Maintaining a tasteful and Instagram-worthy condo in Quezon City is every homeowners' dream. Decorating comes naturally to some people, but for others, it's as mind-boggling as solving a Calculus equation.
Luckily, there are designers like the Burke sisters of New York who are generous to share their expertise on the matter. They share the ultimate secret of interior decorating - "it needn't be expensive to be classy."
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It's relatively easy to achieve the luxurious look as long as you follow these tried and tested decorating tips.
1. Start with a blank canvas.
If you have no inspiration regarding your home decoration, start with white paint. Splash your walls with white to neutralize pieces of furniture and bring out spots of print in the apartment. Moreover, surfaces in white make the area brighter as it bounces natural light into the room. It also makes the place appear clean, fresh and cool.
2. Invest in a comfortable and stylish sofa.
There are many reasons why you should spend more on a couch than the art piece you plan to hang over it. For one, you spend most of your time on it. Movie marathons to inviting friends and relatives over for lunch and dinner, it all ends up on the couch. Other than that, it’s the first piece of furniture that comes into view. A sofa in a neutral color such as black, tan and gray in linen, velvet, and wool will last a long time.
3. Maintain a neutral color scheme.
Sticking to neutral colors makes it easier to add and remove elements of design in your home. It’s especially useful to have large pieces of furniture like the bed, bookshelves, cupboards desks and tables drenched in white, cream, gray and black. You can add colorful pillows and patterned beddings to bring life to dull colors. Shelves and open cupboards become lively when there are books and bright kitchen utensils.
4. Fill the areas with right kind of light.
Warm lights emit a soft glow that quickly puts you to sleep. The glow from the lights is also closer to natural light, which helps the body adjust to artificial light when indoors. When paired with the right fixtures, it can transform the ambiance of the room. Dimmable ambient light along with side lamps are perfect for the bedroom. Highly-functional areas such the living room dramatically change the mood of the room.
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5. Embrace wall hangings.
Pieces of art like a painting and a wall hanging spices a blank wall. The artwork on the wall becomes an instant conversation piece as it attracts the eyes of people coming in the room. Canvas pieces can be expensive, therefore opt for mirrors. You can find them at garage sales, antique fairs and in flea markets.
6. Say no to small rugs.
Small rugs are not cute and cozy. They make the room look cheap as it makes space look small and unbalanced. Condos are much better in large and wide carpet flooring and rugs. The rug will emphasize the pieces of furniture on top of it while making the room appear wide. If you plan to include one in a room, measure the floor area and identify the maximum size of the rug you can put in place. The arrangement of the items in the room comes after the carpet.
7. Choose the right size for the items.
Buying large pieces of furniture and design items will make the place crowded. If you have to squeeze into space to get through the other side, then the furniture is too big. The ideal distance between the coffee table and sofa is 18 inches. For chairs and sofas, it helps to have two feet of space behind them.
8. Think of each item’s purpose when shopping for decorations.
Having a Morrocan-inspired throw pillow or potted ZZ plants are interesting pieces to have at home. However, they may not coincide with the existing design you’ve created. Before giving into an impulse buy for the home, it’s best to have a plan when decorating. That way, you won’t break your budget and avoid buying items that look random and out of place.
9. Scour great finds online.
Home retail stores are not the only places to buy sophisticated design elements. Some apps have specific categories for home decorating. You can also find outlets like craft stores that post their items or stocks online and have them shipped to your home.
10. Make use of greens.
Plants are also great design elements to include at home. They are also functional as they clear the air of toxins. There are various plants you can place at home. Potted plants work best on surfaces and empty nooks while hanging plants are better in rooms with limited floor areas.
These ten tips are simple and easy enough to accomplish on your own. If you look at home catalogs and online photos of well-decorated homes, you will find that most homeowners stick to these tips. Looking for a 'peg' or a photo inspiration can be your guide if these tips start to become overwhelming.
About Author: Janice Jaramillo