How to think like an interior designer in seven steps

Hiring an interior designer is expensive and outside the budget for many homeowners. For those looking to get the most out of their interior design budget, they want to make the design decisions themselves. Of course, it’s not as easy as it might seem. If you’ve got limited knowledge about interior design, here are seven steps to help you start thinking like an interior designer.

1. Ask the right questions. When a professional interior designer approaches a project he/she doesn’t just start moving furniture around and repainting the walls. A professional designer is going to have a list of questions for the homeowner to get a feel for what he/she wants out of that space. When you as the homeowner are taking on the job of an interior designer, you need to ask yourself those same types of questions. What’s the end goal? What’s the function of that room? What’s the best way to use that space? From there you can begin to visualize the finished product and start creating a concrete plan.

2. Have a feeling in mind. Interior design is about more than just appearances. A room has to have the right feel to it as well. Think about the purpose of the room you’re designing and what you want people to feel when they’re in that room. Perhaps you’re going for a warm, cozy, welcoming feeling for a guest bedroom. Maybe you want an open, airy feeling in your kitchen or bathrooms. Start with a feeling, rather than a look, and go from there.

3. Dream, sketch, decide. Fortunately for you, it doesn’t cost anything to dream. Before you begin an interior design project, you can jump on the internet or head to your favorite home décor retailer. Don’t forget a sketchbook. As you browse the internet or stores, jot down any ideas or products that stand out. Don’t worry about cost at first, just let your imagination go wild. Eventually you’ll need to factor in cost, create a budget, and think more practically but a dream is  a good place to begin.

4. Start hard. When interior decorating, homeowners have the tendency to start with the easiest, most fun projects first. But it’s better if you start with the projects that you’d rather put off. Do you need to replace the carpets? Remove the wallpaper. Start with the time intensive, expensive aspects of the project while you still have the energy and then when you’re worn out, you can turn your attention to the more fun aspects of the project.

5. Take a risk. Resist the urge to play it too safe. It’s your home so take some liberties in decorating it. Paint one wall a bright, vibrant color or select some accent pieces that really make a room stand out from the rest of your home. Fortune favors the bold.

6. Mix styles. While it’s typically a good idea to have some unifying design aesthetic in mind when doing your interior decorating, you shouldn’t feel like you have to follow that design theme to the letter. That can stifle your creativity. You can experiment with blending contemporary and classical styles so long as they complement each other to get a unique look.

7. Wait on the little details. Putting the finishing touches on an interior decorating project is probably the best part. But it’s easy to get carried away and spend too much on non-necessities if you rush into it. They’re called finishing touches for a reason. Save them for last and don’t go overboard.

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Source: huffingtonpost.com/phil-good/think-like-an-interior-designer-in-7-steps_b_9753540.html

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