Interior Design for Beginners

When we moved into my first own home nearly two years ago I found myself quite overwhelmed about where to start with decorating. If you've seen my room transformation posts (particularly the lounge!), you'll know that there was quite a bit to do as the entire house needed an update.

Having only ever lived at home, in student digs, or rented properties (see my tips for decorating a rental here) I'd never fully got my hands on a place before, and to say I was overwhelmed is probably a bit of an understatement. Whilst I felt inspired by so many beautiful homes in magazines, and on Pinterest/Instagram, I had no idea how to turn the outdated house I'd been handed the keys to into my dream, stylish home.

It took me a while to get to grips with exactly the look I wanted to achieve, so thought I'd share my experiences and tips here in case this is helpful to anyone currently wanting to make a change in their home, and is, like me, a beginner to interior design.

• Firstly have a think about what the purpose of each room is. Do you want somewhere you can relax? Or an area for entertaining guests? This can have a big affect on how you put a room together, as you want to make sure it's somewhere that ticks all your boxes once it's complete. 

• Onto the fun bit! Deciding on a colour scheme or theme for the room. Choosing the right scheme is really important in creating the right atmosphere in a room, however there are no limitations to your imagination here! Cooler colours like blues and greys can be calming whereas brighter colours like purples and reds can be more exciting, which might be something to bear in mind when deciding on a colour. 

• Whilst I'm probably a bit boring and love sticking with neutral tones, some of the most stylish homes I've seen use bold statement colours. A really cool current trend seems to be using deep hues, which not only look stunning visually but can also provide the perfect backdrop for accessories. 

Image credit: Pexels

A big fan of a colour but not sure if you want to cover the whole room with it? A feature wall is always a good go-to, and could even be a good bridge between neutral walls and eventually going much bolder in your choices.

I've got a couple of wallpaper feature walls within my home, which I've found to be a great way of adding colour and pattern into a room and therefore setting a theme without having to commit to anything too big.

• Once you've decided on a colour/theme, you might like to think about complementary colours, and how these could be adapt into your styling to break up blocks of colour. For example, in my lounge I've gone with neutral walls, floors and furniture, however have added touches of pale blue and grey through soft furnishings, plus a hint of gold with the accessories. Also I'm likely to get carried away when shopping for home bits, picking up anything and everything, so having particular colours in mind for each room helps keep my shopping habits in check too! 

• Adding different textures and materials can add depth to a room too, particularly through rugs, throws and cushions. If light or space is limited in a particular room a mirror can also work well to bounce light around the room and give the impression of a larger space. 

• Shelves: A well-styled shelf is, in my opinion, an absolute work of art! While my husband seems to think shelves are for storage (?!) I'm firmly of the opinion that only pretty decorative bits should reside here. It's also a great way of continuing your theme further. When styling shelves, or even surface tops, I tend to go with the rule of odd numbers: something taller in the back to add height, with a couple of smaller things in front. I blogged about my top tips for styling a shelf here.  

Hope this has been helpful, what are your top beginner tips for interior design?

Thanks for reading, Sam Xx