Everyone wants to make their home their own, and this is best achieved through the careful choice of furnishings and decorative objects – artwork, paint colours and wall coverings, candles, accessories, textiles, cushions and throws, mirrors and objets d’art. The homewares you select will achieve the character, look and style you want, whether modern, traditional, elegant, rustic, minimalist or shabby chic.

Home Decor

Decorating a home can be one of the most satisfying stages of building or renovating. It is in detail where spaces come together to reflect a truly unique sense of style. One of the most important parts of designing successful interiors is to set out with clear design aims in terms of functionality, use and style and to adhere to them throughout the decorating process.

Home decor can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the design process - a time to choose the finishing touches that will evoke the beauty of your spaces, represent your personal style and highlight the personality of a home’s occupants. Be it cushions and covers, throws, sculptures, indoor plants, pots and planters, decorative objects or photographic prints, rugs, blinds or curtains, the decor you choose will define the interior spaces.

Living room decor

Often, the best place to start is from the ground, working upwards to create a unified decor scheme. Flooring is a good place to begin because it sets the tone of the entire room. When the flooring material has been selected, putting together a basic plan of the room layout is best practice. This will provide a clear idea of the size and number of pieces needed to maximise the functionality of the space.

From here, the choices are endless in terms of rugs, carpets, furniture and decor accessories such as indoor plants, coat racks, artwork, cushions and throws. Working within a clear colour scheme and brief makes it easier to select items that work together, in terms of colour, balance and visual feature. 

Bedroom decor

Creating a relaxing, personal space is important when designing a bedroom’s decor - from the soft furnishings such as quilt covers and pillows through to the materiality of the headboard, the artwork on the walls and the intimacy of personal items such as photo frames, candles and holders, vases and wall art. Often, the bedroom decor is a place to be slightly more creative and personal than in other areas of the home.

The bedroom is generally a private area of the home, designed for one or two occupants, unlike living and kitchen areas that are the public parts of a house. This means decor can be more personal. Bedrooms are areas of the house designed purely for comfort; spaces to feel at ease in and rooms to relax. Colour schemes are important in bedrooms. Often, bold and bright colours are avoided and more neutral, pale tones preferred to create a sense of relaxation.

Avoiding clutter in the bedroom creates a greater sense of space and well-being. Items that reflect necessity such as bedside tables or storage items such as a freestanding wardrobe can be accentuated with feature items including rugs, artwork and decorative objects such as photo frames, vases, diffusers and candles. Mirrors are another central feature of many bedrooms. A well-placed mirror can also promote a sense of space.

Controlling the amount of light is another important aspect of creating the ideal bedroom. Different window coverings will provide different levels of insulation and light control, from insulated blackout curtains to blinds. The best choice for a bedroom will depend on its location, the desired amount of light, privacy requirements and the overall decor style.

Kitchen decor

The kitchen is one of the critical elements in a home’s interior. It is an area where design meets function, and one of the areas in a house where considerable budget is often allocated. Decor in the kitchen is often centred around lighting, vases, sculptures and smaller adornments, leaving ample space for the functional workings of the room.

Wall decor

Wall coverings no longer consist simply of paint or wallpaper; the options are endless in terms of material, colour and texture. Whether it’s a feature three-dimensional mural, wall stickers or decals, or pieces of well-placed wall art, the options to create a unique sense of style are limitless. Photographic prints are a popular option, particularly in kitchens where they can be integrated into the functionality as splashbacks, for example, or in bathrooms where the options exist to create shower screens and doors printed with custom imagery.

The objects placed on the walls of a home are one of the most important aspects of an overall home decor scheme, with the colours, textures and materials contributing to an overt sense of style. Wall decor can also contribute to the illusion of space or privacy, of light or cosiness, and of function and form. For example, an oversized mirror in a small room can create the illusion of a much larger space, while a dark-coloured wallpaper in a media room can create a sense of cosiness and intimacy in a larger space. An eclectic painting on a living room wall can create a visual focus, uniting the palette of the rest of the furnishings.

Kids’ room decor

Decorating children’s bedrooms can be an expensive affair if pieces are chosen that are suited only to a child’s current age. As children grow their tastes change and what seemed like suitable decor one year can suddenly seem too juvenile and in need of replacement. One of the best ways to avoid this scenario is to choose neutral colours and timeless pieces that will grow with the child. Incorporating age-specific decor items in the form of cushion covers or toys that are easily interchangeable can be the best way to go while retaining larger decor items such as mirrors, lamps, curtains and wall coverings.