Interior decorators can furnish every space beautifully to enhance or even completely transform your home to make it the best it can be.

Our interior decorators’ style secrets

But ramping up your space should not be reserved for professional interior decorators only. That’s why we share our top 4 secrets on how you can furnish like a pro.

Secret no. 1: Create a brief for yourself

For your decoration project to be successful create a clear brief. Take the time to figure out what you wish to achieve by asking yourself the following questions:

• Who is this space for?
• How is it going to be used?
• How is it going to improve daily life?
• What decorating style do I like?

If you find it difficult to determine your individual interior decorating style, here’s our tip. Head to Pinterest and browse through its vast amount of inspirational pictures. Pin your favourite images without overthinking, and you will end up with a board that clearly shows your style preferences.

Clear vision for decoration decision

Too often do we see that the initial brief has been neglected and the final result is not to your liking. But having a clear vision enables you to make positive and confident decisions. This leads to beautiful rooms which will wow your friends and family.

Secret no. 2: Identify the pros and cons of your space

Now that you have created a strong interior decorating vision it is time to consider the given attributes of your space. Have a good look around the room and think about what you like most about it. Here are a few examples:

• It has a lovely view into the backyard
• Lots of natural light
• I admire the detailed ceiling rose

But there might be a few characteristics you are not so keen on. This could be for instance:

• It’s a small space
• The shape of the room is funny
• It has low ceilings

Endowed with the room’s pros and cons your aim is to highlight the positives while ideally hiding any parts you’re not very fond of. This secret is all about creating distractions, illusions and techniques of manipulation to bring the best out of your room.

Interior decorators draw attention to a room’s best side

Bring the focus to your beautiful outlook by creating some cosy bench seating right underneath the window and decorate it with fluffy scatter cushions where everyone immediately wants to sink in. Or install some velvet curtain scarfs on either side of the window framing your invigorating view into this lush backyard of yours. Either way, it will successfully draw attention to your room’s best side while this funny shape of the space might become completely overlooked.

How to create the illusion of a higher ceiling

A low ceiling in your living room can easily be addressed by manipulating your space. Choose a wallpaper with a vertical pattern that visually stretches the walls. Furthermore, paint the ceiling in a white colour irrespective of what the current trend may suggest. If you are renovating your bathroom, choose a small rectangular wall tile and lay it stacked vertically to create the illusion of a higher room.

In a nutshell, our secret number 2 is to respect and highlight the qualities of your existing space. Never go against its grain.

Secret No. 3: Interior decorators get the proportions right

From our experience, most people struggle with this furnishing rule. Haven’t we all heard of someone who purchased a dining table that overwhelmed the space or of someone who committed to expensive artwork that looked tiny like a postage stamp on the wall?

Getting the proportions right does not need to be difficult. If the room is on the smaller side we recommend selecting furniture that is small in scale as well. But this is easier said than done. The lounge you selected looked so delicate in this spacious showroom, but once delivered it seems to be bulky and dominant in your small-sized living room at home.

It can also go the other way around. Just imagine you purchased a gorgeous and costly rug just to discover at home that it looks way too small for your lounge area.

Tip on how to determine the right scale

Before we interior decorators recommend any furniture to our clients, we draw up the floorplan to scale and place the furniture inside. This ensures that the proportions are harmonious. But it’s not everyone’s cup of tea to measure up their space, convert the dimensions to the right scale and draw up the floorplan. That’s why we have a simple trick for you. Get the measurement of your desired couch from the shop or their website and place post-it notes on the floor where the four corners of your lounge would go. This shows how much space is left to walk around the sofa and helps to visualise the size of the furniture piece in situ. And once you found the right sized lounge the post-it notes are easily removed without leaving any marks.

But it’s not only about the actual size of the furniture. Its style and build is equally important, too. For a small space, you could choose a lounge with legs rather than one that sits completely on the ground. This makes the room feel a lot more spacious. Same with the coffee table. One with thin metal legs and a glass top looks more appropriate in a compact lounge room than a rustic timber one.

Secret No. 4: Choose colour and pattern consciously

Selecting colours and patterns is a fun and exciting part of the interior decorating process. Don’t choose colours on a whim, think again about your vision and the space. Colour will greatly impact how your space feels in terms of scale and size as well as a deeper emotional connection.

With the right choice of colour you can easily manipulate your room, making it feel warm or cold, small or bigger. If your room is rather small and dark use lighter colours in furniture and for the walls. How do you feel about pastel hues, also called ice cream colours, which can transform any dark space into a cosy little gem of yours.

If you are working from home, you may consider a colour palette that is stimulating as well as motivating for your mind. Your colour scheme will be different again to that of a bedroom which may have a softer palette to feel more peaceful and tranquil. Wallpaper is another great way to add colour and pattern to a room. There are so many wallpaper designs to choose from that will be perfect for your decoration vision. Have a look at Kerrie Brown, one of our favourite wallpaper and fabric designer in Sydney.

If you wish to create more character in the space consider artwork. Artwork is an emotional choice and affects all people differently, it can add a splash of colour and a lot of personality to your home.

Next time you find yourself decorating we hope you will consider these interior decorators’ secrets. Creating spaces that make you feel great every day.

If you have any questions about interior decorating, please call me on 0434 498 450 or email to martina@martinahayes.com.au. If you prefer, you can also use this contact form.