There is no denying the overwhelming sense of pressure one can face in the light of designing a new home or simple renovation. And I use the word ‘simple’ very lightly, because let’s face it, no project is ever simple. Whether you’re building your dream home or flipping a house to sell, the prospect of designing these spaces can be scary especially if you feel you have no design sense. We see this a lot in our showroom, so don’t ever feel like you’re the only one trying to decide between a matte or gloss subway tile for your kitchen splashback. This. Is. Normal.
Questions that generally arise sound something like this: “What is everyone doing with bathrooms these days?” “Is matte black tapware going to go out of fashion?” “What would you do?” “HELP me. I don’t know what I want.”
Okay the last one wasn’t really a question but it’s probably the most common phrase we hear throughout the showroom. And I’m here to tell you that you do in fact know what you want, you might just not know how to apply that knowledge. Read on to see my tips to beat the designer block (no qualifications required).
SHOW ME YOUR (P)INTEREST
We are a society of tech-savvy people and with the world’s best interior designers at our fingertips, we can build mood boards to help inspire our projects at any given time. Apps like Pinterest and Instagram are great tools to save and collate images that speak to us and our eye for design (yes, you have this too).
These wonderful mood boards also act as the key to your style and personality. As you’re scrolling, pinning and saving these images, you might not realise but you are subconsciously finding the direction your project will go. Colours, textures, tiles and styles of tapware will pop up in these images and the one aspect linking all these together is most likely staring you right in the eye. It could be that timber vanity, a terrazzo floor or herringbone pattern that just catches your attention. If you start seeing this kind of repetition popping up then you’re on the right track.
Dare I say it...you have inadvertently established your design style!
ELIMINATE THE HATE
Why is it that we can identify the things we don’t like in a heartbeat, but seriously struggle with working out the things we love? I do believe this is a good trait to have as it makes the process of elimination easy. Once you can identify the styles or design aspects you are not keen on, you can solely focus on the vision you wish to recreate.
PICK THE BEST OF THE REST
Knowing what you don’t like also means you need to know what you do like. But this doesn’t mean that everything you like has to be in your space and this, I think, is a common misconception people have when it comes to designing a home. I for one, love many different styles and eras of design that it makes me sick at the thought of the day I have to design my own home. How will I possibly choose!? Who knows...but what I do know is that I have to stick to my gut and choose the elements that will not only complement my personality but the entire feel of the home. For example, I wouldn’t put the grandeur black and gold Art Deco inspired tiles I’m obsessed with in my quaint coastal home. It’s like tea and milk, they just shouldn’t go together.
Beating the designer block can be challenging, however I hope I have made it a little easier for you. At the essence of everything, you cannot lose sight of the end goal. Know your style and don’t try to cram every single detail into the one space. Sometimes less is more and most times this is what you will find will work better than anything else. Plus, you’ll know what you love if you keep checking back at your Pinterest boards.
Words: Alana Perin
