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What are Some Interior Design Tips for Beginners?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

Beginners in interior design often feel intimidated by the seemingly endless rules that apply to every aspect of decorating such as lighting, furniture placement, coordinating colors and patterns, working with scale and accessorizing. The best way to overcome this feeling of intimidation and create great looking rooms is to start with the basic interior design tips for beginners in each decorating category. And of course, start with designing your own space before applying what you've learned to other people's homes.

The first step is to figure out what you love. One of the best interior design tips for beginners is to look through a large stack of decorating magazines and get in touch with all the accent pieces and furniture you love. Cut or tear these out of the magazine without thinking about what you think you should like or whether the pieces you choose mix well together. Don't analyze why a particular piece of furniture appeals to you, just cut the item out of the magazine. An excellent way of understanding which colors you love is to go to a paint store and look at all the paint chips to notice all the colors that really attract you.

Plants can be an inexpensive decorating accent.
Plants can be an inexpensive decorating accent.

The next step is to choose a color scheme. One of the most well-known interior design tips for beginners and experts alike is to stick to a maximum of three colors. Make sure that the colors you choose work with the wood tones, amount of natural light, lighting fixtures and other things in the room that you can't or don't want to change. Consider where you need to add color and take the time to decide how you will execute your color scheme. If you need inspiration for patterns and colors you enjoy, look to your favorite pieces of clothing for further ideas.

Beginning interior designers should make sure furniture pieces having complimenting color schemes.
Beginning interior designers should make sure furniture pieces having complimenting color schemes.

The final step is to trim down your furniture and accessories to only what you need and love. If your belongings don't fit into those two categorizes, don't hang on to them as the result is unnecessary clutter no matter how you look at it. Either you need or love certain furnishings, lighting and accessories — hopefully both! All of the items should fit in with the theme or mood of the room and don't worry too much about measuring scale yet. One of the most helpful interior design tips for beginners is to keep larger pieces in larger rooms and smaller pieces in smaller rooms.

Discussion Comments

lluviaporos

@croydon - If you are happy with your own surroundings, then that's all that matters isn't it?

I would suggest though, if someone was feeling frustrated with their abilities with interior design, to take some online interior design courses, or maybe read a few books on interior design so that you understand the theory better.

I think that often people are just too worried that they will do something wrong to just enjoy the challenge of transforming their house into a home.

Learning all you can about a subject is one way to make it seem less intimidating.

croydon

I am really intimidated by the idea of interior design as it seems to be very intricate and mysterious. I don't think I'd ever want to design someone else's home. It's just not the career for me.

But, on the other hand, I wouldn't like someone to come in and design my home either. So, I just try to build up slowly.

I think the best tip in this article is the one that says you should have things you both need and love. I try to stick with that, and not worry about anything else, and it seems to work.

At least, I think it does, but then I might not be the best judge of my own taste!

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    • Plants can be an inexpensive decorating accent.
      By: stillkost
      Plants can be an inexpensive decorating accent.
    • Beginning interior designers should make sure furniture pieces having complimenting color schemes.
      By: noomhh
      Beginning interior designers should make sure furniture pieces having complimenting color schemes.
    • Several magazine are dedicated exclusively to offering design tips.
      By: aeroking
      Several magazine are dedicated exclusively to offering design tips.