10 Outstanding Professional Interior Design Tips the Experts Don’t Want You to Know

When it comes to decorating your home, not every homeowner can afford to hire a professional interior designer. If house staging was as easy as picking a few nice pieces of furniture and artwork, we would all have beautiful homes. Their services and products can be extremely expensive and not always a style you will enjoy.

For the look you want, you can turn to a do-it-yourself style program that helps you furnish your home with everything from framed printing to exotic foliage. There are many different ways to incorporate home decorating accents, paint colours, various sizes and colours of furniture, and floor coverings that can add depth and style to your home without making a huge dent in your budget.

Below are 10 outstanding professional interior design tips that the experts don’t want you to know.

1. Use What You Already Have

When it comes to decorating your home, you probably already have several items that will work well together. Look at the furniture and accessories, in every room of the house, that you already own and see if you can rearrange them to make a different look in the same room.

You may find you only need a couple of new pieces to add accents or change a colour scheme from one of the dull hues to a brighter colour; check this website for more. Adding a couple of pillows from the bedroom or a photo collage from a box of old photographs can add life to a tired-looking room.

2. Showcase Your Collection

Most people have a collection of some sort. This could be anything from ceramic chickens, silver globes, or even bird feathers, it does not matter. You can arrange your collection on a large shelf or as unique wall art.

Hang old china plates, and different colourful platters to the wall can create a beautiful divider of art. This will not only showcase different patterns and colours of flatware, but it will also give the room a unique feel.

3. Add Plants

Many homeowners don’t realise going green can not only spruce up their rooms, but plants can also help improve the air they breathe. Plants absorb gasses and toxins in the air. Adding greenery to any room can bring in a more “natural” look, but cleaning the air you and your family breathe is a better reason to go green.

Even if you only place one or two plants in each room, your home will soon be smelling much fresher and you will find your family suffering from less illness like colds and breathing issues.

4. Hang Mirrors

Adding mirrors, in strategic locations, can add light and open up a smaller room. Placing mirrors directly across from a window will help bring natural light into the entire room.

Adding decorative mirrors, no matter if they are large or small, will add a dimension to the room as well as bring in more light.

5. Use Softer Colors in Smaller Rooms

Painting a smaller room with a soft colour can help to create an illusion of a larger space. Using dark colours make a room feel small. Add the soft colour palette to the furniture will help to create a more open feel to smaller spaces.

Even if you place mirrors in a darker room with more natural light, space will still feel “boxed-in” instead of open. Covering the couch and upholstered chairs in a light coloured fabric will also add depth to a room.

6. Paint One Wall

If you can’t afford to paint an entire room, simply paint one wall and it will change the dynamics of the whole room. Using a medium shade of colour will help to open up a small room and add character.

Place bigger accent pieces on the painted wall such as a large framed painting or a collection of frames. This will help to balance the wall with the rest of the white or lighter coloured walls.

7. Wallpaper The Inside of a Bookcase

Many homeowners forget about the inside of their bookcases, leaving them a dull wood colour or white that comes with the case. If you choose a subtle wallpaper pattern, it will give your shelves more depth.

Do not fill up your bookcase with books, but with a few books and other knick-knacks. Add unusual pieces of glass or garland to bring out the pattern details. If you have a lot of books, move most of them to an office or television room. Open shelf space adds to the look of a bigger room.

8. Remove Doors

Unless space is a bedroom or bathroom, where privacy is a concern, take down the doors. You can substitute them with a single curtain and pull it to the side, or you can leave the doorway open.

Without doors, especially if the doorway is arched, it gives the feel of comfort and openness. You will be able to look from one room to the next without interruption, and that makes the floor plan flow better.

9. Paint the Ceiling

Many homeowners forget about the “fifth wall” and leave the ceiling the same white as the rest of the room. Be adventurous and paint or wallpaper the ceiling a bright colour. This will give the room the feel of more height and unrestrained.

If you do not want to go full, bold on the ceiling, try an eggshell or off-white paint. This will reflect more light, both natural and from light bulbs, and create a higher look in the room.

10. Mix and Match

There are no steadfast rules in which you must use all expensive items or all cheaper décor. You can mix and match furnishings and decorations in order to create a comfortable and inviting room.

You will want to stay away from mixing patterns and wildly opposite colours, but pair hues and prints in order to create a texture within the room for a simple and unique look.

When you are ready to change your interiors look and feel, begin by viewing designs you like online and in magazines. Do not copy what a friend or relative has in their home because it may not work for your floor plan and structure. Follow your gut about what, feels and looks good.