Decorating any of the
room depends on its color - pastel or bright and
matte, egg-shell or glossy; focal point of the room
such as a window with a great view, entertainment
center, a beautiful vase or idol of Buddha; function(s)
of the room - whether it is a bed room, drawing cum
dining room study cum play room for kids; natural
light coming in the room and its lighting system; and
the traffic flow in the room, which is maximum in
kitchen, bath and lobby. Here are some basic and
important thumb rules and decorating principles to
keep in mind before you start your home décor
project:
Use of the room decides the furniture that
goes in it.
A bedroom needs a bed, one or two
nightstands, a dresser, chest of drawers closet and/or armoire
and a chair or bench.
Kids room may be a nursery with crib and
changing table or for older children, needs to be equipped
with a study desk, a shelf, rack or chest to keep their toys
and playthings and may be bookshelves.
Dining, breakfast or room where you eat must
have a table and seats enough for all the daily users with
options to expand to accommodate occasional guests. Extra
chairs may be kept stacked in a corner when not in use.
Family rooms, living rooms, entertainment
room or place for casual gatherings should have comfortable
seating arrangements, television, area for playing (depending
on personal choice) and may be a computer to work or chat on.
You may add fireplace for warmth and elegance.
Potted or hanging plants and beautiful
arranged flowers bring colors of Nature inside. Even a single
rose in a sleek vase can spice up the table décor.
Do not think that daily-use instruments such
as taps, showers, cables, wires, switches and sockets do not
need to be included in your color scheme. They can become
powerful accents in the hands of a skilful detail-oriented
interior designer and they are very much visible.
Remember the color of the room affects your
mood so choose them carefully according to your personality
and if another room is visible through the room, try to create
a harmony between their colors. Areas can be defined in a very
large room with subtle changes in the color of walls.
White walls can be a good backdrop for your
artwork or display of collectibles.
Light and cool colors seem to add space to
the room while warm and dark colors shrink it and make them
look cozy.
Painting them in contrasting colors can
highlight attractive architectural elements such as trims and
moldings. However, it shrinks the space a little bit.
Painting them in the same shades as the
backgrounds can hide ugly elements. It opens up the space too.
Color trends keep changing so opt for a
classic palette appropriate for the size, comfort level and
function of the room. You may experiment with furnishing and
accessories.
Direction in which the room is located in the
home and that of the windows of the room determines the amount
of sunlight that comes in the room and at what time. A window
in the east brings in not-so-intense morning rays. You can use
natural daylight to the utmost by assigning the rooms
accordingly. A room to the east can be used for morning chores
such as preparing and having tea and breakfast.
Blinds are good choices as window treatments
for rooms that get more natural daylight as they allow you to
welcome it or shut it off, as you like.
For evening gatherings, room with windows
opening to the west is better as they allow you to have lovely
sunset views. It can be used as family and living room or
library. The light here plays along well with warm and rich
colors.
For studying, home-office or craft room, you
can choose a room with windows to the north that brings in
soft daylight for longer periods of time that goes along well
with light cool colors.
A room with windows to the south can work
well as a green room and is good enough for indoor plants as
it has more access to sun heat. Don't use accessories that
will fade in sun here.
Daylight does not flicker and is still
provide more illumination than electricity, so make more use
of it in daytime. It is diffused enough to not hurt the eyes.
The constant pressure to adjust to the bright area of electric
task lighting and shadows surrounding it can be harmful for
these delicate organs.
Artificial lighting is generally of two types
- Incandescent lighting, which is warm and soft and
Fluorescent lighting, which is harsh and glaring but
focus-oriented.
Make a focal point of the room with the help
of rare pieces, beautiful collectibles or contrast in colors.
Some sure shot focal points are fireplace, window views,
tabletop fountain, burning candles, entertainment center,
piano, bed, sword and shield, giant religious statue or
anything that is out of the ordinary in the room.
You may either highlight your primary and
immovable focal point or distract the person with another
focal point for a very large room.
Keep the area with traffic flow free to avoid
bumping into furniture. Furniture arrangement should allow
people to move easily through the room, to the door, window
and closet and make use of the furniture, dresser or drawer
without any problem.
Proper placement of furniture takes into
account space available, size of furniture, the location of
doorway, seating arrangement, obstructions, light fixtures and
wiring.
The thumb rule is that traffic flow should
not have too many curves and bends. So work on it.
