An interior decorating plan is a simple and effective way of creating fabulous living spaces. It’s a professional approach that anyone can follow which uses a step-by-step program to build up your vision. Whether you want to update your living room, bedroom, bathroom or kitchen, your plan will achieve your own personal haven.
Think of your interior decorating plan as a film production that involves three very important parts: A leading role, the set and supporting actors.
The Leading Role
At the start of your project you will have to choose a main feature or leading role for your room. Maybe you want the star of the show to be a bold piece of furniture such as an elegant bed or a stunning three piece suite. Or maybe you prefer bold colored walls with powerful patterns. If you are an avid collector or have a specialist interest or hobby then the main focus may lie here and you should invest in expensive shelving, display cabinets and lighting to show them off.
The most important things in your room should be displayed prominently and everything else should take a step back to let the leading role shine. Once you have decided on your main feature you can begin to work on the backdrop (the set) and accents (supporting actors).
The Set
The set is the main part of the room which excludes the leading role. If you have chosen a piece of furniture or display cabinet as the leading role then you will need to downplay the walls, ceiling and floor by painting or covering them in subtle colors. If on the other hand you choose bold walls or flooring you will have to choose less vivid furnishings.
Supporting Actors
Next you will need to consider the supporting actors otherwise known as accents or accessories. Think of these as the jewelry you might use to dress up a simple outfit. If your bed is the most important object in the room then treat it like a star and adorn it with expensive linen, invest in a spectacular headboard or canopy and flourish it with yards of luxurious fabric. You may want to add sumptuous cushions with embroidery details or hang an impressive piece of art above it. For the rest of the room you could display complimentary decorative boxes that can double up as storage or arrange fresh flowers in classic vases.
Creating Your Interior Decorating Plan
When you start your project you will need to buy a file or box to place all your ideas in. Start with the main feature of your room and take a photograph of it and start to create your vision by making simple sketches of how you want your room to look, including any existing features. Make notes of any new ideas and start to collect color and material swatches that complement your theme. Look through magazines and the Internet and add any inspirational clippings to your file making sure you note down contact details of stores and websites of interest. Keep focused on your vision as it builds and comes to life.
At this stage don’t worry too much about details and getting everything in the right order as you will be able to edit as you go along.
Begin Your Story-board
When you have exhausted all your ideas and have a rough plan of your room you can start to bring it to life with a story-board. Get some pieces of card and begin to stick on your ideas and swatches. Move them around until you are happy with the way they look and research for good deals and prices. Swatches are particularly useful for color matching when you go out to start making your purchases. This part of the process is the most creative and is also where your ideas may change. You will start to learn how to balance and layer your choices and to make sure your project stays on budget whilst achieving the result you want.
The End Production
As you work on your project you will discover new ideas and skills you thought you never had. Following a simple plan will guarantee that you don’t leave anything out and you will be able to adjust ideas to fit in with practicalities as you progress. On the opening night you won’t be over-faced with too many patterns and clutter but instead will have a clean and finely balanced living space with the satisfaction of seeing your own fantasy come to life.
in Home Improvement and Decorating
More articles
