Everyone wants to live in a home that is functional and beautiful. Here are 5 tips to help you achieve that.
1. Declutter
Try to step back and view your space as a whole. Does it feel overfilled with momentos, decor items, or artwork? Can you walk freely around the room and between furniture? A space that is too full can feel heavy and cluttered instead of light and airy. Try removing a few items and see if it changes the feeling of the room. Also, when you make home decor purchases, choose wisely–cheap knick-knacks or souvenirs can cheapen a room compared to designer, quality pieces.
2. Use a Focal Point
Every room needs a focal point. It draws your eye, anchors the space, and adds visual interest. In a living area, this may be a fireplace, a window, a rug, or a piece of artwork. And it is important that you take this focal point into consideration when choosing a furniture layout–seating should be positioned with a clear view of it.
3. Choose a Colour Palette
To achieve a cohesive look in your home, you have to take careful consideration of the colours you choose. Using too many different colours can be visually overwhelming. A popular approach is to stick with one main color and one or two accent colours.You can do this by using throw cushions on the sofa, accent chairs, wall art, rugs, and any other decor items. Or even better, paint your walls white and choose neutral shades for larger furniture pieces. This will guarantee a consistent look throughout.
4. Layer
Imagine a room that is completely white–white walls, white floors, white rugs, white furniture–it would be clean and bright, but it would lack any depth or visual interest. A room needs layers to make it interesting. These can be created by combining textures, colour, shapes, and patterns. Not sure where to start? Use the focal point in the room as inspiration and build up from there.
5. Add Lighting
As much as a room needs layers of colour, shapes, and patterns, it also needs layers of lighting. Confused? Just think about the lighting that already exists in your home. You probably have recessed lights in the ceiling or a ceiling fixture that brightens an entire room, some track lighting that highlights a wall or a special feature, or table lamp that is soft on your eyes and enables you to perform a certain task. These are all separate layers of lighting that makes a room visually appealing.