The great thing about being an interior designer is that you have a lot of insider knowledge up your sleeve; lots of tips, tricks and some winning advice that isn’t always obvious to an outsider, yet makes the biggest difference.
Introducing big furniture
I know I keep banging on about adding big things but if you have a small room and decorate with small perfectly proportioned furniture, it highlights the fact that the space is tiny. Lets talk fashion for a sec. If you want to elongate the leg you don’t wear ¾ length trousers right, you wear trousers that skim the floor and you plop on a heel. We are tricking the eye and that in a nutshell is the plan!
Add more chairs than you think necessary
You don’t always need a sofa, by all means have one but think of all those cool hotel lobbies you have seen or restaurants that just have the most beautiful chairs with no sofas in sight. Ottomans and chairs can give you lots of lounging opportunities so don’t get too strung up on a sofa!
Colour test
Don’t decide on a paint colour until you have sampled it on a big wall, as you can’t make life-changing decisions by looking at the smallest swatch. One, it always looks darker and two, you need the light to hit it when you get it home to see whether you love it or not! One more tip - always, I repeat always paint a wall twice with the colour before deciding whether you like it or not. I hated every colour in this place with the first coat – you need two before making any decision.
Go wild with a bit of print
Patterns enliven spaces by mesmerising the eye. Try not to have everything a solid colour as it reads as a big yawn!