While interior design is best left to a professional, there are ways for every homeowner to improve the appearance of their home.
Whether you’re closing on a new house, remodelling a room or two, or looking to add a few decorations, there are a handful of design principles that all homeowners should keep top of mind.
Here are eight interior design rules that you need to know — starting with two rules for already-furnished homes.
1. Rearrange Your Furniture
If you already have plenty of furniture throughout your home, you may not need to invest in any new major pieces. By moving your furniture around, however, you can often discover a better arrangement and make your home feel fresh again.
2. Repaint the Room
As you add to your home, move furniture around, and change aesthetics over time, you may notice that certain rooms no longer feel cohesive — in which case, repainting a room can help bring all of its elements together.
3. Follow the 60-30-10 Rule
Use the 60-30-10 rule to create the perfect colour palette. 60% of your room should consist of your main colour — typically a more neutral tone that can be used for walls and certain furniture. The remaining 30% and 10% should make up your secondary and accent colours, respectively.
4. Stick to the 3/3 Vertical Rule
Credited to designer Mark McCaughley, the 3/3 vertical rule allows you to mirror nature’s colour sequencing in your own home to create balance. The lowest third of a room should primarily consist of dark tones, the middle third of a room should include medium tones, and the highest third of a room should feature light tones.
5. Try the Triangle Method
When arranging a shelf or bookcase, try spreading out similar items, colours, and textures so that they form an invisible triangle. This allows the eyes to bounce from one item to the next without any items feeling unrelated or intentional.
6. Know the Rule of Odds
While we often associate even numbers with balance, the opposite is true with regards to interior design. The number three is ideal in smaller spaces, while groups of five and seven can be used in larger spaces. Just make sure your items are unique and have a common colour or texture that ties them together.
7. Implement Height Variation
In order to maintain a sense of balance, scale, and dimension, it’s important that items vary in height. If two items have similar heights, split them up or use a height riser. A height riser allows you to create a height discrepancy or reduce a large height variance.
8. Go With the Flow
When designing a space, it can be tempting to shoehorn a favourite piece or family heirloom where it simply doesn’t fit. Rather than disrupt the flow of the room, trust your intuition and go where the design is leading you.
Would you prefer to leave your interior design work to a professional? Contact the team at Direct Interiors today for more information about our interior design services!