Interior Design is an incredibly sought profession filled with exciting possibilities and talented professionals. Hiring an interior designer can turn your home into an inspiration for you every day. Not all Interior Designers are created equally however and if you’re working with small spaces here are some tips to ensure they’re doing your space justice.
Mirrors
Mirrors create a sense of space. They are a strong component of Feng Shui when it comes to hallways and narrow corridors but can also work anywhere. The benefit of mirrors for Interior Design is that one can create a sense of there being more space than there is.
For example, have you ever been to a gym that has its walls lined with mirrors? Chances are you have since most do. These spaces look incredibly larger than they are. When one sees a reflection instead of a wall one doesn’t have the perception of a room boundary, or at least not as much as one does when viewing a wall. Lining every wall in a small room isn’t practical, but taking inspiration from interior designers like Helen Coulston and using a range of floor mirrors can help to create a larger sense of space.
Murphy Beds
Murphy beds are little-known types of furniture that can help save space. They fold up, often into the wall, in such a way that a room can have additional floor use when they’re not in use. These types of beds are common to tiny homes, RVs, and ultra-small spaces – but can be used in any home design.
Using Murphy Beds in your interior design project is a great way to create a space for guests to sleep without sacrificing any of your precious floor space. Some of the best Murphy beds out there feature hidden storage, shelving, and even modular fittings to accommodate a wide range of use when they’re not in use. You can use whatever type of mattress you want with these beds, so they sleep much better than sleeper sofas.
Plants
Indoor plants create a healthier living space. Plants are like 24/7 workers tasked with purifying the air in your home. They are the best natural air purifiers out there, even though they often don’t get credit for as much. Plants are also a great way to create a sense of larger spaces by helping to break up sharp corners. Our eyes perceive the edges of walls, corners, ceiling lines, and related architectural features as boundaries. That’s just nature.
Breaking up these boundaries by hiding them can help lessen their influence on our boundary perceptions. It’s easy to go overboard here so don’t just go sticking plants around hap-hazard.ly A few well-placed plants are often enough. Think about using plant stands in corners, hanging plants from ceilings near wall corners, and even placing plants on window sills can help.
Color Selections
Color has a tremendous impact on how we perceive our surroundings. Imagine standing in a room with every surface painted black compared to a room with every surface painted white. One creates a sense of mystery, and constraint, and has an almost nocturnal demand while the other creates a sense of openness, loftiness, and light-hearted vibes. Most interior design paint choices aren’t so black and white.
Having solid tools to help you select impressive color schemes can help a lot. Some of the best color scheme tools offer interior designers the ability to match, mix, and pair colors. This can help you find a light color isn’t white. Not only do light colors help to create a sense of openness, but they also promote a more jovial and positive atmosphere. Lighter colors are great for living rooms, dens, dining rooms, and home offices.
Putting it All Together
Each of these tips is useful individually but, for maximal effect, one should consider using them together in their DIY Interior Design projects. Utilizing large floor mirrors, natural plants (living if possible), space-saving furniture like Murphy Beds, and light-spirited colors will help expand those smaller spaces of your home. Make no mistake, they’re not actually getting larger. These design tips aren’t meant to break the laws of physics, but they can help maximize what you already have.
