We all want a designer home, don’t we? But sometimes, it may not be possible to hire an interior designer. If you are in this situation, don’t let it stop you from having spaces that are on par with the ones designed by a professional designer. I also had faced the same problem while I was designing the interior of my flat in Trivandrum. But don’t worry, we give you some tips on how you can style your home like an interior designer.
– List out your requirements
The most important factor to consider is your needs. Your home must take care of your needs and the design should offer you a space that takes care of your long term and short term requirements. Right from the needs of your child, to a home that offers a zen atmosphere for some peaceful time, your home must offer everything.
Thus, it is important to first list down your expectations and design your spaces accordingly.
– Your personal style
Once your requirements are in place, you must then understand your personal style. It could be the love for pastels, or going all bolo- it is a choice that you must make. Understanding your personal aesthetics and the aspiration that you have for your home will help you in understanding the design approach that you must take in order to design your home.
– Follow a theme
A good designer first understands your needs and based on that and your aesthetic preference, they choose a certain theme. It could be a colour palette, material or a story- your home should have a theme that reflects who you are. Following a certain theme is a really important part of a great design. It helps you stay focused in order to create a home that looks put together. One of the aims of a good design is to create a home that looks complete and as one entity rather than looking fragmented.
– Hire a professional carpenter
Not many designers will tell you, but a good design is only an idea without proper execution. Hence, it is imperative to find a carpenter who is experienced and open to trying new ideas. You must sit down and discuss with him the ideas that you have in mind and you can also seek his suggestions on how a certain thing will look in the larger scheme of things.
– Understand the latest trends
The internet is a great source to find out what global trends are. If you are someone who prefers to stay in tune with the latest trends, then you must check out different websites or social media platforms where you can get many ideas that you can implement in your home. It could be from Pinterest or Instagram, shortlist ideas that fall in line with your theme. You can discuss these ideas with your carpenter about the practicality of the same in your home along with its pricing etc.
– Cost and estimate
Cost of your interiors is another factor that you need to take into account. A designer will often give you a costing of the entire project which helps you gauge how much you can afford and where to draw the line. When you choose to be the designer of your home, taking into account the cost is important. Failing this, you might end up exceeding the budget by a very large margin, which is not ideal under any account.
– Setting a time frame
Once all these things are discussed, you must set a time frame for the work. Discussing at length with your carpenter and understanding the time he needs will give you an approximate time frame that you must stick to. Not having a stipulated time frame will sometimes push the work for a large number of days which can be costly and exhausting.
– Comparison and market analysis
A good designer will always keep his options open. Whether it’s a carpenter or a vendor- comparing the competitors in the market is important to get a price that’s good for you. Along with this, getting a review of a vendor’s work and quality of products will help you get the best deal.
It is certainly not easy to be the designer of your home. But it is certainly very rewarding as you have complete freedom and responsibility of creating your space on your terms. We hope that these tips help you design a home that is as good as one designed by a professional.
