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Think of your interior decor as a reflection of yourself. Combine comfort, character, function and
atmosphere in the planning and decorating of your home.
Perhaps you grew up surrounded by antiques or antique reproductions; you marvel at the craftsmanship
and delicious lines of an inherited desk; you’re comforted by the style’s staying power and the feeling
it creates of living well. Or perhaps you’re just puzzling over how to fit your interior decor with
traditional furnishings into a new, larger, or more open home.
Interior Decor - Balance & Scale
* Match the scale of each piece to its surroundings and accessories.
* To show off their best features a handsome profile or elegant inlay, for instance -- silhouette shapely furnishings like sculpture against a simple wall treatment. The wall should pleasingly frame the piece without dwarfing or crowding it. If older traditional furnishings appear out of scale in today’s larger homes, give them a prominent place in a more intimate area, such as a hallway, foyer, or even bath. A bedroom chest makes an elegant and practical hall piece; a tea table fits alongside a chair rather than in the middle of a room.
* Alternately, blend older pieces with new, classically styled furnishings designed for the scale of today’s more expansive spaces. A soft patina and worn finish lend a sense of richness and warmth. The graceful sleigh bed, for example, has a baseball-stitched leather headboard for comfort, a low footboard for better television viewing, and is substantial enough to comfortably anchor a large room.
Interior Decor Simplified
* Reducing the number of elements in a room makes it more relaxing and draws attention where you want it.
If it’s hard to let go of possessions, rotate them. Your life isn’t static, why should your house be?
* Set off traditional pieces by surrounding them with clean-lined or more modern ones. Unify a space with
the continuous tone of a solid color area rug, sisal carpeting, or even wall-to-wall. A muted Oriental is
updated and always appropriate.
* Soften a room with fabric. In lieu of a cocktail table, for example, an over-sized cocktail ottoman from
gives the eye a place to rest, absorbs sound, and finds multiple practical uses.
* Whether traditional or more modern, clean-lined, large-scale accessories are more restful than multiple
smaller ones: large books, plump pillar candles inside hurricanes, or a large lacquered tray atop an ottoman.
To unify small items into a larger visual whole, group like pieces together. If you can’t resist silver,
select pieces with simple lines.
Interior Decor Color
Whatever the style, color immediately changes the look of a room.
* For a more subdued look, use a neutral color palette such as warm taupe or camel. Update it with crisp
black or silver accents: lampshades, pillows, trunks, curtains, or a mirror frame.
* Update classic looks with one of today’s bold, new colors: cool it off with a lettuce green or turn up
the heat with pimento red.
* For unity, repeat the wall color in upholstery.
Interior Decor Lighting
The wealth of architectural elements can lend a masculine feel to classic design.
Here are some ways to create a softer feel:
* Incorporate lighter, softer colors, such as the new light and icy blues.
* Include soft, floral patterned fabrics or an orchid in a clean-lined pot.
* Avoid fussy details that compete for attention and create a busy rather than relaxed look.
* Relax a dining table with cane back chairs.
* Set off the lines of an intricately styled bed with simple, solid-colored linens.
* Select softer, gentler artwork. Surprisingly, tropical motifs work well with traditional design (envision the palm-like tops of Corinthian columns).
Interior Decor Layering
Whether for a bed, tabletop, or room, layering creates visual depth and a lived-in feel.
* Add and delete elements in your different layers -- from floor covering to furnishings to accessories to lighting -- until you have an inviting sense of balance and dimension.
