So you just moved into your new apartment! Congratulations. It’s one thing to have your own living space but it’s another thing to turn it into a space you actually love to live in. If you are not so much into interior decorating, you find yourself just wanting a dining table, a couch for your living room and nothing else. It’s okay to be simple and effective and practical, but it’s better to be simple, effective, practical, and a little bit stylish. If you don’t know squat about decorating your apartment, we’ve got you covered with these tips.
The first thing you have to know is you don’t need to be an Interior Designer to make this happen. But you can be an Interior Decorator. Now those two things are different. A designer is a professional who thinks about furniture design and architecture while a decorator just focuses on aesthetics. So you, my friend, take the role of an interior decorator for your own living space. So let’s get to the steps and tips!
STEP 1: SELECT A STYLE
Now, I know we started off with you are not really into the whole style and fashion and you love practicality. But like it or not, there is a particular style that works for you. Think of places you’ve visited, things you’ve seen on TV, or even the kind of style you put into the clothes you wear. So, now that you have those in your mind, decide on that particular style you want to be mirrored in your home.
Are you going for a minimalist style? Industrial? Contemporary? Modern? Bohemian? French Country? It really depends on what you want. Once you decide on a style, then you now have a goal of what you want your space to look like. This will create unity and harmony in all the other elements you need in this guide.
STEP 2: CHOOSE A COLOR PALETTE
The second step is for you to choose a color palette. Remember, you have different rooms in your apartment. Each of these rooms or areas could have different colors but you have to remember that at the end of the day, they should all jive and make sense. A color palette will be very helpful for you at this point.
Since this is your first time decorating your space, go with what the palette tells you. If you have the urge to put in random colors just because all of a sudden you’ve become an expert in your mind, stick to the palette. You’ll thank yourself later. Once you get the hang of it, you can go creative at any time of the year.
STEP 3: FOCAL POINT, CONTRAST, VARIETY, BALANCE
Now that you’ve decided on the style and the color, you can now move into a few things that could give more life to your design. Each room should have a focal point. What is a focal point? It could be any item in that particular room that would get the attention of anyone in that space. It sets itself apart by color, scale, or texture. Basically, something that stands out. It could be a painting, the couch itself, or an accent chair.
Next is contrast and variety. These two make your space more interesting. Again, the color palette will help you with contrasting colors. Variety, on the other hand, can be achieved through maybe repeating a couple of elements like texture, pattern, colors, and sizes. For example, if you have a green couch, you could put in a green painting. You can play with texture like having a furry pillow in the living room, for example, or putting in a bit of leather too.
Balance, on the other hand, you can either go symmetrical or asymmetrical. Make sure you distribute the visual weight in a room. For asymmetrical, you can have the same plant on both sides of the room. You can also play with sizes of paintings or frames hung on the wall.
All these four elements come together in making your space much more interesting. This is the fun part of decorating any space.
STEP 4: PATTERNS
Patterns are something you don’t mess around with. We could say this is a bit advanced for beginners. You can have pillows in the living room that have repeated lines or curves as a design. You buy them that way and all you have to do is lay them somewhere. Choosing a certain pattern is the tricky part. Just remember, they don’t need to match but they have to complement each other. Consider the color, size, and scale.
With these four steps, you are just days away from making your apartment a living space that you are proud of. It’s not just a practical space, it’s a space that you will love coming home to. Be your own interior decorator for your apartment with these easy steps. Start now!