Simple Design Tips to Reinvigorate your Home

Do you find yourself thinking that your interior designs are growing stale and dreary? Do you avoid having guests round due to the state of the décor? Do not fret. This is a position many find themselves in. Designing an interior is difficult and even if you think you have crafted something to be proud of, it may feel old after a month or two. Here are several tips you may want to try, bringing new life to a space.

1. Plants

If you are tired of your current ornaments and trinkets, how about switching them out for plants. Foliage literally brings life to a room and the myriad of shapes, colours and sizes means you will be sure to find a plant that fits to the space. With a painting or a sculpture, they are constant and stay forever. Plants grow and change and ultimately fade. This means your room will constantly be changing through the life cycle of your plants, preventing the same stale feel from plaguing your space.

Some plants I love to use for decoration are delicate orchids that make the centre piece of any space with their elegant petals; dwarf banana plants whose broad, round leaves look rather tropical; and the areca palm, a miniature palm tree that brings back memories of the summer.

2. Lighting

The whole look of a room can be altered really simply with a change of lighting. Light can create a dimmer homely effect or a bright morning glow, you can spotlight certain parts of the décor, you can create striking shadows, light is really one of the most versatile design elements in your arsenal. A lighting vendor I have been really impressed with is LampCommerce, selling luxury lamps from Italy, stocking brands such as Artemide and Fabbian.

An easy way of reinvigorating your room is to layer your lighting. Having wall, ceiling and tables lights creates pockets of lights in various areas of the room, spotlighting areas of interest and creating a homely feel.

3. Mix Patterns

A good way to spruce up a space is to add some visual excitement. Drab and dreary are too adjectives you do not want assigned to your home. However, there is a thin line between exciting and overstimulating. You can’t have too much going on. I like to select two patterns or textures, in your colour palette, whether that be Aztec diagonals or faux fur shag, and then discretely add that into your space in varied locations. For example, a furry pillow and rug, contrasted with a natural wood table and lamp. Fit this method to your style and you should be good to go!

4. Add Personality

A problem a lot of people have is they try and craft a room as if it were in a model home. The issue is a model home is made to be impersonal and un-lived in. This is not the style you want. Adding photos and other personal touches can actually bring your rooms to life. Who gets bored of looking at their family? One way of adding personality I really like is to have a piece of glass cut to the exact dimensions of your table top and then placing photos and other thin mementos underneath. This provides you with a canvas that can be constantly altered as you take more photos or get bored with the old ones.

5. Declutter and Refine

As the saying goes, “less is more” and it is certainly correct in many interior design settings. Start by removing anything that does not suit the room or is in the way. Many people hang onto sentimental items that have no right being in that space. Be ruthless. An effective way of looking at this is a strict one in, one out” policy as this will prevent you from doubling up on decoration. As your home ages, accumulation of stains, chips and scratches will occur, especially if you have kids. The little imperfections can be fixed easily. However, in many cases you will have issues that are unfixable without removing that piece of furniture or decoration. To refine your space, think about smart ways of covering these imperfection, effectively giving a new lease of life to damaged furniture. Throws look great on sofas and these can hide any stains or scratches. If the carpet is frayed, think about re-positioning your furniture over it.