The five Fs of successful interior design

There are many routes to getting your interior design right but you must start with the five fundamentals before you pick the fancy wallpaper swatches and cushions.

During more than 20 years of writing about interior design I have developed a few mantras and hacks to help with planning or finishing off a scheme. The first of these, which long-term readers will be familiar with from the old days of the blog, and which then made its way into the first Mad About The House book, is: Something New, Something Old, Something Black and Something Gold. It works in every room: swap the gold for anything metallic and the black for something dark, and watch the spaces come together. And it’s great for the end of the reno if you feel the finishing details are lacking, or it isn’t quite cohesive.

The second one, which again, appeared on the blog, before making its way into the third book, covers the six questions you must ask yourself before you attempt any room renovation: Who, what, where, when, how and why? I’ve written about it on these pages, although that post will, by now, have passed into the archive, which is for paid subscribers here. Who is the room for? After all, the requirements of a couple with young children are very different from those of a couple of downsizers. When will you use the room – and what will you be doing there? How do you want to feel in there? Ask yourself those questions (and answer them honestly) before you start and you won’t go wrong.

Today we are taking a slightly different approach and looking at the 5 Fundamentals of Interior Design. I’ve grouped them this way because it makes them easier to remember, and while they are all equally important, they need to be approached in the right order.

Now on with the Five Fundamentals – which are Floorplan, Flow, Fittings, Flooring and Feel. Let’s take them one by one.