Unlocking Your Inner Decorator: A Beginner's Guide to Interior Design

Interior design can seem daunting, a complex world reserved for licensed professionals. However, the truth is that anyone can create a beautiful and personalized home space with a few basic principles and an understanding of color theory. This guide will provide you with fundamental knowledge and practical tips to confidently take your home's interior design into your own hands.

The Three C's of Decorating

Rarely is anyone drawn to JUST one style. We are inspired by our surroundings and travels. It is ok to incorporate a mix of goods as long as you stick to my Three C's of decorating: Color, Composition, and Coordination.

Erasing Misconceptions: Setting the Record Straight

Before diving into the principles, let's debunk some common myths that often hinder aspiring decorators:

Everything must match: Coordinating is a more appropriate term. Your home should look collected, not like it came from a big box store. Just because you love the sofa doesn't mean you need to buy the matching loveseat. Think about scale and tones when you coordinate, keeping them similar.
Dark rooms feel smaller: This is FALSE. Dark rooms can feel cozy and sophisticated, but not necessarily small. Natural light plays a large part in this. Placing large art on dark walls can create drama, making the room feel grander.
I have to follow all the rules: I'm a rule follower but sometimes they have to be broken.
Every wall must have something on it: Your eyes need a visual rest. Consider leaving a space or wall blank.
The bigger the wall, the more art should fill it: Instead of filling the wall, think of highlighting it. One large piece of art makes a much bigger impact.
It costs too much to decorate like a pro: Think smarter and bolder, not small and cluttered.

Getting Started: A Practical Approach

Identify Your Focus: Figure out which room you spend the most time in.
Define the Desired Feeling: Decide how you want the room to feel (e.g., calming, energetic, cozy).
Gather Inspiration: Go to Pinterest! It's a great place for inspiration. When making a board, label it with the room you are working in.
Set a Budget: Determine how much you're willing to spend.
Declutter: Get rid of #AllTheThings you don't love! If it takes you more than 3 seconds to decide, you don't love it.
Choose a Paint Color: Paint will transform the room. Picking paint can be scary, so I always encourage buying samples first. It's better to live with a block of color on your wall for a week than years hating it after covering everything.
Purchase Foundational Pieces: Acquire the essential furniture and décor items.

Foundational Principles of Interior Design

Balance and Space: Before redesigning a room, start with knowing the overall size and dimensions. Note where the doors and windows are located and plan with them in mind. Balancing positive (filled) and negative (empty) space is critical in creating a beautifully decorated room.
- Symmetrical Balance: A mirroring effect where décor and colors on one side match the other.
- Asymmetrical Balance: A looser approach, replacing the mirroring effect with more flexible arrangements.
- Radial Balance: Establishing a natural focal point and decorating with smaller pieces around it.
Lines and Proportions: A line brings structure and a sense of direction. There are three lines to consider when designing, horizontal, vertical, and dynamic. Horizontal lines are easily found in tables and chairs, while vertical lines often come from doors, windows, and tall pieces like bookshelves. Dynamic lines invite action, such as a staircase. How do the objects you have placed or will place in your room fit into these lines? The size of the space you are working in chiefly determines this. Large, chunky furniture would look stunning in a large room with high ceilings. A small room, however, would look cluttered and even smaller with large furniture. Lines and proportions can tell you how well items will fit together in a space. You want to create a spatially pleasing balance or groups by grouping by size, shape, texture, or color elements. Try displaying our large artificial branches to complete the look.

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Rhythm: The use of decorative repetition. This means repeating a décor touch. Perhaps everything in the room is circular. Maybe the cabinet handles in the kitchen and bathroom match, or you choose a single finish for all tapware in your home, such as all brushed brass, matte black, or white.
Contrast: Adding one or two pieces that contrast is an excellent means to add a bit of intrigue and interest to a space that may feel mundane. There are many means to create alluring contrast in any room, whether placing a square piece in a room of all rounded shapes and corners, a contrasting material, color, or texture. Think of polar opposites when considering a contrasting element. Perhaps you have painted your living room a soothing grey, and all wood furniture has a neutral light tone. Adding a bright, vivid color in the form of pillows to the couch adds a unique pop of contrast and interest. Or consider a bedroom with light furniture against a very dark painted wall, rough materials against smooth, etc.
Emphasis: Creating a focal point that draws attention and encourages gathering. This could be an evocative piece of art, a hearth, a colorful throw over a couch, or a bold backsplash in your kitchen.
Details: Paying attention to the small details can elevate a room from alright to outstanding.

Color Theory: A Colorful Foundation

Color theory is about understanding how colors interact and create a harmonious composition. It helps with interior design basics such as contrasts, unity, and emphasis. The color theory uses various principles such as hue, value, intensity, and temperature to harmonize colors. By combining different tints, shades, and hues of a single color or mixing multiple colors, interior designs can create effects that evoke emotion or convey a message.

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The Color Wheel: Your Visual Guide

The color wheel is one of the best tools to help you design and understand color theory. Many color wheels and tools are quickly found online to help you visualize colors and how they interact. A color wheel consists of the following:

Primary Colors: Red, yellow, and blue are the primary colors that cannot be replicated by mixing other colors.
Secondary Colors: Secondary colors are created by mixing red, yellow, and blue together. Orange, green, and purple are secondary colors.
Tertiary Colors: When you mix a primary color, like red, into a secondary color, like purple, to create a different shade of purple, that other shade of purple becomes a tertiary color.
Complementary Colors: These two colors sit opposite or across from one another on the color wheel, creating a sharp contrast in interior design. For example, red and blue, red and green, yellow and purple-these colors are complementary.
Split Complementary Colors: Similar to complementary colors, split complementary also mixes hues from either side of its complement. For example, orange, yellow, and blue are split complementary color.
Analogous Colors: Analogous colors sit side by side on the color wheel, creating a pleasant atmosphere in design. Red and purple, blue and green, for example, are analogous colors.
Monochrome Colors: One single color but in various tints and hues. For instance, if you want to create a calming atmosphere, a space with all different kinds of blues is a monochrome design color.
Neutral Colors: Cool hues, such as blues and greens, create a calming space, while warm colors, like reds, oranges, and yellow, are energetic, warm shades. A neutral shade like beige or grey will balance the two extremes of cool or warm colors.

The Psychology of Color

Colors have a profound effect on our moods and emotions. When choosing a color for a space, it is essential to think about what that space will be used for. For example, if you want to create a calming, relaxing bedroom, then you might want to consider calming colors such as blues and greens. If you want an energetic feel to a workout room or kitchen, choose red which presents passion and excitement, or yellow, which increases optimism and brightens.

Tips for Color Choice

Use the color wheel and color wheel tools.
Understand tints and shades.
Pick colors carefully and with thoughts on the effect you wish in the room.
Use monochromatic colors for a balanced effect.
Balance primary and secondary colors for a visually appealing composition.
Think about the proportions of color. Too much of a single shade can be overwhelming, so decide on how much or how little of a particular color you will use in your design.
Consider the space's lighting effects. Artificial lighting can alter natural hues in home decorating. Too dark of a shade in a low-light area may create a sense of less space.
Don't forget to add neutral colors. Whether those neutral tones come from modern all-black furniture such as tables and chairs or natural shades of brown from wood accents, add these shades to your interior décor accents and accessories.
60-30-10 Decorating Rule: This guideline suggests that the most accessible means of understanding how many colors should be used is the 60-30-10 rule. 60% of the room should have one dominant color, 30% a secondary color, and 10% an accent or contrasting color.

Specific Elements and Considerations

Color

Choose 3 main colors for a room. MAKE SURE one is black, navy, gray, white, or a creamy neutral.

Composition

Keep the natural flow. Furniture, lighting, and art should be scaled appropriately.

Displaying Items

Threes and fives are the best way to display items on a bookshelf. Odd numbers grouped together add scale and balance. One large decor piece on a shelf creates a focal point.

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Rugs

Rugs ground a space, and it's always best to have at least the front legs resting in the first 6-8 inches of the rug. An 8X10 or 9x13 is best for a living/family room or bedroom. It's better to wait on the perfect size rug than buying one too small. The same goes for curtains!

Wallpaper

Wallpaper is here to stay! Choosing the right one is key. Take your time and bring several books home and allow yourself to stare at them for a few days. Removable wallpaper, new and newsworthy! The paper feels more like a vinyl shelf liner. They are peel and stick for all you DIY'ers.

Painting Cabinets

If done right, your painted cabinets will last many years. The key is prep! Clean, sand, prime, and then paint. Use quality products and give at least 24 hours between coats. Paint hardens over time.

Fireplace Mantels

Do not fill an entire fireplace with small accessories. It will look cluttery and distract your eye from the beauty of the items. If you have a TV mounted, I suggest placing one large vase with branches on one side, and on the other, place a series of three items, one large, and two smaller. If you have no TV, display a large piece of art in the center or a large mirror, then layer one more piece propped in front (not in the center but over to one side), then you can use the vase and other small items in a grouping on either side.

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