Whether you’re refreshing a room, knocking down walls to create open plan living, or adding an extension to increase your space, it can often feel overwhelming when you’re changing your home. You want to create a stylish home but there’s too much choice and you don’t know where to start. How do you get the ideas out of your head and into a cohesive design that will look great and feel amazing, without overspending on your budget?

 

What’s the first thing you should always do that will save you money, time and stress on your interior project? This design blog will help you understand all of the elements you need to consider when modernising y9our home.

 

When you decorate any room, Interior Design is a three step process:

  • Understand the space
  • Identify your requirements
  • Find the right products

 

1) UNDERSTAND THE SPACE

When you’re changing a room, you firstly need to understand the space. Ask yourself, ‘What is the problem in this room?’

 

If your room feels dark then you could look at lighting, window treatments and paint colours to help brighten the space. If your room feels cramped or cluttered then you could look at furniture and storage to resolve the problem. If your room feels drab and dated then you could look at the décor and furniture to refresh your space.

 

When you understand what is wrong with your room, that leads you into focusing on particular areas of interior design to help fix the problems. For example, this kitchen was dated, the units were falling apart and it was far too small for family living.

 

2) IDENTIFY YOUR REQUIREMNTS

Once you know what the problems are in your space, then you can start to fix them. Think of a couple of words about how you want it to feel once it’s finished and looking lovely. If it’s dark then you might want it to feel airy and bright. If it’s cluttered, you might want it to feel practical and organised. If it’s drab, you might want it to feel refreshed and energised.  

 

You also need to consider the requirements of the people living in your home. Do you have young children and the space needs to be safe. Do you like to entertain and the space needs to accommodate large groups of people. Do you enjoy cooking and you need an amazing oven?

 

For this kitchen, the space was doubled with a side extension to create an airy, light and spacious room.  It’s now a sociable space with lots of storage and a double oven for entertaining friends and family.

 

 

3) FIND THE RIGHT PRODUCTS

I think this is where the majority of people feel overwhelmed, because there’s so much choice and you can easily make an expensive mistake. From the first step of understanding your space, you can make a list of all of the things you need to buy. For example, this kitchen desperately needed a new oven.

 

From the second step of identifying your requirements, you’ll expand the description of items in your list. For entertaining the large extended family, this kitchen actually needed a double electric oven, with a gas hob and five ring burner plus wok facilities, and a separate grill. By understanding how you cook and what you like to cook, you’ll hone into the type of appliances you need.  For these requirements, a range cooker was the best solution and this was supported with a large fridge and freezer plus a larder cupboard for all of the food items.

 

Whenever you go shopping, take your detailed list of items and remember to add the measurements, colour and style as necessary. This will narrow down your search, making it easier for you to shop. This will also stop you from buying the wrong items and help you stay within your budget.

 

If you’re struggling to redecorate and find the perfect items for your rooms
then just get in touch.

I’ve got loads of ideas and inspiration to modernise your home in style.

 

Let’s have a chat about your home

 

Gwendoline Alderton

BIID Interior Designer