As we’ve said previously, we all love interior design.
But getting your head around it can be a minefield. You buy a few objects, a fresh shade of paint, new curtains…. Yet something still doesn’t look right.
Or is it that you know you need to update the bathroom colour scheme, but you’ve no idea where to start? What’s even fashionable these days?
Well, avocado bathroom suites are definitely not in, and avoid using EastEnders as a good example of how to decorate. But aside from knowing these things (it’s obvious, really), how do you get the inspiration for your next home project?
There are two directions you can go with this one: the techie route or the analogue route.
This post focuses on how you can start to collect ideas for home décor if you are a technophobe.
ONE: Spend time window shopping
The first time you think about your interior design style may well be when you’re out shopping for your wallpaper in B&Q or slumping down into a DFS sofa.
This is not the time to be deciding how to map out the entire décor of your room.
Before you embark on the project, you should be making regular trips to furniture stores and department stores, if nothing else, just to get the design cogs working in your brain (they rust if you don’t nurture them!).
TWO: Make an inspiration board with cut-outs
Furniture stores often have catalogues proudly exhibiting the latest collections, so remember to grab one during your next visit. Magazines are also a great starting point, and why not pick up some colour charts the DIY store? Get crafty with your clue and scissors and begin making an inspiration board for each theme that emerges. Don’t worry about prices at this point. This is a non-judgemental exercise where only one criterion applies: do I like it?
This is not an exercise for one sitting, but rather an evolving project you can add to over a few weeks. You are bound to start spotting other images that match your perfect theme, whether it’s from an ad the Metro on the way into work or mailshots cluttering up your doormat.
Elements to think about when designing your inspiration board are colours, materials, furnishings, flooring, lighting style and accessories.
THREE: Steal ideas from friends
If a friendship can’t survive you copying their amazing living room, it’s not a very good friendship in the first place. Okay, so maybe don’t copy it entirely, but artistic friends are a great source of inspiration. Spending time looking at how they arrange their ornaments and photos, what fabrics they like to use and their ingenious storage solutions could teach you a lot about how to present your own space.
FOUR: Leaf through design books
Whether it’s in a library or in a bookshop, there are copious volumes dedicated to interior design in a plethora of styles, from Scandinavian minimalism to vintage and retro. You may want to begin with Taschen’s 100 Interiors Around the World, which is a great book to dip into without the obligation to read it cover to cover. By flicking through the pages, you will begin to form a preference on what styles do it for you.
FIVE: Get an interior designer in
If you’re really stuck and don’t know how to give your home the pizzazz it deserves, perhaps someone else’s eyes will be able to assist. Rent A Space is fortunate to house some exceptionally creative businesses and we will be able to point you in the direction of talented people who can turn any old house into your home. This will come at a cost, but what price do you put on the years of happiness spent in a living space you deserve?