How to Design Great Rooms

Where to Start?

The first step in designing a beautiful space is to visualize the finished room. You can hire an interior designer to help with this step and show you how to maximize the space and décor options of your room.

For those who like the do-it-yourself approach, you can launch the visualization process in several ways:

• Start with an Idea - Maybe you want a space that conveys a certain feeling, reminds you of a favorite place, or is inspired by a piece of art.

• Start with a Picture of a Designer Room or Dream Room - Scan magazines, books, websites, and television home shows for Interior Design Ideas. Save or make a note of the rooms that appeal to your personal style. This step will help when you meet with a decorator or help you pull the room together yourself.

• Start with Historical Design and Architecture - If you have a period-style home, like a charming Victorian, your interior spaces could be inspired by the home’s structural design. Maybe you have a newly built home that is in need of some style and character, so you want to create the feel of an old Tuscan farmhouse.

Steps to Turning Inspiration into Reality

• Beautiful rooms begin with an idea or inspiration which leads to a preferred design style or theme.

• Decide on your color palette, the fabrics, and the furniture pieces.

• Then, treat the walls and ceilings with a paint color, decorative finish, or wallpaper that embodies the design style you’ve chosen.

• Now make sure your flooring fits with the design or install new carpeting, wood, tile, or area rugs.

• Bring in furniture that not only functions well, but also defines the room’s chosen design style.

• Add the finishing touches—window treatments, accessories, and lighting.

The Elements of Design

In order to successfully know how to design great rooms, one must understand the elements of great design. These include:

Pattern and Texture in carpeting

• Color - The combination and use of colors can be explored more by studying color theory or the Basics of Color Design. Don’t be afraid of color! It’s all around us everyday. Just look at your front garden, your wardrobe, or even your dinner plate.

• Light - Whether it originates from a sunny window or a floor lamp, light has a big effect on a room’s colors and vibe.

• Space - All rooms have positive and negative space. They can be made more efficient and comfortable with smart space planning.

• Shape and Mass - Shape is an outline, while mass is three-dimensional. For example, the shape of a box is square but its mass is a cube.

• Line - The use of horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and curved lines establish direction and movement in a room.

• Texture - All surfaces have texture that is glossy/dull, smooth/rough, or soft/firm. Some surfaces have several textures, such as a marble countertop that is both firm and glossy.

• Pattern - Visual patterns are formed by a room’s structural design, furniture shape and upholstery, and the surface decorations found in the space.

The Principles of Design

The elements of design, described above, are used to implement these principles of design:

• Balance - The use of symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial balance produces a pleasing order in a room.

• Emphasis - Each room needs an emphasis, or a focal point, to establish its function and style.

• Rhythm - Using patterns of gradation, transition, and repetition and will create rhythm in a room.

• Scale and Proportion - The size of furniture and objects as they relate to each other and to the space around them involves an awareness of scale and proportion.

• Harmony - When a room’s overall theme or style effectively uses the elements and principles of design, harmony is created.

Space Planning 101

One secret to knowing how to design great rooms is proper space planning. If you hire an interior designer, they will almost certainly draw up a space plan of your rooms. This two-dimensional space plan provides a scale view of your room including the furniture or fixtures to be used.

House Furniture Template by Pickett

To make your own space plan, you’ll need the following tools:

• Graph paper or cross section paper (has gridlines with four squares per inch)
• Pencil (with a big eraser!)
• Tape measure (for measuring your room and furniture)
• Ruler or straight-edge (for making nice straight lines)

Measure the length and width of your room. Draw the room’s shape to scale, with one square on the graph paper equal to one foot. Mark the location of doors and windows on your sketch. You can create furniture forms by cutting out scale shapes from a sheet of graph paper, or you can draw them directly onto your room plan using a plastic furniture template or stencil set.

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