Better Homes. Good Housekeeping. House Beautiful. HGTV Magazine.
These iconic periodicals embody design goals that inspire — and intimidate. But making your home look worthy of a magazine cover isn't impossible! Read on for our 5 tips for designing spaces that could grace the glossiest of covers.
1) Incorporate Comfort, Style, and Function
It's essential to keep the three main components of interior design in mind when decorating your physical space: comfort, style, and function. To have a home that meets the needs of your family AND is worthy of professional photography and a magazine feature, you need to incorporate balanced elements of all three.
Decide Your Home's Style
First, you need to make some decisions about what you want your cover-worthy home to convey. Keep in mind your own personal style, and start answering some questions. Do you want your living space to be more casual or formal? Would you like it to be traditional or modern? Do you prefer bright colors or a more neutral palette for your color scheme? Answering these questions provides you with an excellent starting point to begin your design journey.
Create a Comfortable Space
Next, a home should be a safe space. It should be where you feel most at ease and relaxed. When the people in a home are comfortable, the vibe permeates the entire area. The feeling of comfort should spread throughout each room. Incorporate lots of comfy seating such as sofas and loveseats, warm and plush bedding, and plenty of blankets and throw pillows.
Keep in Mind Functional Needs
Lastly, it's imperative to create a space that functions as you need it to. Think about how much seating you need at the dinner table, whether you have pets or kids who are rough on furniture, and things like how much shelving you need. Then, find furniture and décor pieces that meet those needs and suit your style.
2) Add Your Own Personal Touches
The second tip from expert designers is to add your own personal touches throughout a space. These are the things that truly set your home apart from others. They may include photos of a favorite vacation destination, art from a local artisan, or an ode to family history.
Or, it may simply include pops of your favorite color throughout the space. There is no wrong way to bring in your own personal touch. Some people like to DIY a few projects to display something that's truly their own.
3) Choose the Right Wall Coverings and Flooring
Don't forget the walls and flooring! These two things often go overlooked when designing a home, but for a space that's truly magazine-worthy, they're essential. Still keeping in mind comfort, style, and function, choose the wall and floor colors and textures that are best for your unique home.
For example, maybe you have pets, and installing vinyl or tile floors throughout the house is imperative. If that's the case, spruce up the space and create defined areas using area rugs. Or, perhaps you have a smaller and more compact room that you want to make appear larger. If that's the case, hang some decorative mirrors to reflect light and open up the area.
4) Make Sure You Have Enough Storage
One of the most important aspects of designing a magazine-worthy home is to minimize the appearance of clutter and create a space that's well-organized. Every item throughout your home should have its own designated space to which it returns when not in use. That includes books and magazines, remotes and electronics, shoes, kitchen gadgets, and just about anything else that comes to mind.
The key to de-cluttering and organizing a home is to ensure that you have enough storage space. Think of ottomans that open to reveal hidden storage, beds with drawers under the frames, and TV stands & media cabinets with ample shelving. Any piece of furniture that doubles as a storage area is an excellent piece to incorporate in your home design.
5) Choose a Design Theme
Choosing a theme for your home helps keep the look cohesive, without being too matchy-matchy. Elements of a design theme include a color palette, which features a few main colors with an array of less prominent accent colors. Additionally, you'll want to decide on a fabric and texture palette. Are you into classic leather furniture or do you want custom upholstery throughout your space?
You should also think of a few patterns you'd like to incorporate, without letting it get too busy. Stripes with polka dots combined with plaid and tie-dye, for example, are overwhelming and confusing to the eye. Stripes with solids, however, are visually pleasing. Choose a few complimentary patterned pieces to place throughout the space that really showcase your personal style and design theme.
When you keep these 5 design tips in mind, you can create a space that reflects who you are as a family, while also stunning those who come to visit. At the end of your design journey, you'll have a home that's absolutely magazine-worthy.
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