Pick Your Paint Colour Last
There are thousands of paint colours with various tones, tints, and shades. Each of these colours will look different from home to home depending on light sources. This means that a paint colour that looks good in your current home may not in your new home. Pick your paint colour only when you can see what it will look like in your new home.
Edit Your Collectables
Don’t hang on to a piece that just doesn’t fit in your home. It doesn’t matter if your great-aunt gave it to you. If it’s not working for you, then find a new home for it, maybe in a different room. Remember, when it comes to design, less is more.
Be Bold
Personality is what makes a space great: make your own statement and have fun. The more you try, the more you will begin to see what works and what doesn’t. Get rid of expected pieces and interpretations if you want a room that will really wow.
Incorporate unexpected elements for drama. Unconventional ottoman seats, library-style bookshelves or an oversized chandelier are all unexpected in a conventional living room, but the result has charisma.
Make Sure your Couch Talks to Your Chairs
Think of a nice hotel lobby: the furniture is arranged in groupings that invite conversation. When you place the furniture in your living room, aim for a similar sense of balance and intimacy. A conversation area that has a U-shape, with a sofa and two chairs facing each other at each end of the coffee table, or an H-shape, with a sofa directly across from two chairs and a coffee table in the middle, is ideal.
One common mistake to avoid: Pushing all the furniture against the walls. People do that because they think it will make their room look bigger, but in reality, floating the furniture away from the walls makes the room feel larger.