Interior Design Best Practices For Designing Home Interiors

By Tania Melissa
last updated February 10, 2025
Contributions sourced from
Decorating 101: Interior Design Basics
If you weren't born with the ability to imagine a room complete with furniture placement, wall hangings, and rug and accent choices, it is something you can develop and hone over time. Learn the basics of home decorating, including design principles, decorating styles, and answers to decorating challenges.
Interior Design Compared With Interior Decorating
Interior design and interior decorating are often mistaken for the same thing, but the terms are not completely interchangeable.Interior design is a profession that requires specific schoolingand formal training, including space planning, furniture design, and architecture. An interior decorator does not have that formal training and focuses on the aesthetics and the surface appearance of a space. Who you would hire depends on whether you have any structural work or space planning to be done or you need someone to plan the decor only.
Elements of Decor
Your first step should be toselect a stylefor your home interior. This will promote the design principle of unity and harmony, thinking of the entire home with a unifying theme. It can be as simple as choosing shabby chic instead of formal or traditional instead of contemporary.From there, you can refine it to a more specific style, such as French country, Tuscan, or modern Victorian.
Balance is another principledistributing the visual weight in a room. You can do it symmetrically, as is common in traditional interiors, or with asymmetrical balance as seen in casual interiors.
Within each room there should be a focal point. In a living room, it could be the fireplace or a piece of art. It sets itself apart by scale, color, or texture.
Contrast and variety add visual interest to a room. Keep rhythm in mind with repeating elements of the same color, texture, or pattern, and a progression of sizes or colors.
Color
Choosing a color paletteis an essential part of interior design. While you could have a different style and color scheme in each room, often you will want to tie the whole dwelling together. Consider the right colors for a small roomas well as colors and patterns for a large room.
Patterns
Mixing patterns in home decoris one of the more advanced parts of interior design. Patterns do not have to match, but they need to complement and coordinate with each other. This is done by considering color, size, and scale.
Tips to Get Started With Your Decor
A major pitfall that traps untrained decorators is editing. A good interior decorator can scan a room and understand what items work in a room and when something is too much, tasteful, or requires embellishment. A few tips in this area can make or break your room's design choices.
One room element that can usually use an editorial eye is how pillows are placed. Pillows can be a nice accent adding to the room's color story, or in some cases, even create a focal point for the room. However, some people have a tendency to overdo it with pillows. Avoid overloading a sofa to the point that a guest has to move all the pillows just to sit down.
Choices of artwork can be important for a room, but equally consider how you display it. A rule of thumb is to set wall hangings at eye-level. Similarly, the height you set the chandelier matters. A common mistake people make is hanging a chandelier too high or close to the ceiling. Drop it low enough that it brings light into the room and is noticed. If you hang it above a table, make sure that when you sit up from the table, your or any taller guests cannot knock into it.
Furnishings are a big investment and account for a large part of the budget of room decor. If you are on a tight budget, there are some items you should splurgeon. The two most important pieces of furniturelikely the items that will get the most useare your sofa and bed. Spend more on those pieces. Save on area rugs, accent tables, and wall art. A mixture of high-ticket items with less expensive options is a trick of the trade that makes the room still feel stylish without breaking the bank.
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16 Interior Design Rules Every Interior Designer Should Follow
4. Use Multiple Forms of Lighting
Mix lighting to achieve the right effect and moods depending on how the room and space need to be used. Lighting is one of the most overlooked and critical aspects of interior design because amateurs perceive all lighting options to be somewhat similar. However, there are at least 4 different types of interior lighting, and these can make the space more or less welcoming, practical, and safe depending on how they are used.
A kitchen needs task lighting placed over work areas while a living room likely needs softly layered lighting to evenly illuminate the space without making it too bright. Striking just the right balance will make your space feel comfortable no matter the amount of natural light.
Read also Best Kitchen Lighting Ideas
Image Credit: Delightfull
5. Design for Human Experience
Create human spaces places that will be lived in, used, and enjoyed. The overemphasizing function can rob a room of its human appeal. Human needs can be accommodated with ample, comfortable, and naturally placed seating options in addition to engaging and welcoming colors, art, and other decorations.
Remember that people need space to walk around and natural walkways through rooms or around furniture or decorative items will make the space safer and easier to navigate.
Image Credit: J. Design Group
6. Measure Twice, Order Once
Dont leave important details to chance. Whether youre measuring a window frame, calculating square footage, or finding the center of a wall, double and triple-check your results to ensure their accuracy before finalizing plans or ordering materials. Easy to make measuring mistakes are one of the most common reasons that projects get delayed or go over budget.
Read also 20 Common Interior Design Mistakes To Avoid
Image Credit: Tallie Jane Design
7. Scale Your Decor to Fit the Space
Ensure that the furniture, window dressings, rugs, etc. all fit the actual space that youre designing. While they might all fit on paper, it might not feel natural once each piece is actually installed or moved into place. Understanding and accounting for scale is incredibly important both from an aesthetic perspective to meet functional requirements.
A small room cant accommodate a huge couch and still work well for hosting a gathering. In addition to space constraints, other decorative components should be properly sized to the room. Some of the most important rules to remember regarding where to place items in a specific room include the following:
- Artwork should be hung at eye level (not too low or high)
- Curtains should be installed above the top of the window frame and set to barely touch the floor
- Rugs should extend a little beyond where the furniture sits.
Reada also 10 Best Small House Design Ideas
Image Credit: The Spruce
11 unmissable interior design tips to style a house into a dream home
When it comes to making a house feel like a home, there's more than meets the eye. Pulling a room together and transforming the features to make it functional yet also stylish requires the best interior design tips to guide you along the way.
From working out what paint works best in different rooms and lighting options to where to place furniture - there are so many elements to consider. Following tips from the experts will provide you with a great foundation of knowledge that you can then put into practice.
Whether youre renovating an entire house, sprucing up the kitchen or adding a splash of colour to freshen up a living room these helpful DIY and decorating pointers are not to be missed. Leading interior designer Vanessa Arbuthnott shares her designer tips and secrets to gain insider knowledge for transforming homes like a professional.
(Image credit: Future PLC/ Nick Smith)
11 of the best interior design tips
Whether you're figuring out how to design a living room or looking the best way to arrange furniture in a bedroom, looking to the experts for guidance will make each challenge that little bit simpler.
Choosing what you love is the first step to creating your ideal design, but factoring in practical elements such as lighting, furniture size, and colour palettes will take your home to the next level.
1. Think beyond trends
(Image credit: Future)
While home decor trends can be useful guidance to seek inspiration from in your interior, your home should be a true reflection of your taste.
'There are no rights nor wrongs in interior design, everyone has the potential to design their own home,' says Vanessa. 'It's just a matter of getting an eye for it. Remember that you are in control, taking the latest trends into account is worthwhile but always put your own personal spin on something to make it special. Your home is where you spend most of your time, so the space needs to reflect you.'
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2. Make a mood board
(Image credit: Future)
'Transform your interiors from tired to revitalised by gathering inspirational images from magazines, Instagram, Pinterest etc,' Vanessa advises. 'Once you have a strong collection you will begin to see the look you would like to achieve. Creating a mood board is a great way to use your creativity to unleash any hidden design inspiration you may have subconsciously seen.'
Vanessa goes on to explain how she does this. 'Buy a large foam board and pins from your local art or stationary shop and collate samples, images, samples of the fabrics, wallpapers, furniture and flooring that you might want to use. This way you can see how they would all sit together within the room.'
'It is important to add textures through flooring, rugs and fabrics such as velvet, wool, and tweed. Place the mood board in the room and live with it for a while.'
3. Give your decor a new lease of life
(Image credit: Colours of Arley)
Good interior design isn't always about buying new - sometimes it's about being clever with what you already own, whether that's switching up the styling or even reupholstering something for a fresh look. You can even easily upcycle secondhand furniture if you want something new-to-you.
'Your grandmothers old sofa may be plastered in outdated florals. But if it has good bones, new upholstery can breathe new life into it,' says Emma Cottrel, marketing manager at BoConcept. 'Have furniture from childhood that needs a little TLC? Fresh paint or a new finish may be all it needs. Not only is this approach environmentally-friendly and budget-conscious, but the memories attached to these pieces are irreplaceable.'
4. Don't be afraid of using colour
(Image credit: Future)
Picking a colour palette for any room in a home can be a challenge, especially for decisions like a kitchen colour scheme where the cost is higher. However, ultimately 'this is a very personal choice', says Simon Ribchester, head of design at Beams.
'Any colour palette goes, but avoid too much colour clash or over-saturation on the eye. A helpful guideline is that 60% belongs to your dominant hue, 30% for your secondary hue and 10% for accents. It's always better to use this rule to keep things visually compelling and in balance. It's all about choosing your primary, secondary and accent colours well draw inspiration from nature if you're struggling with a start.'
5. Try before you buy
(Image credit: Future PLC/ Dominic Blackmore)
'Remember that colours can change depending on lighting so buy sample pots and paint,' Vanessa warns. 'Paint at least A2 sized paint patches, on the lightest and the darkest walls in the same room to see how the natural light affects the shade.' This is especially effective for finding the best white paint, because it changes so much in the light.
Same goes for wallpaper. 'Tape wallpaper samples to the walls and drape large returnable samples over existing furniture or pin them to existing curtains and blinds. Stand back and see what you think!' she enthuses.
6. Size up furniture
(Image credit: Future PLC/ Jon Day)
We've all made the mistake of ordering furniture online without properly measuring - it can be tempting when you see a piece you love, and you just want to click buy instantly. However, being more considerate about the size of the pieces you purchase will have a huge impact on the overall appearance of the room.
'Decide on the furniture you want in your room. Think about scale, in a large room you need a big sofa and footstool,' advises Vanessa. 'Most designers recommend that even small rooms should have one large statement piece, even if it is a headboard in a bedroom. A balance of large and small pieces will create an appealing living space.'
7. Analyse the look and take your time
(Image credit: Future)
Whether you're moving into a new home or renovating a specific room, the desire to have it looking perfect instantly is one we know all too well. As hard as it can be to take it slowly, living in the room before you jump to decorating can be a positive pause that will lead you to make the right choices in the long term.
'Collect pieces as you come across them, this way you will purchase things youve fallen in love with. Rather than settling for whats available in certain stores or online at the time you need something' are Vanessa's wise words. 'You can spend time analysing the look and colours of your room with accessories. The more time you take to add things into your house, your interior design knowledge will expand as you can understand what works best with certain features.'
8. Be bold with paint ideas
(Image credit: Future PLC/Future PLC)
The days of strict paint rules are over, the key to interior design in modern times is to embrace the paint idea that works for you. There are no rules of painting doors frames, skirting boards and ceilings in a brilliant white anymore in fact some top interior designers argue against it!
Kelly Hoppen' s advice for painting skirting boards is a game changer, she explains how painting the skirting the same colour as the walls can help to make the room feel bigger.
9. Remember measuring is key
(Image credit: Future)
'Decision time happens when you measure up your windows.' Ensure you have the correct measurements before you even think about ordering blinds or curtains in particular rooms. And if you want to avoid making any major mistakes, learning what not to do when choosing curtains will help keep mishaps at bay.
While opting for ready-made varieties of things such as curtains or photo frames can be a more cost-effective option, taking the time to measure things properly and opt for custom sizes will mean that your home suddenly looks professionally designed.
10. Add finishing touches
(Image credit: Future/Katie Lee Photography)
'The finishing touches are the fun bit!' Vanessa exclaims.'Lampshades, rugs, cushions, paintings and plants can all make a huge difference but are sometimes hard to choose until you have the walls painted or papered and curtains hanging.'
'Even the colours on the spines of books on a bookshelf, a throw on the back of the sofa, or in a kitchen ceramic, tablecloths, create opportunities for accents of colour.'
11. Fill a room with a signature fragrance
(Image credit: Future)
After you've added in all the extra accessories and your room feels complete, the next step is to focus on the senses. Smell plays a big part in how a home feels, especially to guests.
Luxury hotels with select a key scent to have throughout, which then becomes associated with that place adopt this by choosing your own signature smell for home, to engage the scenes. There's no place like home, so ensure all your senses are alerted to the feeling of home the minute you step through the door. Use the best home fragrance for your via scented candles, diffusers and essential oils.
Interior design tips for beginners
If you're new to interior design and haven't undertaken a home renovation project before, then it can be a daunting prospect. However, by starting with a few basic tips you can fine-tune what your interior taste is before then taking the steps to bring it to life.
'Find inspiration - Whether it's getting out in nature, or scrolling on Pinterest, finding inspiration that matches what you're looking to achieve for your space,' says Simon from Beams.
'Think beyond the trends - it's more important to try and build a palette around things that you love, rather than trends. You'll love it a lot longer.'
You should also consider the light of the room you're working with, as this can have a big impact on the interior choices you make.
'Different colours can present differently depending on the lighting in a given space,' adds Simon. 'Assessing whether a room gets lots of natural light, none at all, or if the overhead lighting presents yellow or blue is crucial to consider when choosing a colour palette.'