Redesigning or decorating a room can seem like an overwhelming task. However, with some strategic planning and clever tips, you can jumpstart the room design process and transform your space. Here are 8 effective ways to kickstart your room makeover.
1. Clarify Your Vision
Before you can begin any room design project, you need a clear vision of your desired aesthetic and function for the space. Take some time to think about the look, feel, and purpose of the room.
- What is your style – modern, traditional, minimalist?
- What mood do you want to create – calm, energetic, cozy?
- How will the room be used – sleeping, working, lounging?
Define your priorities, must-haves, and absolute no-gos. Do you need maximum storage? Seek lots of natural light? Prefer a monochromatic color scheme? Decide what matters most before making any design decisions. A well-defined vision will serve as a guide during the process.
2. Purge and Organize
Now is the time for a deep clean and decluttering session. Go through every drawer, shelf, and closet in the room. Be ruthless about sorting items into “trash”, “donate”, and “keep” piles. Anything you have not used in over a year (besides sentimental keepsakes) should probably go.
Organize and label what remains so items have designated homes. Use baskets, bins, or dividers to neatly corral smaller objects. Getting organized makes the contents of the room easy to see, so you know what you’re working with. A de-cluttered space also helps inspire fresh ideas. Out with the old to make way for the new design!
3. Repaint the Walls
Painting is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to facilitate a major change in a room. Moving from a bright color to a neutral tone or vice versa can immediately shift the ambiance.
Before rushing to apply a trendy shade, hold up paint swatches and live with them on the walls for a few days to see how natural light changes the hues throughout the day. Neutral colors like greige, almond, and stone are versatile picks that won’t fall out of favor quickly.
Painting the ceiling a lighter tone than the walls can give the illusion of a taller space. High-gloss paint can brighten up a dark room, while matte finishes minimize imperfections in walls.
4. Upgrade Flooring
Along with a fresh coat of paint, new flooring can entirely transform a room. Replace worn carpeting with hardwood or laminate flooring to create a polished look. Switching from dated linoleum to natural stone or tile gives a bathroom or kitchen a more inviting feel.
If your budget doesn’t allow for new flooring, you can update tiles by regrouting and applying a sealant. Area rugs are another affordable way to introduce new textures, patterns, and colors to floors.
5. Rearrange or Replace Furniture
Try out new furniture arrangements before making any expensive purchases. Something as simple as moving the bed to a different wall or turning the sofa to face a new focal point can provide a new perspective.
Push furniture against walls to open up floor space or float pieces to define spaces if you have an open concept room. Mix up seating heights and shapes for visual interest.
If existing furnishings seem irredeemably worn or outdated, updating key pieces like the sofa, bed frame, or dining table can set the tone for the new design. Look for versatile pieces with timeless silhouettes.
6. Introduce Color and Texture
Color and texture create visual interest and depth in a room. Incorporate shades that complement your wall color in accessories like throw pillows, area rugs, curtains, and artwork. Stick to a cohesive color palette of 2-4 hues for a pulled together look.
Vary textures with nubby knits, soft bedding, natural fiber rugs, woven shades, and faux fur pillows. Different materials add tactile appeal and dimension through light and shadow.
7. Incorporate Multifunctional Furniture
For small or awkward layouts, utilize furniture that serves more than one purpose, such as:
- Ottomans with hidden storage
- Side tables with built-in charging stations
- Desks with shelving overhead
- Coffee tables with liftable tops for dining
- Beds with drawers underneath
This improves functionality without cluttering the space. Look for clean, streamlined silhouettes to complement your room’s aesthetic.
8. Personalize with Artwork
Carefully chosen artwork infuses a room with personality and visual interest. Search sites like Etsy for special prints and photographs from independent artists. Opt for framed pieces over canvas prints for a sophisticated look.
Incorporate a variety of sizes and shapes. Salute gallery walls with framed photos, paintings, prints, and mirrors layered creatively across a whole wall. When hanging, place artwork about 60″ above furniture and a few inches above any molding.
Personal photos displayed in matching frames make a thoughtful accent. For a playful touch in a kid’s room, line a wall with colorful magnetic paint to display their ever-changing artworks.
Lighting Enhances Any Design
From ambient overhead fixtures to task lighting, illumination plays a pivotal role in interior design. Evaluate how lighting is currently used in your space:
- Is the room evenly lit or are there dark corners?
- Do you rely solely on overhead fixtures for light?
- Could additional lighting allow for a flexible multifunctional space?
Little tweaks like installing dimmers, updating lamp shades, or adding accent lighting can significantly change the feel of a room.
Here are lighting tips to illuminate your design:
- Install dimmer switches to control brightness from a warm glow to bright task lighting.
- Maximize natural light with wide window treatments in light, opaque fabrics.
- Combine lighting sources – overhead, lamps, sconces, and accent lights.
- Position floor and table lamps to evenly fill in darker areas of the room.
- Add stylish sconces on bedside walls or by artwork for an elegant accent.
- Use directional lighting like track lights or reading lamps for tasks.
- Highlight architectural details withpicture lights or upward sconces.
- Install smart bulbs you can control remotely or by voice command.
- Use lighting to define spaces in open concept rooms.
The right lighting setup can make a room feel warm, bright, relaxed, or energetic. Implementing both general and specialty lighting allows you to customize your space for different needs.
Accessories Pull the Room Together
Artfully chosen accents are the finishing touch that brings all the elements of your design together into a cohesive space. Accessories include:
- Throw pillows
- Area rugs
- Wall art
- Sculptures
- Houseplants
- Candles
- Baskets
- Throws & blankets
When selecting accessories, consider color, texture, size, form, and function. Toss pillows in tones pulled from your color scheme, for example, will reinforce the palette.
Scale is also important – a massive painting would look imposing above a petite sofa but appropriately sized above a generous sectional. Accessories should tie into the room’s overall aesthetic and purpose.
Stylish, functional accents like storage ottomans, cozy throw blankets, or eye-catching pottery subtly enhance the design. Arrange thoughtfully, allowing breathing room around pieces, and step back periodically to ensure a cohesive look.
Pull Inspiration from Everywhere
Inspiration for your room makeover can come from almost anywhere – here are some places to look:
- Interior Design Instagram Accounts. Follow pros like @emilyhendersondesign and glean ideas from beautiful, curated shots of rooms.
- Pinterest. Search for your chosen style like “modern farmhouse bedroom” and scroll through countless room images. Save favorites to idea boards.
- Home Tours. Check sites like Houzz for photos of real rooms decorated in different aesthetics.
- Model Homes. Walk through model homes or apartments to see complete room designs and get a sense of space planning.
- Magazines. Browse interior design magazines and tear out pages of rooms you love.
- Art Galleries. Notice how art curators arrange and group pieces for inspiration on elevating gallery walls or vignettes.
- Textiles. Take note of interesting patterns and textile combinations in clothing, upholstery, and rugs.
- Nature. Colors, textures, and forms from the natural world can provide endless inspiration.
- Travel. Unique art, textiles, architecture details, and color palettes encountered during your travels can spark creative ideas.
Define Areas with Room Dividers
For large, open concept spaces, structural room dividers allow you to carve out designated areas without building permanent walls. Get creative with these room divider ideas:
- Bookcases act as natural barriers between, say, a dining area and living room while storing books and displaying cherished items.
- Textile screens mounted on freestanding frames or ceiling tracks easily close off a home office area with softness.
- A strategically placed island or storage unit can separate a kitchen from adjoining living space.
- Shelving units, placed perpendicular to walls, divide a room while offering display space.
- Folding screens covered in rice paper, fabric, bamboo, or other materials define a sophisticated space.
- Curtains hung from the ceiling or mounted around the perimeter of a canopy bed cocoon off an intimate area.
- Large open cabinets or hutches placed parallel to walls create a hallway effect, leading the eye to a specific focal point.
- Indoor greenery like tall potted palms, bamboo, or fiddle leaf fig trees make natural room dividers. Their differing heights and forms provide visual interest.
Room dividers allow you to get creative with defining, yet fluid multipurpose areas within a larger space.
Prioritize Furniture Placement
How you arrange furniture and floor plan the layout of a room impacts aesthetics and functionality. Follow these general guidelines:
- Allow for at least 24-30 inches for walkways and high-traffic routes through the room. Wide doorways may need more space.
- Float furniture away from walls instead of pushing flush against them to allow for airflow and less cluttered feeling.
- Place the front legs of sofas, chairs, and beds around 16-18 inches from coffee tables, side tables, or other pieces they will interact with.
- Position furniture to take advantage of nice views, focal points like fireplaces, or sources of natural light.
- Angle furniture like sofas toward each other to create an inviting conversational grouping.
- In living rooms and family rooms, place the primary seating area facing the entryway so visitors don’t have an obstructed view.
- Avoid blocking sunlight, heating, or cooling sources with furniture placement.
- Leave enough space to fully open doors and drawers without hitting furniture.
Trying out a few different layouts with your existing pieces can reveal the most aesthetically pleasing and practical option before you settle on a permanent arrangement.
Embrace Eclectic Style
If you feel stifled by stringent rules defining one particular style, embrace the freedom of eclectic decor. This allows you to incorporate a curated mix of beloved pieces, textures, colors, and eras. Follow these tips for executing an eclectic room successfully:
- Choose 3-4 colors to serve as an anchor. Repeat them in larger pieces like sofas or sectionals so the room feels cohesive.
- Seek out unique secondhand finds with fascinating histories – clawfoot tub, carved armoire, retro radio – and highlight them.
- Layer in textiles with global or vintage-inspired prints and interesting textures like wool, velvet, rattan, and jute.
- Hang a gallery wall showcasing a variety of artwork, photographs, prints, mirrors, and found items.
- Combine modern minimalist furniture with cozy, plush accent chairs or a ornate heirloom coffee table.
- Install vintage lighting fixtures like pendant lamps, sconces, or chandeliers for character.
- Allow whimsy with unexpected decor like birdcages, antique maps, or handpainted ceramic garden stools.
The eclectic aesthetic allows you to embrace what you love from a wide range of eras and styles to create a space bursting with personality.
Select Statement Pieces
Every well-designed room incorporates bold statement pieces that command attention and anchor the look. Statement pieces include:
- An oversized work of art
- An intricately patterned area rug
- A distinctive antique lighting fixture or chandelier
- A sectional or sofa in a vibrant, saturated hue
- An ornate fireplace surround
- A carved wood buffet or credenza
- A textural coffee table or oval dining table
Statement pieces inspire you to design the rest of the space around them. If your statement is a brightly colored sofa, for instance, pick up its colors in throw pillows, rugs, and drapery.
Situate the statement piece in a spot that draws the eye, allowing it to take center stage. Leave breathing room around substantial pieces so they don’t feel crowded or create clutter.
Making one special, high impact item the focus creates a memorable design instead of competing decor.
Infuse Personality Through Color
While following trends can quickly date a space, injecting your personality into a room through favorite colors creates a joyful, authentic feel. Some ways to flaunt your signature color palette:
- Choose a bold, saturated wall color you love, like cobalt blue or emerald green, as an energetic backdrop.
- Upholster furniture in cheery, optimistic yellow or soothing bluish gray – colors that lift your mood.
- Pick up a hue from a beloved painting or cherished fabric scrap and repeat it in pillows and accessories.
- Opt for an area rug featuring creative ombre or color-blocked patterns.
- Seek out vibrant art, pillows, and ceramics in colors that make you smile.
- Paint built-ins, molding, window frames, or doors in a contrasting tone.
- Select drapes and bedding introducing whimsical prints and mixes of patterns and solids.
Thoughtfully embracing the colors you’re instinctively drawn to creates a highly personalized design that reflects who you are.
Frequently Asked Questions About Room Design
What are some quick ways to update a room on a budget?
Some inexpensive updates that make a big impact include painting walls, displaying new artwork, replacing window treatments, updating bedding and pillows, rearranging furniture, switching out lamp shades, installing new lighting, and decluttering for a fresh look.
How do I pick colors for a room?
Consider colors and palettes you are naturally drawn to. Look at color schemes used in inspirational photos. Pick 2-4 hues ranging from lights to darks. Test swatches on walls. Colors should complement architecture, purpose of room, and aesthetics you want to achieve.
How much space should be allowed between furniture pieces?
Leave 24-30 inches for main circulation paths. Float furniture about 18 inches from walls. Allow 16-18 inches between pieces people sit on and tables. Enough space should remain to open doors and drawers completely.
What makes a room feel cozy?
Layers of textures like plush blankets and shag rugs, warm lighting, natural elements like wood and plants, sectional seating, and a soothing color scheme help create a cozy retreat. Fireplaces or candles add comforting warmth.
What is the 60-30-10 rule in home decor?
It provides ideal proportions for variety in a room’s color scheme. 60% of the scheme should be a dominant neutral or subtle color. 30% is a secondary color or print, and just 10% pops as a bright accent shade.
How do I choose a new sofa for my room design?
Consider size, comfort, upholstery, versatility, and longevity. Test different sofa styles in the room’s footprint. Neutrals work well for durability; bold hues make statements. Avoid overly trendy shapes. Opt for quality construction and materials.
What are good room divider options for studio apartments?
Free-standing screens, curtains, folding screens on casters, tall shelves or bookcases, potted greenery like fiddle leaf fig trees, and open cabinets or hutches can divide studio spaces stylishly.
Conclusion
Designing a stylish, functional room you feel proud of requires some forethought and strategic decisions. Define your vision, purge clutter, arrange wisely, prioritize game-changing elements like lighting and layout, then pull together a cohesive look with decorating accents. Infuse your personality into the space with treasured pieces, beloved colors, and collected artwork for authenticity. Remember, inspiration can come from anywhere – embrace what you love. With thoughtful planning and creative tips, you can jumpstart a room redesign that transforms your space.
