Dress (Your House) To Impress!
Whether you’re about to embark on a whole new design project or you want to give your current space a quick lift, choosing the right soft furnishings can make all the difference to how a space looks and feels. Just because dressing a space happens towards the end of a project doesn’t mean that it should get the end tails of your energy! If you’re ready to get your space finalised and feeling fabulous, here are our top tips for nailing those all-important finishing touches.
- Clear the clutter
Too much ‘stuff’ laying around can quickly make a space feel cluttered, block the flow of energy around the room and distract you from all the lovely things you actually want to see. If you are at the early stages of a project, make sure you put good consideration into generous storage and concealment solutions early on. If you are jazzing up your current space, consider investing into simple, effective storage solutions that will be practical and also look good in the space you have. You will be amazed at the positive effects of enjoying a clutter-free space!
2. Break the room down into ‘vignettes’
Instead of looking at the space as one large ‘thing’ to dress up, try breaking it down into smaller areas and consider how you might want each little area, or ‘vignette’ to look. Is there a certain wall that would look great with a mirror or art on? Do you have a sideboard or shelving space that can be dressed to make them more of a feature in the room? How about when you see the room from a distance, through the doorway? Can you position items so that these sight lines look appealing as you move from one room to the next? One tip here is to imagine the chosen spot through a camera lense – how would you want it to look in a picture? Maybe even take a picture, start to fill in the gaps and work the space until it feels just right.
3. Lighting is Key
Most modern rooms tend to be fitted as standard with one, questionably central ceiling pendant which in honesty don’t give off a great lighting effect. Whilst you can always make a feature of this light with a fabulous shade or fitted pendant, when it comes to actually lighting the room make sure you consider adding extra light sources to create a more enjoyable, atmospheric space. An easy way to do this is to include lamps in the space, taking care to light key areas and also to mix heights. So, perhaps a lamp on a side unit in one corner, and a taller floor lamp somewhere else. Wall lights can also work really well to bring in a variety to your lighting scheme, and some newer designs can even be plugged in as you would a lamp, before then hanging on the wall in your desired spot.
4. Choose your colour scheme and stick to it…..sort of!
Our designs are always built around one or two main colours with a further 2-3 accent colours depending on the project or size of space. For us, this allows things to feel connected, harmonious and flowing whilst still allowing for creativity and uniqueness in each space. Decide on your foundational colour/s and then pick a couple of accents and try to curate items that work within this scheme. This being said, there is always that one thing that we absolutely love that doesn’t seem to ‘work’ with the chosen scheme. When this happens, we say follow your heart! If you feel like you love it enough not to care whether it ‘works’, (or maybe that’s the exact reason why you love it so much!) then use it! But if your feelings are focussed more towards it not feeling right, maybe give it a miss or find it a home somewhere else.
5. Mix solid foundations with seasonal touches
Adding to the colour scheme suggestion above, it can be useful to set yourself up with some key foundational items for your space that stick around no matter what. They work well with the feel of the room, they transition from season to season well and quite simply the room wouldn’t feel the same without them. These would often be in your base colour, or your strongest accent colour. Then, you always have the option to create a small collection of seasonal items that compliment your foundations well, but are easily swapped out and stored as the year goes on and your requirements of the room change. For example, you might have some seriously wonderful large scatter cushions on the sofa all year round, but switch up some smaller scatters in spring and autumn. Maybe you switch from heavy blankets in the winter to lighter throws in the summer, or have earthier style vases for winter and lighter, glass vase for spring and summer. The possibilities are endless….but it’s a great way to have key elements that work endlessly well whilst still keeping the space feeling fresh and relevant to the time of year.
6. Don’t forget function and form
It’s all very well creating a beautiful room but if it doesn’t actually function as it needs to, it will soon become an awkward space to be in. Beyond the storage solutions in tip 1, consider what else the room needs to feel good. Does your seating plan need changing to better accommodate talking with guests, or for watching movies with the family? Do you have enough surfaces to put down drinks, snacks, nicknaks? As a general rule, everywhere that you have a seat also needs to have a table within comfortable reach too. And then probably a lamp on it for good measure! Are sockets, switches, lights in the right places? If radiators are placed under windows, do you then have full-length curtains that block the heat from the rest of the room? Could you add an extra blind in so that the function is there whilst still keeping the curtains for decor purposes? Can you move around the room without feeling like there are things in your way? So many simple things to consider, such a big difference to the enjoyment you get from your space if you get things right.
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If you’re about to start a project and think Mitchell & Co. Interiors could be the perfect design partner for you, please get in touch or book your free 15 minute info call HERE! We would love to talk to you about your project.
