5 Simple Styling Rules That Interior Designers Don’t Want You To Know...

Learning the basics of styling isn’t that hard and doing so will give you the power to completely transform your home, without hiring an interior designer.

 

1. Don't Rely on Downlights

Overhead lights are, quite frankly, a downer. If you just rely on your ceiling downlights you’ll struggle to create warmth – and you may give yourself a headache.

Ensure you have a good mix of floor lamps, wall lights and small table lights to ensure a wide variety of ambient light options.

Point the light sources in different directions to create interesting shadows and to highlight special items like art. And burn candles, lots of candles.

2. Plants Bring Life

Decorating with plants is a wonderful way to bring life and vitality to interiors. There's nothing like lush greenery to brighten up a living space, plus the positive impact plants have on our health and wellbeing is well documented. 

3. Mix it Up with Colour

Incorporating pops of colour into your home with rugs, accessories, art and even botanicals is a great way to make a change without committing to a complete overhaul. Neutral and natural colours are going to be around for a while, but there are plenty of ways to inject colour into a room using furnishings, fittings, and even storage.

Add colour with cushions, colourful kitchen appliances - it’s important to select a shade that resonates with you, to ensure your kitchen brings you joy for years to come, a vase full of seasonal blooms, a colourful rug, light fitting, towels and storage items - especially in kids rooms and laundries.

4. Displaying Art

If you prefer a neutral backdrop, introduce colour into your interior with art. From a statement piece to a simple framed print or tea towel - I have framed botanical fabric napkins in affordable box picture frames, art adds drama and a splash of colour to your walls.

The 60 30 10 Rule

What is the 60-30-10 rule in interior decorating? It's a simple, timeless decorating rule that helps you combine a color scheme easily. It's a decorating tool worth following. The concept involves sticking to proportions of color to give your room a balanced and harmonious look. The 60-30-10 rule works like this:

60%: The main color should represent 60% of the colors in a room.
30%: The secondary color should represent 30% of the colors in a room.
10%: The accent color should represent 10% of the colors in a room.

60% walls, rugs and large pieces of furniture, 30% curtains, accent chairs, linen, painted furniture and 10% throw cushions, frames and vases, lamps and candles and artwork.

Interior Design Predictions from our store owner Kim for 2025!

Quite simply, anything that is fun and a joyous addition that can lift your spirits.. 

'I am all about creating serene bedroom spaces – a restrained palette, but with so much texture,' Kim says. 'I want them to feel like an oasis.'

If you have the space or can juggle your existing floor plan, indoor swings are increasing in popularity, and they’ve been spotted hanging out in some of the most beautiful new homes of the year!

Curved and scalloped furniture will continue as it creates a fluidity of movement and takes a space out of the rigid mode of everything being on an angle.

Bringing the outdoors inside, creating spaces that foster a stronger connection with nature. Expect to see more indoor plants, sage green walls, natural materials like stone and wood, and large windows to maximize natural light, reducing the barrier between the interior and exterior.

While 2024 was the year of the backyard, going into 2025, homeowners will still focus on creating a great outdoor entertaining space. Whether relaxing with family or entertaining. We’re seeing homeowners embrace other outdoor cooking methods as well: in addition to traditional grills, homeowners are adding pizza ovens, smokers, ceramic kamado-style barbecues and Argentinian-style gaucho grills that use wood or charcoal'.

Whatever your taste, resist the temptation to turn your home into a busyness - the chores of social and domestic obligations can wait - turn your home into a staycation resort!