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03.05.2024 - 14:22 / thespruce.com / Megan McCarty
Even seasoned interior designers started their careers somewhere—and that somewhere may not have included all the decorating tips and tricks they keep up their sleeves now. That's why we asked several interior designers which decorating secrets they now incorporate into every space.
Their secrets are out. Spare yourself the trial and error of decor woes, and read on for eight decorating musts designers wish they knew about sooner.
Design by Kathy Kuo Home
Interior designer Kathy Kuo is a big proponent of the «rule of thirds» for arranging vignettes. Whether you’re styling a coffee table, bookshelf, or console table, a trio of one vertical item, one horizontal one, and one sculptural one is all but guaranteed to look polished and visually appealing.
“There was a time when I was prone to overthinking surface styling—I was constantly swapping random pieces in and out before getting the right combination,” Kuo says. “Adding this number-based rule to my list of decor tricks helped simplify the process."
Design by Desiree Burns Interiors
Nothing transforms a space quite as quickly or dramatically as a new coat of paint—or, as interior designer Kate Dawson calls it, “a decorator’s miracle.” A fresh wall color is a cost-effective way to instantly change the vibe and energy of a room.
If you’re weary of overhauling an entire room with paint, Dawson recommends painting an unexpected color block. For example, painting an oversized arch over a desk area instantly adds interest for a one-of-a-kind space.
“Little things like that always add depth while staying incredibly affordable and easy to switch up down the line,” Dawson says. “This way you can be brave and bold with your color choice.”
Design by Milk and Honey Life
Fra
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Twenty-five years ago when my wife Kathy and I started searching for a new home for our growing family, she focused on all the qualities one looks for in a new house. I, of course, looked at what every gardener considers imperative—the lot. Thanks to Kathy, we ended up with a wonderful new place. And much to my delight, the property had one particularly important feature—good soil. The other nice bonus was that the backyard bordered a small city park, with lots of open space for the kids to play, so my garden design did not have to include an area for kicking a soccer ball. Plant-wise, however, there wasn’t much other than invasive shrubs and trees. So after removing all the nasty invasives, I had a clean slate to work with.
Starting a new garden from scratch can be daunting, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity to create exactly what you want. The vision I had for my new garden (two decades ago) was based on the many small English gardens that I was lucky enough to visit—not the gardens with impeccably maintained lawns and neatly clipped hedges, but those that had plants spilling out of every nook and cranny. Since its inception, the landscape has been slowly undergoing a transformation over the past decade, from a traditional shade garden to a more naturalistic one that embraces an ecology-first mindset. This evolution, however, hasn’t sacrificed the original intention of my dream garden—that it be a visually appealing space with plenty of activity.
A city garden by Luciano Giubbilei, where an interesting mix of shapes and textures is provided by the foliage of a multi-stemmed Acer palmatum, a wisteria and a mound of Euphorbia mellifera.
Madeline Tolle. Interior Design: Mandy Cheng
Small bathrooms don’t have to pose a design dilemma. Although they may be short on space, a small bathroom can encourage you to get extra creative, flexing style and function in interesting new ways.
Pale brick pavers, laid in a herringbone pattern, run from the open-plan ground floor out into the garden, creating a seamless transition between the two spaces.
As spring and summer approach, bringing the outside in through our home decor starts to feel very appealing. And as we've been filling our homes with floral bouquets and scrolling for the perfect seasonal pieces of home decor, a certain shell-like motif keeps popping up.
Decorating your outdoor space can be just as rewarding as sprucing up the inside of your home, if not better. With plenty of outdoor furniture trends circling around the design world, including indoor-outdoor furniture and warm color palettes, there’s an endless amount of inspiration to pull from.
Mother's Day is just around the corner—a time of year that can bring both celebration and reflection. For those who find their sense of home in people rather than place, a mother is often at the center. Her influence helps shape the decisions we make in the spaces we create for ourselves and our loved ones.