Changing the way a room feels needn’t involve calling in a professional interior designer. There are number of very easy steps you can take to totally transform the ambience of your living spaces, without all that much effort or expense. Here are just a few;
Lose Those Heavy Curtains
Often the feel of a room is dictated by how much light you have available, with plent of natural sunlight always making a room feel more spacious and less gloomy.
A good way to let more light in through your windows is to trade any curtains you have executed in heavy fabrics for something a little lighter. Sheer material, for example, can provide an elegant solution, whilst still giving you a decent level of privacy.
Make Use of Mirrors
Mirrors are great for optical illusions and, when well placed, can be used make your room feel substantially bigger than it really is. The obvious places to position a mirror are above the fireplace or over the couch, however, by doing something a little less obvious you can make much more of their potential.
For example, by placing a mirror between two windows, you can create the impression of there being three. Alternatively, you might opt to employ numerous, smaller mirrors in groupings to break up your wall space.
Ignore the Conventional Color Wheel
Yes, it may exist for a good reason, but don’t feel you can only use colors traditionally thought of as complimentary according to the traditional color wheel. As long as you only use the punchiest colors for less prominent pieces, such as cushions and other accessories, you will be surprised to find that, after a little experimentation, there are many more combinations open to you than you’d ever imagined.
Less Consistency
Your home isn’t the set of a period drama, so you don’t need to worry about keeping styles to one historical era. By mixing up modern and antique pieces with, say, a touch of art deco stylings, you can really draw out the value of each individual piece of furniture.
Think About Texture
There’s more than one way to skin a cat and there’s more than one way you can go about changing what a wall brings to a room. Whilst simply getting out the paints is certainly one way of effecting a change, you can also alter the texture of a wall to update the appearance of your home. One very popular option at present is the ‘orange peel’ finish, which is made by spraying texture compound directly on a wall and leaving it to dry.
Karen Jenkins is an interior design expert. You can find more of her thoughts on home decoration over at CasaRooms.
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