Interior designers are, 99.9% of the time, unfalteringly selfless. From their gracious personality traits to their on-point style perspectives, they’re constantly striving to make their clients’ dream rooms a reality. And if you’ve ever tried to help someone materialize a dream, you’ll know that it’s no easy feat. There are challenges. Oh so many challenges. So when one of our designers tells us that they’re taking a moment to focus on their own space – we pay very close attention. Because there’s no better way to pick up design tips than by learning from the masters.
Recently, Havenly designer Maggie S. let us know that she’d finished designing the living room and dining room of her new home. Right off the bat, we begged her to detail her process. She didn’t disappoint. Here are Maggie’s 3 tips for hitting that design sweet spot.
1. Start Out With A Classic, Neutral Base
And then add what makes you happy. Start with a base of neutral colors, classic shapes and styles, and elements that will stand the test of time (in terms of both quality and aesthetics) and then add your fun, color and personality through accessories, artwork, and smaller design elements. It truly is the trick to creating spaces that you won’t get sick of. Keep those main elements and big ticket items classic and neutral and then, if you feel like changing things from season to season or freshening up the space every few years, you can do so with your textiles, artwork, accessories, and all of those small elements that are quick easy and cheap!
2. Don’t Be Afraid To Mix Styles
Maggie’s newly redecorated space is a wonderful mix of contemporary elements with rustic pieces. It’s a style mix that we’re crushing on, and we highly advise you to try out your own mixes. The look of combining drastically different styles together makes a room feel dynamic, interesting and curated. Don’t trap yourself in a box of one style and feel forced to stay within those parameters. Mixing design styles can seem daunting, but chances are if you simply put things in your home that you love and that speak to you, they will all end up working together to create a space that you’re totally in love with.
3. Take Control Of Your Layout
If your space isn’t working for you, change it! Maggie noted that while her new home had “good bones,” it simply wasn’t set up correctly for them. They love entertaining and hardly ever made use of their formal living room, so they grabbed the space by the horns and turned it into a large dining room to accommodate more guests. And they transitioned the previous living room in a home office that was a perfect size for their needs. For anyone struggling with a similar problem, Maggie’s advice is to design boldly by making big changes to how your space functions within your lifestyle.
Tour Maggie's Dining Room
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Tour Maggie's Living Room
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Want to read more about Maggie’s personal design endeavors? Pay a visit to her own little corner of the web at The Spiffy Company.
Step Into Your Own Dream Home
What does hitting the design sweet spot mean for you? For us, it’s designing a home that not only looks beautiful but also functions really beautifully for you. Sounds like a beautiful idea, right? Design yourself into a sweet spot today with one of our utterly gracious interior designers.