30 Jun 2017

Reflect your personal style in your interior

Selecting furniture for any room within the home can be an exciting task, but it can also seem quite tricky as there are so many elements to consider. Here Zoe Hartridge, Senior Designer at New i.D Interiors, offers her advice on where to start for a self-build project.

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Both the style and durability of your furniture pieces will need to stand the test of time. Choosing pieces for your interior can be a daunting task as you are adding the finishing touches to your dream home; but there are few simple things to keep in mind that will make your furniture selection a lot simpler.

As a starting point, it is important to know your own individual style. A home should reflect the people who are living in it. With a good knowledge of your likes and dislikes, stay focused on your own taste and you won’t get distracted by the current trends. Concentrating on an overall look you personally desire will give you an interior that radiates your personality and will also make your home an original space for you to reside. Once you have a few items of furniture in mind, get the measurements and use your existing floor plans from the build to get a realistic view of how these pieces will fit in. This is a really useful stage as you can visualise and play around with the idea of several different layouts before deciding on what best fits in your space. Using this spatial planning technique will make it generally easier to figure out what to purchase and what to disregard. The furniture will also fit in with the functionally of each room and create a good circulation around your home.

Many people question where they should splurge and where they should save when it comes to home decorating. From an interior designer’s perspective, I would say that furniture is definitely an area where you should spend. It is so important to choose high-quality pieces because it is one of the foundations of any room design. The standard of the furnishings will not only look good but, more importantly, last longer. Quality is even more paramount in a self-build project where you have put in months and months of effort into creating your dream home. It is only right to have well-executed items to fit into your design rather than decorating with deficient fittings, which will be sure to stand out against your higher calibre furniture.

Another tip for choosing furniture is to think practically. As simple as it sounds, many design without giving real thought to how they see themselves living with and using their selected furniture.

As a general guide, go for durability in the main living areas; it is imperative not to compromise on this as these are high usage areas. A well-made sofa with a solid frame, using beech wood, for example, will last up to 12 years. We lay on our beds for an average of six to eight hours every night, and a good quality mattress should last between 12 to 15 years.

Accessorising and styling is one of the very final stages of your home project. It can be a fun and creative process but you must still keep functionality in mind. Items such as throws, cushions, vases and ornaments are an easy way to dress up any room depending on your personal style and can be changed with the season for a fresh and updated look. Keep an eye out for unique art pieces in unexpected places like markets, or on your travels. These accessories can add a statement making a focal point to the main rooms in your home.

When it comes to furnishing and accessorising your home, research and find things that suit your preferences; don’t just buy on impulse. Cutting costs can be a top priority after a self-build, but it is worth saving for the perfect furniture. You have a wonderful new home built according to your specific taste, so why compromise on the finishing touches?

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