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Regardless of whether you’re designing your brand new mansion or looking to pull out few fast pickups around back home, interior design tips and tricks can always help.
Designers have luckily developed enough elegant decorating ideas that don’t take ages to complete, and most of all can keep few bucks in your pocket.
In most cases, these will be small details that nevertheless have huge impact, such as adding a plant, purchasing brighter curtains, or softening the color of the walls.
Yes, you read right – classy home décor and a pleasant living space doesn’t have to cost a fortune!
Image source: P2 Design
Even when you believe your place is in a perfect condition, there may be more beautifying and elegant bedroom ideas that can boost comfort and confidence.
Elegant home décor is not about purchasing expensive pieces, or breaking the bank to give your home a luxurious vibe.
What it does instead is to convert rooms into unique havens that speak on behalf of your feelings and personality.
After all, it is your home and you get to choose how to revamp the layouts, arrange furniture, or whether to pick calm or energizing colors.
Few tips for an elegant room décor
Image source: Luther Paul Weber AIA, Architect
Want to make your home look classier and warmer? There are few affordable design techniques you can employ to achieve this effect. Inclusively, you can combine between styles and renovate the looks of your house following the latest trends and décor hits.
For instance, elegant living rooms nowadays mostly combine finer traditional elements with bold and trendy pieces, or limit details to essentials to de-clutter the place and make it appear fresher.
Rules, nevertheless, don’t really exist, and all that matters is what you would like to see inside, or which type of functionality you need.
Are you in for a bold environment or some understated charm? Designers have mastered both to help you customize your place.
Obviously, you can skip coming around ideas and hire experienced designers to accomplish the plan, but that may cost more than you could possibly imagine.
Instead, we recommend you to learn the basics of home decoration, and create the home you will love yourself.
What it takes is just a little bit of imagination and individual taste considerations to obtain a magnificent result. If you have this, than our tips will be just basic guidelines that will help you hit off.
Interior design tricks you should know
Image source: Heather Garrett Design
If you’ve already decided for a particular style, make sure you know all about it, and decorate the room accordingly:
- Don’t buy pieces you know won’t be trendy next season.
- Keep a single theme; because combining various styles may make your decoration look shabby (in particular without significant design experience).
- If there is a focal element or a showpiece in the room, make sure you’ve given it a central position compared to other attractions you’ve displayed.
The color palette comes first
Image source: Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design
Pick the two main colors, and think of complementary details that would look nice with them.
For instance, white, cream, green, and brown make excellent choices for a basic theme, while their complementary shades should either be few tones darker or lighter, including beige, champagne, pastel green, sand, or ivory.
Ideally, skip strong contrasts and combinations that are heavy for the eye, unless you’re deliberately trying to obtain a harsh effect and entertain viewers.
The choice of an interior color is basically unlimited; as you can paint with any color you u like, or even better, pick the exact tone, shade, or tint it provides.
Note that colors look different when applied in different places, due the way you combined them with other sources, rugs, artwork, upholstery, and so on, but mostly because of the lighting conditions in the room.
It is essential to know the place you’re decorating in detail, so that you can picture how a particular shade would look applied there.
Add light instantly with large decorative mirrors
Image source: David Duncan Livingston
It is no secret that mirrors do magic in small spaces, especially ones that get a limited amount of sun and natural light.
Ideally, place them opposite the window, and they will fill the room with light and make the walls look much brighter. The smaller the place is, the larger the mirror should be.
Living room furnishing and accessorizing
Image source: Ryan Street & Associates
One of the hottest living room trends is ‘going back in the past’, namely rubbing off some of the old concepts’ shine when matching furniture or combining colors.
For example, you can replace your L-shaped sofa with a harsher, funky colored couch, or add few interestingly patterned chairs on your oversized rug.
A collage image on the wall, classy vintage mirror and potted flowers on the window frames will also do an amazing job, so start visiting garage sales, or review the furniture you inherited sometime in the past.
Comfy and elegant pillows
Image source: Digs Design Company
There are two reasons to use pillows at home: firstly, they perform quite admirably punching up the elegance looks of your place, but more importantly, they give both you and your guests extra comfort and a layered feeling.
Comfort, in fact, should not even be discussed once you lean back on your large sofa pillow! With a standard size of 12-18 inches, or a 22-inch cushion filled with 24-inch inserts, you’ve secured yourself a favorite nap taking haven.
No clutter is allowed
Image source: Tanya Capaldo Designs
By clutter, we also refer to useless shopping catalogs, thrown mail, and any other item whose place is not on the main table.
Make sure counters and tables are always clean, with a maximal number of five well arranged accessories on them. Any other trinket will be too much.
Art Deco ambiance
Image source: Hendricks Construction
Art Deco can be traced back to the 1930s, and distinguished by its strict and strong lines, black assets, and wooden furniture.
Alongside black, Art Deco highlighted red and white, but sometimes even pale blue, dull purple, and dove gray.
In order to reinforce the power of these colors, Art Deco rooms were often enriched with glass, mirrors, aluminum, steel, and marble, and support the theory of extra lighting with lamps, wall cons, and impressive chandeliers.
Furnishing and accessorizing the dining room
Image source: JD Smith Custom Homes
The dining room is where you are going to set your most important events, so make sure there is a larger farmhouse-styled table for all guests.
You can keep it rustic, or finish it with glossy lacquer depending on your functionality requirements. Further on, you can soften its masculine looks with feminine upholstered chairs or floral trims.
If the budget is not an issue, hang a classy crystal-and-wrought-iron chandelier to impress your visitors.
Arrange furniture in an open concept to give the room some breathing space
Image source: Native Land
Overcrowding the room is never a good solution – if you want it to look gracious, you have to arrange elements in a way that will make maneuvering easy.
This is also a smart course of action for limited budgets; where it is essential to choose few quality elements instead of many flea market discoveries.
Use textures and patterns to mix it up
Image source: Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design
Instead of throwing out your old furniture, mix pieces with new ones, and make even the cheapest furniture you have to look expensive.
A modern couch won’t stop you from displaying all family heirlooms and favorite decorations, as the key of your décor is who you are, and what your style is.
There is a story behind your dad’s Chippendale desk, and there is no reason not to combine it with that couch.
In short, you will exhibit how past and present stories work out together beautifully, in particular if you can spice up with some exquisite artwork.
Mix textures, patterns, and fabrics, as doing so will make your living space much warmer and inviting.
Shabby Chic
Image source: An Interior Motive Designs LLC
By shabby chic, we actually mean cute vintage details that look amazing, but can be purchased relatively cheap in thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales.
The impressive thing about them is their wooden composition that makes them look distressed and aged, and which can easily be covered in milky white paint to hide particularly visible signs of wear and tear.
Shabby chic intends to impose a softer and more affected feel to contemporary interiors, and introduces linen textiles to preserve its stylishness.
The traditional shabby colors are white, pastel, and ecru, but that shouldn’t stop you from applying more vibrant schemes.
Choose a focal accessory
Image source: Highgate House
In every production, there are leading actors and supporting cast crew, and the same principle applies to design.
Each room should have its own star and focal element which will anchor the room, surrounded by secondary items that complement it. More than one focal point, nevertheless, can turn a living room into a visual chaos.
Every element can become a focal piece: you can ascribe this role to your dramatic kitchen hood, bedroom headboard, or living room art piece.
Whatever you think would draw attention, direct the spotlight towards it. What matters is to draw and keep eyes on it for as longer as possible.
Contemporary Chic
Image source: Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.
Significantly colder than shabby chic, contemporary chic is inspired by Art Deco, and upgraded with a number of comfort compounds.
For the first time, black-and-white fans who had to skip their décor ambitions in order to preserve coziness, could improvise with colors, and obtain genuinely the home they want.
No wonder contemporary chic became so popular in such a short time.
The essential components of this style are subtle and simple geometric shapes, high ceilings and stylish windows, and neutral colors.
Floors are usually covered with tiles or wood, and furniture is arranged in a distressed way which provides enough moving space.
Use the accessories you already have
Image source: Dallas Rugs
Instead of packing old belongings in boxes and giving them away, consider if there is place for any of them in your new setting.
Accessories know to be quite expensive, which is how a second glance on your old decorations may save you from running to the store and spending more money than it is actually necessary.
Metal, silver, wooden, or acrylic trials never go out of style, and they will look great on your luggage racks, trunks, tea carts, and beside your coffee tables, depending on the colors you’ve implemented.
Use them to arrange books and candles, children’s art, or bathroom utilities.
Victorian Vanity
Image source: Danielle Trippett Interior Design & Decoration
Victorian Vanity combines British comfort with Mediterranean charm, and has been enriched by multiple interior decoration styles during the centuries.
As a result, it nowadays looks like a cure mix of different concepts and styles, mostly in red and brown color schemes which adds a strong and comfortable masculine vibe.
Implement brave ideas
Image source: Jeffrey King Interiors
Once again, the secret of a pleasant living space is to convey a personal statement, and to have fun while designing it. The more you try, the better it will become, and people will certainly notice that.
For some people, individualizing a place means making it brave and dramatic, and adding unconventional library-like bookshelves, unexpected ottomans, and oversized chandeliers in a minimalist room which lacks charisma.
It is not about the pieces you add, but how they can be interpreted and related to your personality.
Choose elements that mean to you, and that will make your place homey and beautiful.
Unlike what you think, elegant homes are not necessarily expensive. The truth is that elegant homes are well-maintained places owners love and care about.
This is why we recommend readers to avoid Zen looks and overly minimalist decorations, because such are easily related to offices and working environments, and their sharpness doesn’t allow people to feel warm and cozy inside.
Be strict when choosing key elements – they must be practical and meaningful, so that you will tie your most beautiful memories to them.
More importantly – choose with your family in mind, because these pieces ought to be loved and shared.
Use hardwood instead of a carpet
Image source: Kwinter & Co.
Some people believe wall-to-wall carpeting is the only option for a genuinely warm floor, but the truth is that gleaming hardwood floors can be just comfortable and not require you to sacrifice elegance.
It costs more, but its sturdiness and durability makes it a smart investment. Carpets, on the other hand, show each sign if wear and tear.
The ROI rates reported by hardwood users are just incredible, mostly in cases where they resell their house, and get the best value for them.
Hardwood lasts for years even in the most trafficked rooms, so paying for it definitely makes sense. A cheaper alternative is to use laminate, but you have to make sure it is a top quality one.
At the end of the day, not every hardwood type costs a fortune.
For instance, you can use oak and birch instead of posh cherry, or choose a darker color which looks more elegant and hides damage.
Don’t overdo it
Image source: Ambience Home Design S.L
Keep to the style you’ve selected, and avoid any element you think would look too complicated, opinionated, or in particular aggressive.
The things you should avoid:
- Celebrity posters. The only posters allowed are alternative and retro ones, as long as they are adequately framed.
- Novelty elements and joke items should not be used together, as for example funny calendars and elegant kettles.
- Branding and advertising items should always be avoided, unless using them is absolutely necessary.
Ending thoughts
Image source: Julie Kent Interiors
As you had the chance to read, your home can be beautified in many simple and affordable ways, as for instance choosing the right colors, substituting poor-quality elements, and shopping for larger and meaningful pieces than random market finds.
The smartest thing you can do is to plan your budget separately, and devote a defined amount of money and time to each section.
Once you’ve done that, visit smaller stores and secondhand shops, or choose element you like online.
For distressed and retro settings, you should even consider consignment shops, garage sales, and flea markets.
You will be astonished by the array of interesting details you will discover, and how helpful they will be for the creation of an amazingly elegant home on a fraction of the expected price.