Design Tips: The Basics
Everyone wants to know the secret ins and outs that designers know and won’t tell. Well, we’re here to share those secrets with you! There are so many design tips that are vital when decorating and designing your home, each and every room, so let’s start with just the basics today. It is so much to share, so let’s get started!
Picking Colors
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The colors you choose for a room affects seriously everything, the way you feel, act, respond, etc. If any of you have been to pick out paint, you know there is a ridiculous amount of colors to choose from. All of these colors stem from the Color Wheel. We depend on the Color Wheel to help us construct color schemes. It would be very helpful when designing your home to learn about the Color Wheel, how it works, and how you can utilize it.
White Mistakes
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We always encourage white, because it is so fresh, clean, and bright. Be careful not to use whites that are super white, though. If the white you use is super white, it can often feel like an examination room, being cold and uncomfortable. One of our design tips that help us from making this mistake is to use undertones in the white that are the same color as the furniture we have in that room. It tends to make the space look all put together, like the furniture was picked for that room. (But really it was the paint!)
Sizing Things Up
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Scale is very important when it comes to design. This refers to the size of each object and how they all are complementing each other. You should aim to use a variety of sizes when decorating, because that tends to pull in people’s concern and interest in the space. Mix tall things with short things and big things with little things. It will really peak the activity in that room.
Mixing Patterns
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Mixing patterns is a hard part of design to perfect, but you can achieve the look with our design tips. There’s a rule that many people don’t know about called the 60/30/10 Rule. This rule suggests that you should start off with 60% of your favorite pattern. Pick a second pattern and add 30% of it to the room. The 10% comes in as an accent pattern, such as on a pillow or something small. You should try and use a range of patterns that include scales and prints but are all in the same color palette. A narrow stripe, mid-size floral, and bold geometric pattern would all go great together. To support all the different patterns collected in each room, don’t forget to add solids.
Create Balance
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When looking at a room, you want everything to have counterweight and be even. When you have a grouping on one side of the room and nothing on the other, it looks lopsided. Add some chairs that carry the same weight. The same goes for if there were a tall object on one side of a vignette, a few shorter items (still varying in height) would balance the piece out.
Testing Texture
Texture is a tricky little project to add in to a room. When it comes to texture, just think opposites attract. It works really well when you pair shiny and matte, rough and smooth, sleek and raised, etc. Textures are very important additives to each room, because they can modify the feeling of a room. One added texture can make a room transition from warm to cool. With that being said, they are great additions to the décor, but you have to be very careful with them.
Those are the basic design tips we have for you today! We hope these tips and tricks were very helpful and valuable! If there are any other secrets you would like to know, feel free to comment below!
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