Co-ordinating the Décor in Your Home
Redesigning a room in your home? Choosing a pattern for your wallpaper or fabric, selecting accessories like lamps and mirrors and knowing how to coordinate them can be a daunting task.
There are so many styles, colours, and patterns to choose from and over time you might find your home becomes a busy mix of clashing fabrics, patterns, and styles. But with a little guidance from the Light Company, you’ll be able to bring your interior style together into a homely and cohesive look.
We are delighted to announce that we now sell a huge stock of the popular Laura Ashley bedding, cushions, throws, readymade curtains and fabric by the metre for bespoke curtains and upholstery.
#Tip 1 – Look for Inspiration
Before you start planning the revamp of a room, it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about what you like and what you want to do with the space, you can then use this to build a theme or style for the room.
You should ask yourself the following questions:
- What do you love most about the room? Is there a way to show it off more, or are there some colours or items you want to keep?
- Is there a particular interior design style or look you want to achieve? Are you looking to make the room contemporary or traditional, is there one style you like or do you want to mix it up?
- What colours will showcase the room the most? Think about floors, doors, windows, appliances, and anything else which is likely to remain. When you pick a colour scheme it can help to keep this in mind, you will want to tone new colours in with them and maybe pick up one or more of these colours as an accent.
- Do you want bright and vibrant colours or a softer and more muted colour palette?
- What will you refresh - will you cover all the walls in wallpaper or just a feature wall? Will you replace the window dressings and upholster a chair or ottoman or do you just want a few cushions to scatter around the space?
To help you find inspiration for what to do with your room it helps to browse through magazines, as well as new and trending collections, to see if there are any fabrics, wallpapers or styles which speak to you. Take a look at the Laura Ashley section of our website too as this popular range is synonymous with style and class.
#Tip 2 - Work with What’s in Place
If there are elements of the room which can't be changed, or parts of the existing style you want to keep, you may be a little more limited in what you can choose. If this sounds like your situation, don't worry! You can still find a wallpaper or fabric that will work for what you're looking for if you follow these guidelines:
- If you’re trying to tone in with some existing décor, choose something complementary and make sure there isn't too much contrast between the two items. Choose fabrics and wallpapers with complementary finishes to the existing decor.
- Pick up on colours which you want to accent or repeat for example, if you have lots of soft accents in your room, choose a pattern with similar colours. Choosing one or two colours from the existing scheme to carry through to any new fabrics or wallpapers can help tie a room together.
- If you are not replacing the flooring it may dictate the type of pattern you should choose for the walls and curtains. For example, if you have a heavily patterned rug or carpet you may choose to opt for simpler patterns on the walls, carpets and upholstery to keep the design cohesive. If you have wood or polished floors, then consider choosing a contrasting pattern, such as an animal print pattern for your wallpaper or curtains to make it pop. The contrast in textures will give your space a stylish look while still matching with other aspects of your décor.
- Similarly, if you are not updating the walls then you should consider the existing patterns and colours when choosing the fabrics for your curtains, bedding and any other upholstered items. If you have exposed beams or textured walls you may want to choose more traditional patterns and styling to tone in with them. If you have plain-coloured walls or floors, and a larger space, then a more modern pattern may be best. Minimalistic patterns can also work for these types of décor because they don't distract from the natural flow and design of the room.
#Tip 3 - Using Matching Fabric and Wallpaper
Matching fabric and wallpaper is a great way to bring a room together in a classic, traditional look. It is also an effective way to update a dated room in a way that will not be obvious.
Luxury fabric and wallpaper companies, like Laura Ashley release collections with matching wallpaper or fabric collections.
For example, one of our best sellers is the Laura Ashley Belvedere range which is designed to create an environment which you will never want to leave. This range features attractive peacocks, branches and flowers and comes in three colour finishes: soft truffle, midnight and duck egg which will match most existing colour schemes by offering a complementary or contrasting effect.
Contrast a plain wall with a statement Belvedere wallpaper, matched up with a set of Belvedere curtains and a few scatter cushions and your family and guests will simply say wow! This décor can all be topped off with a complementary Laura Ashley light fitting for mirror too… all stocked at the Light Company. See details here.