New Year New Home – Interior Design Challenge

The new year is always a great time to start a challenge and something we love as a project is turning one room in our home in to the paradise it deserves to be. In this post we will show you our top tips for how to plan your perfect room redecoration and start this year with a fresh start in mind.

Inspiration

No design should be  started without collecting the inspiration for your room. You can look through magazines, catalogues, websites and blogs to collect ideas but make sure you absorb as much as possible to find what makes you really go WOW! We love using Pinterest.com to not only find inspiration but to put all of our ideas in to one place. If you haven’t used Pinterest before think of it as an online scrapbook or mood board. Its a great way to see what looks tick your boxes and can help you narrow down the design you want for your room.

Inspiration doesn’t just have to be about pretty room sets, you can be inspired by the objects in your own home. Maybe there is a piece of art, a particular book or an item of furniture that sparks something within you. You can use that item to create a look around it, pulling colours or textures from it to choose your pallet or room feel. Inspiration can come from anywhere, be it a beautiful ornate tile, a photo of happy memories or the salt shakers at your local cafe, so keep your eyes peeled and keep all your ideas in one place.

Research

Once you have in mind the look you want for your room, it’s time to get down to some serious planning. All three of the categories below should be researched together to find out the products you like but also to stick to your budget. You may have a budget in mind already and this therefore will dictate the products and the room plan but you may be lucky enough to have a flexible budget which you can extend to purchase your dream pieces.

• Products/Supplies – As with inspiration, its good to fully immerse yourself when looking for the perfect piece, whether it’s furniture, art or decorating supplies. Look in places which would suit your style but venture into more unusual places  and you never know what you might find.   You need to look for suitable decoration supplies for your space, you might know the colours you want but you need to make sure you get the right type of paint, you might know you want some extra shelving but you need to make sure you have the correct fixtures for the wall you are going to use. When it comes to any decorating or DIY you need to do the research to make sure you make the right decisions and purchases. When in doubt you can also call a specialist who will know the right product to pick. The products you put in to your room should be researched in the same manner as supplies, you need to understand how each item is going to interact in the room; where you are going to place it and what it’s function is. We believe planning not rushing your project will lead you to the perfect room.

• Budget – As discussed, your budget may already be decided or you may base it on the products you find. Either way once you have a budget in mind you should stick to it. You don’t want to resent your room  once its finished because it’s led you in to debt. If you are starting out with a budget it is always a good idea to overestimate how much you are going to spend, this way it can cover all eventualities. The budget setting is very entwined with the researching of products and supplies because the more you look the more likely you are to find something at a cheaper cost in the same style.

• Room plan – The room plan can come at the start of a redesign if you know you are not changing out the major pieces of furniture but it can still be a good idea to think carefully about your room layout. If you have had the room set up for a while, think about any annoyances that you have noticed about where things are placed. Does one spot always get particularly messy, is an area hard to reach, now is the perfect opportunity to rethink the layout. If you are changing your furniture pieces, a bit more planning may be needed. You should plan your room layout with the products you are seeking in mind; what are their measurements, will they fit in to the space, will you be able to get them in to the room. Think carefully and choose wisely, get the room to work for your needs.

Get it done

Once all your planning is done, now comes the hard work. Whether you are doing it all yourself, getting professionals to do it all, or a mixture of both, just get on with it. Sometimes it can be the hardest part after all that planning but you have got to make the leap to get it done. A further plan can help here, especially if its all a DIY, writing out every single task you need to complete your project. This will give you good focus and help you get your project complete. If you are using professionals make sure you factor this in to your budget, and for any electrical, gas or water work make sure you get a qualified and insured professional for safety and a great finish.

Finishing touches

Sometimes you can finish all the big projects and feel like you’ve run out of steam, make sure you don’t forget those last minute touches that bring a room together. Accessories, pieces of art, plants, lighting, flowers and personal pieces can all finish a look off and bring the room together. And last but not least… relax and enjoy your new room.