Five timeless interior decorating tips
Interior design trends can be hard to keep up with, but they don't have to be. Check out these five decorating tips for a home that will transcend time.
Tip 1. Always go au naturale
Take a moment to consider what elements date a home. Floors are tacky laminate, couches are covered in plastic and counters are solid surfaces. In short, everything was man made, points out Interior Design Info. A home that can stand the test of time will be made of much more organic material. You can never go wrong with a nice hardwood floor. Though, you don't have to avoid carpeting altogether, but do consider choosing an area rug as opposed to wall-to-wall, as this will allow you to be more flexible with patterns over time.
When it comes to your upholstery, instead of covering with plastic like your grandparent's generation would have back in the day, just pick a more durable fabric. Leather is one such material that is incredibly strong, standing the test of time and it comes in several different shades so you can find the right one for your home. Replace solid surface counters with a natural option such as granite or marble - these materials are also much less absorbent, so a stain won't ruin the finish.
Go au natural with granite counters tops.
Tip 2. Pick a muted palette
Again, think back to grandma's kitchen, what colour is it? Perhaps they feature past trendy colours like guacamole green counter tops, putrid pink tiling or lemon candy yellow linoleum. Bold shades like these are great, but only in moderation. Keep your palette simple. Restrictions allow you to accessorise the rest of your home with any colour palette you want so it won't be terribly monochromatic. Resene Anglaise is one such colour that will give your home a little bit of depth. Of course, you can always opt for the ever-classic white with Resene Quarter Alabaster!
Tip 3. Avoid bold patterns in big spaces
Neutral walls match everything.
Assuming you've followed tip two and selected a nice muted palette, you can now figure out how to work in bold patterns. Should you want to go for that accent wall, you'll be able to do so more easily simply because neutral walls match everything.
If you love big patterns, including the current trend of chevron, then you should avoid making it the backsplash tiling in your kitchen, but instead purchase mugs or decorative plates.
You can also get your furniture reupholstered, or just use slip covers. As long as the pattern is easily changeable then your home will be able to remain timeless while also being a little trendy too.
Tip 4. Take a quick history lesson
When it comes to trends, history almost always repeats itself. Look to see which styling elements have remained key over the years. Some of these elements include the following: hardwood floors, white accessories, oriental rugs. As you can see, many of these have already been included in the above tips, so if you've been following closely, you're already on the right track!
Tip 5. Don't completely ignore current trends
The beauty of designing your home to transcend time is that you can add in little accent pieces as decorating trends come and go.
Once you have a solid design base, you can sprinkle in elements without having to completely remodel. This keeps your home feeling refreshed for years to come, instead of looking rather tired ten years down the road.
Now go forth and start decorating! The fun has only
just begun.