Renovating your home? Anais Tourneux, the senior interior designer of Designphase Dba, to tell us how to begin designing your home, as well as how to elevate the look of your interior without too much effort,

Think your layout through

Before you even begin thinking about themes, focus on the layout, says Anais. A good layout is more than sorting your floor plan so you have space to walk around; it is about being able to flow into your space without having to twist and turn every couple of steps.

You should also consider your light sources. “Figure out how much light you want in your space and work around that. If you like sun pouring in, invest in a day curtain and make use of large mirrors. If not, get thicker curtains and add lamps for dimmed lighting,” she says.

Create a moodboad

“Mood isn’t just an emotion. It is the feel of a place,” says Anais. She suggests putting together clippings of what you like. When you put them all together, you might notice that you have a number of concrete walls or floors in your moodboard; it means you have a liking for a design that has a more unrefined finish.

Details come last

Instead of planning the details of what furniture to buy first, leave it to the last step. Many people identify the furniture they like and try to design their homes around them, which is a tedious process. Following Anais’ steps to focus on your layout first, then moodboard, finding the right furniture to fit your home becomes easier.

Use lights to distinguish rooms and add depth

When you use the same fluorescent light all around your home, it looks a little lacklustre. “Add spotlights to show off your art, and pendant lights over dining as well as living area to define it as a separate space,” she says.

Make your bedroom super cosy with soft furnishings

Plush armchairs, downy duvets, feather-filled cushions and voluminous curtains can make your bedroom go from spartan to spectacular.

Design the bathroom as your workspace

Anais says one thing to pay more attention to is the vanity, as it can be revamped to look classy easily. “When you see posh hotel bathrooms, there are very little things on the countertop. Put everything in drawers, cabinets or pigeon holes,” she says.

Anais suggests using small pigeon holes for folded towels, drawers with compartments for makeup, and cabinets for bigger items like toilet rolls and hairdryers. Arrange everything so you will have quick access to your tools.

This article was first published on Her World.