Develop Your Design Eye

In this post, I share three guidelines that professional Interior Designers use to create beautiful spaces. You will learn how function gets you started, then move on to creating the right mood, and finally how to create beautiful spaces that are harmonious.

If you have found lots of inspiration in Interior Design Magazines and websites, like Houzz and Pinterest, then you are ready to design stunning and interesting spaces.

How will you live in the space?

The first thing you must determine is the room’s function. In other words, what do you plan to do in the room? If you are updating your living room, you may want to consider the best way to encourage conversations, watching television, listening to music, or creating space for the kiddos to play. In the above SketchUp rendering, the sectional sofa provides plenty of comfortable seating for visiting with family and friends. The sofa design and positioning allows those seated to enjoy the fireplace, watch television, and take in the mountain views just outside the large windows.

Adding special touches, like the ones in our Mountain Modern living room will help to create one of a kind spaces. We have included a few in our design:

• Floating benches that flank the three-sided fireplace.
• Veneer Wood Panels will help ground this two-story space.
• Funky Brody “Atomic Age” mid-century modern swivel chairs for taking in the views, watching television, or becoming part of a conversation group.

The house in Montana will be a combination that we are calling Mountain Modern. The above SketchUp rendering features clean lines, organic materials, and lots of windows to maximize the views. To learn more visit my post Sunlight Makes for a Happier Home – Majestic Meadows.

What styles catch your eye?

Your next step is to determine the room’s mood and sometimes the house or location offers a few clues. For example, our modern beach condo is perfect for a Coastal Modern design. But a rustic setting would work better with Farmhouse or Scandinavian designs. I love the trending boho style, which includes baskets, rattan furniture, lots of plants, and saturated, moody colors. Which of the styles below work with your home and style?

• Traditional
• Coastal
• Farmhouse
• Mid-Century Modern
• Scandinavian
• Boho
• Rustic
• Art Deco
• Modern

Search websites like Pinterest, Facebook Marketplace, and Nextdoor to find appropriate pieces that will work in your space. I provide helpful tips in my post Beautiful Spaces on a Budget – Majestic Meadows.

Our last home was a 1940s cottage, so the Coastal Cottage home and garden worked perfectly. We started by doubling our square footage, saving original features, and renovating the tired ones. To learn more check out Happy House – Majestic Meadows.

How do you know when a room feels right?

In a successful room all the elements must work together in total harmony. All the elements should feel appropriate and none should seem out of place. As you can see in the picture below, the vaulted ceilings, large windows, and design elements fit the Coastal Modern design of the room.

• As you learned earlier, all pieces should be in harmony with the intended mood. I created a Coastal Modern mood in this casual bedroom retreat. I used warm, bright walls and floors and natural wood and modern elements in this #oceandunesfixer.

• To create beautiful designs, use pieces that are in scale with the size of the room. In other words, look for large pieces for large rooms and smaller scale items for smaller rooms. All the bedroom furniture pieces, rug, and all the other elements are in proportion to each other and the room size.

• All the pieces should be suitable to one another in quality. For example, Ikea has some beautiful, affordable options, but they would look out of place with expensive antiques. The affordable, authentic MCM dressers allow room in the budget for a nice West Elm bed, wool rug, local artwork, and other fun design elements.

• Use color to help set the mood and increase harmony in your spaces. A coastal location invokes the sea and sunrises, so in this space I use saturated blues and pops of coral-blush that spread throughout the space. Although beautiful trees provide privacy, learn more about the blinds we will install throughout this home. Striptease Anyone? – Majestic Meadows

In a nutshell, harmony refers to planning an interior so that the overall design works together. From now on, when you select any element-a piece of furniture, a bolt of cloth, a paint color-you must ask yourself: “Is this in harmony with all the other aspects of my design?”

Find lots of resources in my post Inspiration for our Mountain Modern Design – Majestic Meadows.

Share a picture of your space and the mood you are creating in it. Like and subscribe below for additional tips for your home, garden, and travel adventures.