With a few simple tips, you can improve the look of any room with relatively little effort. You can become an interior designer yourself and give your home a personal and tasteful touch.

 

- Add character with colour. Choose one strong colour as the main theme for a room. Do not use too many different colours. Combine one or two strong colours with neutral colours such as black, white, cream or beige. You can create interesting dramatic effects by painting just one wall with a strong colour or by covering the floor with a very prominent floor covering. Or you can paint bold frames around windows and doors while the rest of the room is a subdued colour. The important rule here is to colour-coordinate furniture and accessories.

 

- Set accents. About 10 percent of a room should have a single strong colour. Repeat the same colour in furnishings, e.g. cushions, vases, artwork or other. Dark rooms should be brightened up with yellow and silver.

 

- A new outlook. New curtains in matching colours give the room a new feel. Be cautious with patterns, preferring to choose plain colours with discreet decor.

 

- Decoration with felt. Felt is very popular with interior decorators. It can be used as a wall covering, rug or fabric and gives the room a classy feel. Dark felt rugs or runners provide an excellent contrast in light and elegant rooms.

 

- Lighting. New lamps at different levels give the room character and mood. Lighting at eye level is particularly good. Candles add warmth. Aim spot lamps to highlight pictures or decorations on the wall so that they reflect their light and the colour of the wall. Even arranging all the existing lamps and furniture differently can give the room a whole new focus, and for free.

 

- Set focal points. Every room should have a focal point to which the first gaze is directed when entering. The wandering eye wants to rest its gaze on something. The focal point can be a fireplace, a television, a work of art or the colour of a wall. Wall tattoos that can be removed later are a nice idea.

 

- Mix expensive items with inexpensive ones. Think about what you want to spend more money on. High-quality and expensive furnishings make the whole room look more sophisticated.

 

- Declutter. Those who can or want to spend less money simply need to rid the room of all superfluous small items. Put away knick-knacks, unread books and worthless accessories. Choose one or two particularly beautiful pieces and let them become the highlight of the room.