One of the trickiest things to get right in a home is balancing both function and style. We all crave a beautifully styled home that looks gorgeous at all times, but we have to remember that form should follow function 90% of the time. Interior design is about balancing beautiful furniture, décor and accessories with the functionality of a home. When designing spaces, we need to take into consideration who will be using the space, the size of the room and how the space is intended for use. Below we are sharing our top tips and tricks for balancing function and style in your home and making it as simple as possible!
Ensure Your Large Pieces Have Storage
When purchasing new furniture items, we need to take into consideration not only their appearance, but if they are fit for purpose as well. We love choosing items that can be dual purpose and include storage in hidden or useful places. When selecting items such as the bedside table, coffee table, console table or entertainment unit we recommend choosing an option that includes at least one drawer or cupboard. This ensures your items can stay tucked away and avoids any build-up of clutter on top. There are also some amazing options for beds and sofas with built in storage as well! We recommend checking out Sleepy’s, Domayne and Forty Winks for some great options.
Choosing The Correct Size
A common misconception when it comes to designing small spaces is that you must choose smaller size furniture. This is simply not true. When designing and decorating a small space we recommend choosing regular sized items and carefully measuring to ensure they fit well within the room. When you enter a room that has tiny furniture, your brain immediately associates the space with being small. Whereas if you enter a space that has regular sized furniture that is carefully thought out to maximise the useable space, you feel like you have entered a standard size space. If you need assistance with selecting the perfect size furniture items for your home, book in for your free styling session with our Resident Stylist Eliza Grace via our website. When selecting rugs, it is essential to choose a rug that fits your space well. We recommend as a rule of thumb, going for a slightly larger size to ensure all your furniture pieces can sit comfortably on top. Head into Decorug or Carpet Call where you can chat with one of the friendly staff about the perfect rug for you!
Utilise Baskets
Baskets are a great way to add extra storage to your home in a beautifully styled and decorative way. We love using storage baskets in rooms such as the kid’s rooms or playrooms to sort toys and clothes or in the living room to store extra blankets and cushions. Our retailers offer a wide range of baskets to suit any design style and come in a beautiful range of options from rustic to monochrome to coastal. We love checking out Freedom, Provincial, Adairs and TK Maxx for their gorgeous range of beautifully woven baskets. Head in store this weekend to check them out!
Reduce Clutter
The most important thing to do when evaluating your space and choosing new furniture pieces and decorative accessories, is to first reduce the clutter. Our homes function at their best when they are organised, clutter free and have productive systems in place. By reducing the amount of clutter and organising your spaces you can clearly see what furniture items are functioning well and what could be replaced or improved upon. This exercise also allows you to see what storage solutions you can put into place to have your home functioning well. We love Howard’s Storage World’s great range of products that are both functional and stylish. Check them out at Homemaker North next time you are visiting our centre!
Accessorise & Style
There are certain spaces in our homes or furniture pieces that are predominately functional, but with a few tricks can be beautifully styled as well. The desk in a home office is a purely practical space, but try adding some gorgeous linen paper storage boxes, matching stationery, a bunch of flowers and some inspiring artwork to elevate the space. The kitchen bench is often thought of as a working zone and can be forgotten when decorating our homes. We love creating styled vignettes in the corners of our kitchen bench or on the island to flow with the rest of the home. This could be as simple as a wooden chopping board with some beautiful salt and pepper grinders leant against the kitchen splashback or an overflowing fruit bowl with a bunch of faux flowers or potted herbs on the island bench.
We love assisting in creating beautiful and functional homes here at Homemaker The Valley. Whether you are building, renovating, decorating, or restyling, our amazing retailers are here to help you every step of the way. We look forward to seeing you next time here at Homemaker The Valley!
