Style doesn’t come naturally. Style is learned.
Now, there’s a wide difference between a stylish home and being stylish yourself. A stylish home requires so much more time and effort. To some people, it comes naturally. Others have to learn it. There are laws to stylish home design, and you have to obey them.
Minimalism
More is less, and less is more. Minimalism got its start in the art world after the end of the second world war. If there was any true example that home design is art, it’s that concepts like minimalism transferred over.
Minimalism should not mean barren. You can still have things in your house. Don’t go burning all your possessions just yet. It just means you have to fit things into rooms properly. Give them space to breathe.
Open Plan
The Romans were the originators of open plan home design. You can’t beat the classics. If anybody knew how to have a classy home, it’s the Romans.
To embody open plan room design, you need to make rooms seem wider than they are with white louvre doors. These kinds of doors may have a cabana look to them, but their stark white colour and tall design are strictly regal.
Simplicity
Overcomplicating your designs make them look trashy. There’s no way a cluttered design to a room will ever look good enough to be acceptable.
Your walls and floors play a large part in this. Some people love to spring for elaborate wallpapers. While the designs may admittedly look nice on the sample sheet, once you’ve wallpapered all four walls you’ll realise you’ve stuck yourself in a nightmare.
Stick to block colours, either with paint or wallpaper. No textured wallpaper either, over time they will darken, and the raised bumps will just start looking like filth is running down the walls.
As for your floors, stay simple again. There’s an argument to be had against carpeting in this day and age. It gets filthy quickly and can cost a mint to clean.
Wooden floors are usually always quite stylish no matter the year. If you miss somewhere soft to stick your bare feet, a rug thrown in front of the sofa may fit in.
Functionality
No matter how good the sofa and chair set looks, if they are uncomfortable, you mustn’t buy them. Home design is two words. Home, and design. You cannot ignore one in favour of the other. Find something that feels good, and looks good.
Light
Natural sunlight is your friend. You need to light your rooms based on what they look like in pitch darkness at night. Not what they look like during the day. You’ve over saturated the room that way.
Smaller light sources dotted around the room can help build the image of a room after dark. A large overhead light is still needed when you must have maximum coverage. In most circumstances, think modest instead.
Contrary to popular opinion, the best home design is in subtlety instead of flashiness. Tastes may vary, however.