6 Interior Design Tips to Make Your Home Look Like it was Designed by an Expert
We all want to have nice looking homes, especially since we live in it. But not everyone is blessed with a keen eye for design. So for all you first time homeowners, or those of you who just want to have a nice looking interior home design without having to pay interior home designers a fortune, here are a few interior design tips that will get you some compliments from your friends and family the next time they come to visit.
Clear up all the clutter in your living space
Have you heard the phrase: “Keep it simple, stupid?” Well, this also applies to your home interior. The less clutter you have laying around, the easier it will look on the eyes. A professional organizer, Lynne Gilberg, mentioned on WebMD.com that, “Clutter is bad for your physical and mental health. When people see clutter, they use language like ‘suffocating’ and ‘I can’t breath.” Well with all that clutter, it’s no wonder people will feel drained of energy. For your sake, get rid of anything you don’t need. If the pack rat within you is strong, perhaps you can channel your creativity and turn a few of those items into pieces of art for your home decor. Remember, the point here isn’t to turn every piece of clutter you have into art pieces, rather it is about simplifying your living home space – so if you really don’t need it, it’s best to toss it out. Here is an article about cleaning your home the environmentally responsible way to help you out with clearing your living space.
Use shelves to organize all your little nick-knacks
Keeping things organize in your home isn’t just about looking good. When things are in order, you’ll have a much easier time finding where everything is (especially if you’re forgetful). Having shelves on the wall and book cases will also allow the little odd nick-knack items that you just absolutely cannot let go of a nice home and to be admired by visitors when they come to visit. For some inspiration on different wall shelves for your home, check out some of these cool shelves on pinterest.com.
Choose the right colors and lighting for different spaces in your home
Your home is your place of sanctuary, with that being said, the colors you choose for the walls in your home (whether you decide on going for wall paper or paint) will affect the mood of each room in the house. Go for a color that resonates with how you want to feel when you’re in that room. For instance, if you want to create the feeling of comfort, rest, and relaxation for your bedroom – you may want to pick a color like light blue. Light colors can also give the illusion of more space if you happen to have a really tight space.
Lighting can also affect your mood as well. Generally, natural lighting from the sun is good, however, in a room where you want to get a lot of good rest (such as the bedroom) that can be very disruptive to your sleep. Be sure to put up blinds or curtains in rooms where you don’t want too much lighting to come through. In rooms where you spend most of your waking hour, having natural lighting will make you feel awake and energetic. If there isn’t enough lighting, put up some nice looking lighting fixtures that will complement the furniture in that room.
Liven up the place with some air filtering plants
Different plants give off different healing benefits. Green house plants (such as: aloe vera, peace lilies, ferns, and bamboo palms) for instance, are known to filter toxins (like: formaldehyde, benzene, and trichlorethylene) from the air, allowing you to breath better and make you feel more relaxed. If you are known to have dry skin, having plants in the home may help to keep your skin moist during dry months, as plants are known to transpire moisture in the air through their leaves. House plants can also help you avoid common illnesses, like the cold or flu, based on studies done by the Agricultural University of Norway. Flowering plants with it’s colors, such as lavender and chamomile, give relaxation and bring aliveness to your living space. When you think of all the perks that plants offer, it’s a must have for your interior home design decisions.
Put up some pictures and/or paintings
Fond memories brings warmth into the home. From your collection of images and or paintings, pick out about 3 you are most fond of to display (either on your shelf or on the wall). You don’t want to have too many images, otherwise it might become too noisy with each image calling out for attention. Having images that you resonate with can help to keep you positive when life throws you curve balls. Your friends and family will also enjoy the captured memory too.
Rearrange your furniture
From time to time, it’s nice to rearrange your furniture to have a fresh look; and it also happens to be the most simple and inexpensive interior design trick. Not only does it keep your living space looking new and interesting, Carrie Barron M.D., on psychologytoday.com mentioned that many of her clients rearrange their furniture because it brought out their creativity which then elevates their mood. Barron also mentioned that, “Tending to settings of loved ones is meaningful because as you putter, you are emotionally connected and your mind moves.” So essentially, you are giving yourself purpose that matters to you.
Giving your home an interior design makeover, shouldn’t cost you a fortune. Most of the time, you already have everything you need to get started. All it takes is some cleaning up, organizing, coloring, adding some plants, hanging up some pictures, and arranging your furniture around. And if you are feeling up to the challenge, you could get creative by using items you already have to make some art pieces.
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