Melbourne architect Taras Wolf of Wolf Architects, offers his interior design tips to improve the glamour factor of your home.
Think low furniture
“Creating a sense of airiness and space can be achieved by using furniture that is lower to the ground,” says Wolf.
Hanging paintings and pictures lower down (leaving the top part of the wall virtually empty) creates a sense of space and emptiness at the top of the room.
Curved furniture can work very well and is one of Pinterest’s most popular trends this year, but you must have space to use it.
“You want to be able to walk around most curved forms because if you put curved furniture against a straight space it generally will not work.”
Where to best place furniture generally?
When you walk into a room you need to focus on what the eyes can see MOST of the time, not 10 percent of the time, and make that the centerpiece of the room, he says.
It’s important to invest in interior design to make the most of the space and create some emotion.
“Too many people ruin a perfectly great space with poor choice of furniture, how it’s arranged, bad colour combinations and unusual finishes or fixtures that may seem trendy but date quickly.”
Have multiple seating areas
“There is nothing more inviting than having a couple of extra chairs in the living room, or multiple seating areas outside where people can gather privately as a group,” says Wolf.
“When summer rolls around an outdoor entertaining area becomes one of the most used and loved parts of a home.
“If your backyard or balcony doesn’t already have an area dedicated to entertaining, introducing one is a sure-fire way to increase the value of your property.
“Often extending the colours outside from what’s inside with a rug or the same coloured cushions can add a sense of unity too. Outdoor storage is important too for toys and cushions that can be put away when the weather is cold and wet.”
Layer the lighting
“Nothing screams the wow factor like a large, modern statement artwork, with layered lighting around the room which may include picture lights on the artwork, a chandelier, and a few table lamps so there are different visual items of light interest around the room,” says Wolf.
And it’s all worthwhile removing all the “cool light bulbs’ ‘ in bedrooms, living rooms and kitchen especially, and swapping them out with warm lights. Changing all your lights from cool to warm in the house can create an incredible sense of warmth and cosiness.
Hanging lights lower about 1.9m from the floor (or with 7 foot clearance) is ideal to keep the light at eye level, especially if ceilings are high.
You don’t want any light neck-craningly high.
For bedside tables, the bottom of the shade should be around about chin level.