Mention home interior decoration and the mind pictures something really out of this world. And rightly so, how many times have you wondered at the sheer beauty of some well laid-out and decorated homes. However, achieving this not only requires an aesthetic eye, but meticulous planning too. To quote Le Corbusier, the great architect, "…without plan there can neither be grandeur of aim and expression, nor rhythm, nor mass, nor coherence….A plan calls for the most active imagination and most severe discipline. The plan is what determines everything; it is the decisive moment". So, the first step for a successful home decoration is planning.
Evolution of Home Interior Decoration
The late 18th century designers in Paris and London are credited with the concept of home interior decoration. However, its modern version had its origin in Jeanselme in Paris, Lenygon and Morant in London and Ogden Codman in New York. Since then it has seen many trends and styles. Today, innovative ways to decorate homes on a budget are becoming popular.
Home interior decoration remains popular at all levels of society. You’d be surprised to know that of the approximately $175 billion spent on improving homes in 2003, about 65% can be attributed to home interior decoration. The main focus remains the kitchen and the bathroom.
Planning Interiors for Home
While planning interiors for your home, the first thing you’d need to do is to utilize the ‘space’ to its fullest, without compromising the aesthetics. The attempt should be to make things as visually attractive as possible. However it seems easy, but is not so.
Before undertaking anything, it’d be better to ask yourself some questions beforehand, like what exactly do you plan to do with the various rooms of the house; your priority of doing things; the inter se relation of a particular room to others in terms of location, since this can have a profound impact on its final design; the utility of the rooms, like the frequency of visit; the illumination of these rooms, is it primarily natural light during daytime hours; what are the nighttime needs for illumination; how will the electronic and mechanical implements, like heaters, air conditioners and their ducts, pipes and plumbing is to be laid; the acoustic qualities of the house; the effect of outdoor vistas, if the house overlooks a mountain or ocean; and so on.
Undertaking Home Decoration
Once you’ve planned what you require to do, the process of decorating your home becomes easier. The best course of action is to hire the services of a profession interior decorator or designer. However, remember, there is a distinct difference between home interior decoration and interior design. Whereas, home interior decoration is focused on finishing, such as wallpaper, window covering, furnishings and paint, interior designing is more integrated with the architecture, involving room layout, woodwork and the like.
Remember, the primary aim of home interior decoration is not only to reflect your tastes and personality, but also its functionality. Also, the interior decoration should give a certain ‘feel’ to the home. So, focus on harmony and function, rather than to uniqueness and good looks. For this there are thousands of ideas, depending upon the layout of your home. You can achieve your objective in various ways, like applying wallpaper, painting the walls, choosing the right furniture and fittings, such as light fixtures, adding decorations, such as paintings and the like. Today the preference of colors is towards earthy, natural and warm brown tones, rather than the vibrant and loud colors of the past. Blue and gray hues are preferred over dull reds and dark blues.
So, if you are looking for home interior decoration ideas, an interior designer or decorator will be your best bet. However if you’re on a budget, you can yourself try some great ideas to enhance the beauty of your surroundings.
Mention home interior decoration and the mind pictures something really out of this world. And rightly so, how many times have you wondered at the sheer beauty of some well laid-out and decorated homes.
