective in breaking up a room.
Some rooms have small windows or get little sunlight during most of the daylight hours. In such cases your home décor should involve predominantly light shades, particularly warm whites. You can also use mirrors to reflect what light you do get, and use supplementary artificial lighting where necessary.
Traditional ceiling-hung lighting is fine for smaller rooms, but larger rooms often look better with evenly-spaced wall lights or even chandeliers. A dining room might look good with a small chandelier, while a large lounge might be better using wall lights with perhaps a ceiling unit hung centrally in each half of the room.
Paintwork and Wall Coverings
White paint gives an illusion of space while darker colors draw a room in. Keep that in mind when deciding on colors for your walls. If you prefer a patterned wallcovering use small designs for small rooms, and make sure the repeat pattern of wallpapers is also small. Larger rooms can tolerate larger designs.
Avoid painted walls for large rooms because a huge expanse of the same color can be overpowering. Also avoid highlighting the less attractive areas of a room. If the woodwork of your windows is old and tired, then avoid bright colors and cover it with attractive drapes.
Modern Interior Design: Furniture
Your furniture should suit the home décor, but it should also suit you! Avoid purchasing furniture only for its design appeal – make sure it is comfortable and that you can live with it. For that reason, many people choose the furniture first and then decorate the room around it. That makes sense, because you will be living with your furniture for a long time – it is cheaper to change your wallcovering and paintwork than it is your furniture!
Sectionals are a good choice for smaller rooms, and they can easily be rearranged when you want a change. They are also good for newly-weds or others with a relatively small initial budget, because it is easy to add to the arrangement as your income increases.
These are just some tips on home décor and modern interior design that should help you avoid the more glaring errors. However, as stated at the beginning, it is you who will convert a dwelling into your home. You should use the home décor that you like best, irrespective of what the interior designers tell you is best. It is who will be living in your home, so be sure that you can live comfortably with your interior design choices.