Design A Small Home

Many people find it difficult to design a small home/apartment. It is especially difficult to design a small apartment in New York City, for example. This video has some great tips to help you organize and design your small home. Organization is a key component to designing a small space. Using cupboards is a great way to tuck everything away when you're not using it.

Design DIY

Do you want to redesign your home but don’t have the money to do it? Well, why not pick up a hammer and start your own “Do It Yourself” project?

Here are a few little tips that will help you with your DIY projects:

1.     Living Room: If your furniture is still in good shape and doesn’t need replacing, use a slip cover or get your couches and chairs reupholstered for a whole new look. Just by changing the colour and pattern of your furniture, your living room could look like a whole new room. You can also make new drapes by purchasing fabric and sewing them yourself. 

2.     Kitchen: Your kitchen should be all about style and function. A great layout is the key to a great kitchen.  The main parts of a kitchen are the sink, stove, and fridge. You should start by placing those three key pieces into the right place. They must all be easily accessible.  Once you have done that, you can change up the wall colours and lighting.  New light fixtures give the room that subtle change that you have been looking for.

3.     Bathroom: Bathrooms are now being designed to be luxurious and relaxing environments. They are no longer seen as just a basic utility. In order to create a luxurious bathroom, try adding rich tiles and dramatic lighting.  

4.     Bedroom: This is the most important room for YOU! The bedroom must be a place where you can go when you get home from a long day at work and just be able to relax. It is very important that you choose a light, relaxing wall colour; something that will help you sleep easily.  When designing your bedroom, focus on your personal style.  Use your favourite colour as the dominant colour. Add some personal items to your room. Place pictures of your family and friends around your room. Maybe even dedicate a whole shelf or wall to things that you are into.

5.     Basement: You must first decide what the main purpose for your basement is going to be. If you decide to make it a games room or home theater for example, decorate your room accordingly.  Remember to keep the room well ventilated because basements tend to get cramped.

5 Simple Design Tips

Everyone wants to feel comfortable in their home, so here are a few tips to help you make your home stylish while maintaining that level of comfort that belongs in a home:

1.     Colour: The colour scheme is a very important part of the whole design. You need to choose colours that reflect the vibe that you want in your home.  Bright colours give off a more fun vibe, while lighter, more pastel colours give off a quiet, relaxing vibe. Choose your colour palette that corresponds to the vibe that you want to give off. In order to get a better night sleep, it is best to use light, relaxing paint colours. Neutral colours as well as pastels work best. 

2.     Flooring: Choosing the right flooring is also very important. It can tie a whole house together. Try not to switch types of flooring too many times throughout your home. If you stick with a common material (hardwood, carpet, tile, etc.), it will look more sleek and stylish. Keep in mind that the colour of the flooring will affect the brightness of the room. A dark hardwood will make the room look darker whereas a light hardwood will brighten up the room. Also, remember to choose flooring that is functional, not just fashionable. Don’t get really expensive flooring for a high traffic area that will most likely get ruined.

3.     Walls: Choosing the perfect wall décor can be a challenge, whether it is paint colour, wallpaper, or artwork.  You want artwork that will represent your personality and also ties into the overall design of the room.  The wall décor will help add to the whole environment.

4.     Kitchen: The kitchen is the busiest room in your house. The design of this room is very important. It must be functional above all things. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fashionable. When choosing cabinets and countertops, make sure the colours go together. Most people spend a significant amount of time in their kitchen so you want to make sure that the design of it is functional. The most time and effort should be spent on this room because a great kitchen will also add value to your home.

5.     Bathroom: Bathrooms are also important because along with the main functions of a bathroom, you need to make sure that you have storage. You should keep the design clean and sleek in the bathroom. This will make it more functional and easier to clean while still being stylish.

6 Ways To Choose The Right Design For Your Home

Who wants their house to look like everyone else’s house? Nobody. Each person has their own unique style and design taste. Here are a few tips that will help you when decorating your home:

1.     Do not coordinate your house. This means that you shouldn’t match your window treatments, flooring, and upholstery. You don’t want everything to look the same. Mix different patterns and fabrics to give the space a bit of texture. Make sure everything still flows together though.

2.     Select original pieces of art to display throughout your home. Paintings and sculptures are good examples. Having these pieces distributed around your home will show your personality and taste.

3.     Stick to a set theme throughout your home. Do no take this to the extreme and decorate your home to resemble your favourite book, movie, etc. You want to keep your home classy, yet personalized. 

4.     When choosing a paint colour, purchase a sample of paint. Paint a portion of the wall to see what the true colour is and how it looks with everything else in the room. It is the only way to truly know what the paint colour will look like in your room before painting the whole wall. Keep in mind that some colours, especially darker ones, will appear darker the more coats you put on.

5.     Reupholster furniture instead of purchasing new furniture. Many times it is a cheaper way to change up the design of the room. If you really love your couch that you have had for a few years but the colour of it doesn’t fit with the new design of the room, get the couch reupholstered. This way you still have that comfy couch that you love and it now goes perfectly with your newly designed room. If you have a valuable antique piece of furniture, do not get it reupholstered if it will lose value from the change.

6.     When choosing flooring, keep in mind budget, personal taste, as well as the use of the room. For example, you may not want to put really expensive hardwood flooring in a high traffic area where it will most likely get ruined. An easy way to change up the look of your flooring is to lay down a rug. This can also be used to protect your floor too, not just as a design change.

All of these tips are just general tips that may help make designing your home easier. At the end of the day, it is up to you, as the home owner, to choose what you like. Don’t put something in your house because it is “in fashion”. You ultimately have to live there at the end of the day so make sure you choose colours, furniture, flooring, etc. that you love. There is nothing worse than decorating your whole house and then a month later realizing that you don’t like it.