Imagine your home as a stage, and all the pieces of furniture are the actors. Ideally, you’d like to try and turn the furniture into the hero. You want your family and visitors to feel at home by creating a calming and inviting ambiance, and you want to set the lighting to create the right kind of mood in terms of intensity and colour.
I would like to share a few tips on how to do this, but (I hate to break it to you) stylists and designers don’t follow a secret decorating rule book. There are no hard and fast laws governing what we do. We are creative individuals by nature and we love to imagine, explore and follow our intuition. That being said, there are some general principles that guide us to ensure a great result every time. They are tried and trusted approaches that work, not secret tricks or skills that take years to master. Anyone can do them from day one. Even you! Consider this a foundation for developing your own quirky, creative, rule-breaking and intuitive approach.

1. Create a focal point
There are leading roles and supporting cast members in any production. The same is true in design. Choose your star and make it the focal point to anchor a room. Allow other items to take a secondary role. Don’t ask everything to have a leading role, it will just result in visual noise.
Your focal point might be a state-of-the-art range hood in the kitchen, a fireplace or dramatic artwork in the living room or an oversized or detailed bedhead in the bedroom. Whatever it is, choose something that will draw attention. It could be a stunning pendant light fitting, or a magnificent rug on the floor. It could even be a feature wall, painted in an intense colour. Sometimes more than one item will work together as a collective focal point, like a fire place and feature lighting, bringing your eye right to the centre of the composition and anchoring it there.
The best spot for a focal point is usually directly across from the entrance to the room.

2. Edit your collection
It’s your space, so give it your own twist and express your passion.
Don’t hang on to a piece that just doesn’t fit. Despite the fact that your beloved great-aunt Sarah gave it to you, if it’s not working in the room, you should probably try to find a new home for it.

3. Vary the scale
What looks good in a store may look like an elephant in the room when you bring it home, or could be too tiny to be of any significance. So always vary scale and proportion.

An oversize sunburst mirror frame fills up a wall space nicely, but balance that out with a console table below with smaller pieces to create an interesting grouping of objects. The smaller pieces may be too insignificant on their own, but need the mirror above to ground them. When placing accessories together, odd numbers make for more pleasing groupings, so 3 or 5 vases as opposed to 2 or 6.
But if you’re flanking something with a pair of lamps or vases, so one on either side of a table or shelf, that’s different, and would look fantastic.

4. Lighting
Professionals build layers of lighting to create interest, ambience and variety. In a room where everything is lit evenly, nothing stands out. Pick a focal point and perhaps even a secondary focal point and highlight those. Add general ambient lighting and some lower lighting, such as table lamps, for interest.
For example, in a kitchen, you can light the splashback, fill glass fronted cabinet interiors with light, highlight an artwork as well as having a few recessed down lights in the ceiling. One central lighting fitting would never have had nearly the same dramatic result.

5. Be bold, bigger is better
I tend to over proportion things. With sofas, for instance, if the room can accommodate it, I prefer them to be deep and big and perhaps walk around them with a little less space, than to have a small sofa. I like generous proportions – big coffee tables and comfortable chairs. For me, comfort and proportion are linked together.
But in saying that, resist overcrowding a room. Gracious living means space to manoeuvre with ease.
If you have a smaller budget, spend more of your budget on fewer but better quality pieces and your room will look better than if it’s stuffed to the gills with flea market finds
Personality is what makes a space great. Make your own statement and have fun. The more you try, the more you will begin to see what works and what doesn’t.
Use texture. I love texture. Perhaps my African upbringing has something to do with it! I grew up on a continent of texture and craft; and am now drawn to touch and feel as a way to envoke the senses.
I suggest that you incorporate unexpected elements for drama where you can.

6. Mix it up
Mix up patterns and textures. Mix up old and new, expensive and inexpensive.
There’s nothing wrong with placing family heirlooms alongside your modern sofa. All good interior decorators will tell you that the most important aspect to decorating your home is that it reflects who you are, your personality and your style. The antique Chippendale desk that was once your grandfather’s, tells a story. It tells the story of your past. The modern couch you fell in love with and simply had to purchase also tells a story, your present story, and there is no reason why the present and past can’t co-exist beautifully together. The same can be said for art. Now you might not want to place a painting by Chagal on the same wall next to a Rembrandt, but there’s no reason why they can’t be in the same room together. Whether it be furniture, rugs or pillows, varied colors and patterns can bring warmth and texture into your living space.

7. Use area rugs to soften cold stone or hardwood floors
Rugs give warmth and can add great texture, color and personality to your living space. It is for this reason, I like to call rugs “art on the floor”! Hardwood floors are beautiful and easy to maintain but they lack the comfort that carpeted floors offer, especially in the cooler months. You can change your area rugs to reflect the seasons using warmer tones and fabrics for cooler months and lighter ones for the warmer days of the year. There are literally thousands of rugs available to suit any application, but if you can’t find something you love, there’s always the option of having a rug custom made, to the exact size, colour and texture of your liking. Feel free to get in touch with me here if I can put you in touch with some fabulous suppliers.
Washable area rugs, like cotton Kelims, are ideal for those homes with children. There really is no reason why a home with young children cannot also be a stylish one.

8. Artwork
Artwork is a wonderful way to finish off a room. Its an opportunity to bring in accents of colour and additional texture. A painting invites the viewer in, to travel on a journey in time. A good painting will evoke your emotions and hold your attention. In a predominantly neutral interior, with no obvious colour, a highlight of colour in a painting would be all you need to balance it out.
Hanging your paintings at the right height is really important. Galleries and museums hang artwork so that the midline or centre of the painting is at eye level. It’s good practice for you to do the same.
In a room with soaring ceilings, there might be a tendency to hang the art higher. But remember, it needs to relate to human scale, not the structure’s scale.
Again, be bold, there’s nothing nicer than a large painting on a big wall. It gives great impact. Don’t be scared of size if your wall can accommodate it.
If you can’t find suitable paintings for your room, most artists would be happy to take on a commission, giving you the opportunity to get just the right size, colours and subject matter that you’re after.

9. Paint
An instant pop of color will brighten and re-energise any room! It’s amazing how something as simple as a coat of colorful paint can instantly energize and transform your space.
Even if you just painted last year, you can bet there are already a few spots worth touching up. Fill small nail holes and dings before covering them with a dab of leftover paint.
If it has been a while since the last time you painted, giving your room a fresh coat of colour could be just what the house-doctor ordered. Generally speaking, current trends are leaning away from single coloured accent walls in favour of rich colour throughout the whole room. You could even try painting the trim and ceiling to match for a luxurious look in a small space.
Another fun painting project that can make a huge difference in a room is to give built-in furniture a nice rich colour. You still really can’t go wrong with a warm grey; it looks sophisticated and inviting, and works with any style. Alternatively, paint it in the same colour as the walls and let it just blend in.

10. Current Trends
I am always inspired by nature, in my design work and my paintings.
Ocean blue, green and navy have been featuring a lot lately, but with winter approaching, the greens are moving to more subtle khakis and mid greys. Mid tones are great for family homes as they hide the dirt!
There’s a lot of tan leather about with natural timbers – my all time favourite.
And dark wood floors, sometimes a stained black parquetry which can look amazing.
Large, oversized mirrors are popular. But make sure they’re hanging in a space where they are reflecting something appealing. It may be a stunning mirror, but if it’s reflecting a blank wall, it’s falling short of its stunning potential!
If you’re living locally in our beautiful Australian bush surrounds, use mirrors cleverly to reflect what’s in your garden. When you see nature as the hero, you can’t go wrong!

In conclusion, whilst you can always employ a professional to achieve the perfect result, there’s no reason why you can’t follow some basic principles and trust your own intuition. But if this is not you, please GET IN TOUCH to help you transform your home into a warm, elegant and stylish place to live.