As designers we have many tricks that we use when designing a room or space... Here are some inside secrets & tips to help you style your home like a professional designer or decorator!
Rug Pads……make sure you have a good pad under your area rugs. They will help your area rug wear / last longer and they provide additional cushioning. I like to use natural latex/felted on wood floors (one side with natural rubber/latex and the other a cushioned felt). I really like these Extra Plush Premium by Jaipur Living.
Comfortable Seating…….an all wood kitchen or dining chair is going to feel uncomfortable after a while - make sure you have a seat cushion. You can buy these at many home improvement stores or online at stores like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel or Ballards Designs, Serena & Lily, etc. Same for any exterior dining chairs!
Proper Lighting…..check the “K” on the lightbulb or lightbulb box. This "K" means Kelvin Temperature. Anything saying 4000K is going to be blue light - swap that for a 2700K daylight or something around 3000K or 3200K. No one wants there living room to have a hospital lighting feel.
Storage…Storage…Storage….Everything needs it’s place. Clutter, stacks of papers, dust, etc….. totally not a designer look. Tight on space, utilize under bed plastic bins, stack Container Store bins in closets, garage, etc. Install some floating shelves to get knick knacks off table tops and displayed, but display them neatly. Get organized. Put magazines, toys, blankets in pretty woven baskets. We all have “stuff” but be creative about how you store things.
Artwork…..Biggest mistake people make is putting a tweeny piece of art on wall by itself. You need to group small photos & artwork on a wall together. It’s always nice to have matching frames to make a family photo collection, arrange in a pretty grouping pattern (cut out templates from paper first and tape up on wall to make sure it all looks good before nailing in walls).
Small Spaces…..Use Glass & don’t forget Scale! If you have a small villa, apartment or condo using glass tops in spaces makes it seem larger. A glass top on a coffee table, breakfast table or dining table makes the room seem larger since you can see through it.
Don’t jam a giant sectional into a scale space. Smaller sofas / chairs will make a space feel and seem larger. So think about size when you are buying.
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