Quick interior design tricks

Feature

Interior design is an art. Some people seem to have the knack, while others should stick with pairing socks instead of interior design pieces. The people that do get it wrong generally fail to look beyond objects and colours that appeal to them. Interior design shouldn’t be all about satisfying personal tastes: it is more about creating an ambience.

Colour can lift you up or bring you down, so pay attention to the colours you choose in your rooms. You can use feng shui colour charts to help you select the right colours for your rooms. For instance, red is the colour of energy and excitement and works perfectly in a dining room, but it’s not a particularly suitable choice for a bedroom as you will find it hard to relax. Yellow inspires happiness and creativity and will add vitality to a kitchen or breakfast room. Green, blue and indigo are healing and soothing colours and are all good choices for living rooms and bedrooms. Whereas purple is a highly spiritual colour that promotes richness and transformation.

Amateur interior designers often overlook the power of texture and how it influences the feel of a room. Play with accessories and furniture in different materials to achieve surprising results. For example, sleek wood furniture conveys a sturdy and reassuring feel, while soft leather sofas and chairs add a luxurious style to a living room or study.

From a feng shui perspective, the texture of soft furnishings in your home influences the energy flow within it. Practitioners believe that a shag pile rug emits a playful energy, while a tightly coiled country rug adds a homely, nurturing touch to a living room. Decide whether you would prefer to tread barefoot upon a soft carpet, which draws comfort, or a cool shiny wood floor, which radiates professionalism.

Silk pillows add richness and sensuality to a bedroom, while Mongolian fur pillows add a lighter, playful effect in a living room. The way you light your room has a big impact on design. Light exerts a strong influence over how we feel so take extra care to light each room to encourage the appropriate calming or energising effect.

Natural lighting is the very best way to brighten a room. If this is unavailable in any rooms of your home, such as in those that are north-facing, good quality lighting is second best. The lighting choices are endless, but you should select complimentary lighting effects.
Bright lighting promotes energy and activity, perfect for a play room or kitchen, whereas low lighting promotes calmness and relaxation, more suited to a bedroom or living room. A simple dimmer switch gives you the flexibility to alternate between bright and low lighting in the same room. With a dimmer, bedrooms can be used to play, study or sleep, and your dining room can accommodate a lively brunch for friends or a romantic dinner for two.

Candles look beautiful and have an immediate calming effect on a room. Choose candles that are infused with essential oils to either stimulate or relax the senses.

Picture caption: The way you light your room has a big impact on design. And natural lighting is the very best way to brighten a room.

MyVillage, 16th August