Finding inspiration for your interior décor can come from many places, mostly online through social media platforms. Facebook photos, Instagram and gorgeous glossy cover photos on Pinterest. Some people still find their inspiration from magazines picked up in the supermarket. They all work.
Is that really you though?
A couple of years back, Anglian Homes ran a survey to find out the UK’s decorating habits. See the study here: https://www.anglianhome.co.uk/news/press/decorating-trends
The results show an average of just 1 in 5 homeowners love their home the way it is. The rest of the people who took the survey view their home as somewhat of a work in progress.
Sources of inspiration are TV shows, magazines, homes of friends, colleagues, family and neighbours and not surprising - social media.
When you consider the findings, it’s no surprise that Brits spend tens of thousands redecorating their properties throughout their lives.
The décor and designs are chosen based on what looks good for other people.
Have you thought about what would really look good for you, make you feel more at home and more you in your home?
Art and your best photographs can be used as a personal source of inspiration for your interior décor. If, for example, you have a large piece of wall art, or enough smaller pieces to create a gallery wall, that’s all the inspiration you need to create a design to put you into the very small group of people who love their home the way it is.
Before deciding on colour schemes, flooring, soft furnishings and finishing touches, place your artwork in the room you want to redecorate.
Pay attention to how the light affects its look and the best position for it. Move it around, leaving the art in place for a couple of days and watch how its appearance changes at different times of the day. Like, if you’re working most of the day and tend to relax in your living room in the evenings with mood lighting instead of daylight, that can affect where you position your art on the walls.
You’ll want it somewhere you can see it, so not behind the sofa.
Colour tones and textures can be complemented by the frame. However, that same approach can be used to overhaul your entire room. Like, complimenting a watercolour painting with a light shade of wood frame, using a complimentary picture mount to bring out certain colours, then following up the prominent colours within the rest of your room. As an example, you could have soft blues or greens on your cushion covers, light wood floors with a light-coloured rug and similarly coloured window dressings.
Bringing the same textures and colours from art that’s hung in a prominent position in your room can create a stunning design. One you’ll love, feel it’s more your home, a better place to relax and enjoy your surroundings including the lighting and the mood-enhancing effect a well-designed room can give you.
Before grabbing your paintbrush and buying new soft-furnishings, consider the finished look you’re after with your wall hangings before you decide on a colour scheme. It could save you redoing everything a year later.