Seven decorating hacks you need to know
If you want to make the most of every room there are a number of easy tricks to use that don't cost the earth.
It used to be said that you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. That may be an outdated notion in the 21st Century. It may also be the reason I sit alone at my desk in what I’m going to call fabulous loungewear, but we all know is actually pyjamas. And yes, I am thrilled about it. Now, whether you aspire to climb the corporate ladder or can dress to please yourself, we all mostly try to combine wearing what we want with what we know looks good on us.
Dressing your home is very similar except, as I said in one of my first books, your house doesn’t have fat days or hungover days or just let-me-lie-on-the-sofa-and-eat-biscuits days. So it’s about enhancing the good bits – perhaps that spot on the landing where the sun hits every afternoon, or an architectural feature – while disguising the parts you are less keen on but can’t do anything about – an awkward shape or a low ceiling.
Here then are the seven tricks you need to know to make your home feel bigger, look more luxurious and give the impression that it’s really making the most of itself. In short, if you incorporate these ideas into your space you will make the best of every room and create a cohesive design scheme. There is an eighth if you want to be picky and that’s storage - lots. As much as you can. Also remember to use it.
1 ABUNDANCE
First up there is a difference between abundance and clutter. The latter is a collection of stuff that is too big for the space it is in. The former is a group of single objects that, because they are in multiples, look curated and considered - both good design concepts. In other words, why have one vase when you can have three? Or five. They don’t have to be expensive, but arranged in a tight group on a coffee table with nothing else around them will look amazing. Especially if you follow principle 5.
A bunch of flowers comprising only peonies or hydrangeas looks much more generous and expensive than a mixed bouquet padded out with ferns. A vase full of luxuriant foliage without a flower in sight is both sculptural and abundant. And cheaper than flowers. A pile of squishy cushions is more inviting than a row of karate-chopped squares. And let’s not forget the recent “shelf wealth” phenomenon, which has had nearly 2m views on TikTok and is, apparently, 2024’s hottest new trend.
So be generous in your styling even if your budget is tight.