Homeowners need to be careful when it comes to interior design. The home should reflect the aesthetic of those who live in it, but it should also keep up with trends and fashionable styles. It’s always a matter of balance between a personal and homey look and making sure that the home is marketable and can generate profit once it’s sold.

There are very few rules when it comes to interior design, so it’s possible to be as bold and as eclectic as you like, but there should be a theme and a sense of style that encompasses the whole home.

Words: Diana Smith

Geometry
There’s some charm in a home that seems to be just thrown together and decorated without a clear plan. However, more often than not, this look isn’t actually made carelessly, but is a product of careful curating. Curating is best done if you think about your home in terms of geometric shapes.

This doesn’t have to mean that every room needs to be in a clear and boring shape, it’s perfectly fine for the decoration to be scattered, but just thinking about in terms of rectangles will help you create some balance.

Brass
Brass was one of the most popular decoration materials some time ago, but it’s been out of favor for a while now. In recent years, brass is making a comeback even though the décor in an average home isn’t as lavish and grandiose anymore.

It can be used only for small details such as doorknobs, frames, mirrors or lamps. That adds a nice touch to a room and it makes it feel more sophisticated without becoming overwhelming. It works the best if it’s combined with a dark and bold furniture color, such as red or green.

Two color rooms
Colors are often the most personal choice in home design and a lot of homeowners tend to decide on the color regardless of any rules or restrictions. Those who like to create a theme or a pattern in their home usually focus on picking just two main colors for each room. This creates a clear and manageable look while still making the room interesting.

It’s important for the colors to complement each other and to add something that can’t be accomplished with just one color or with a décor with a lot of colors scattered around.

Plants
Plants are a great addition to your home because they add a lot to the design and they can easily be replaced and changed when you get bored of them. However, plants could also present a problem in terms of air quality.

In order to mitigate this and still enjoy your plants, you might want to choose an air purifier to accompany them. Resources such as Air Purifier Ratings allow you to review and compare different air purifiers and chosen one that best suits your need. It’s especially important to choose a purifier that can help you with your allergies or use a HEPA absorber in case you live in a humid area.

Artisan furniture
Artisan furniture used to be a niche that only a small number of homeowners were interested in. However, it’s been gaining popularity lately and well-chosen artisan furniture can be a great addition to a home with a modern designed.

This also means that you can save a lot of money on furniture if you decide to buy from a local artisan and deliver the furniture to your home yourself without too much hassle. At the same time, it might be a good idea to go over to local flea markets and backyard sales because a lot of great pieces of furniture could be found that way.

Leather and stone
Combining materials that don’t seem to go together that well can create an interesting and engaging dynamic in your home. The same effect can be accomplished by using materials that aren’t usually to be found in a home environment, but are more suited to offices or even an industrial setting.

Stone by itself can seem to be bare, simple or even cold and uncomfortable. Combining it with luxury leather furniture can create more of a balance and make your home more sophisticated and dashing.

Minimalism
In the end, minimalism was on everyone’s mind a few years ago and it hasn’t faded into the background that much all this time. What attracts people to it is more than just an aesthetic; it’s also a way of life that gives the occupants of a home a sense of control and order.

A home decorated with minimalism in mind doesn’t have to be any less expensive and it doesn’t have to be any more modest or less flashy. All of these effects can be accomplished while the home remains simple in its design if the details are chosen with a sense of purpose.

A home should be equal parts stylish and comfortable. It’s important not to design a home in order to fit the trends but to adapt the trends to your needs.