Comfort and design, balancing a home

Interior designing is all about aesthetic beauty along with comfort. A sofa which looks nice to the eyes, but is not comfortable to sit on is of no use to you. Hence, you aim to make your home beautiful and comfortable.

Our interior design team works on schemes that look right and still function. When you are revamping a London house, or a single room, there is always give and take between comfort and design.

That trade off is the tiring part of decorating. Balance is the word to hold on to, and here are five ways to find it.

5 Tips to Strike a Balance in Comfort and Design

1. Go transitional

Opt for a transitional style while decorating. This is the safest way to play. It is a middle ground between traditional and modern and is perfect if you are afraid of overdoing it. Look to add both vintage and modern pieces to the décor to give it an overall balanced look. Use warm neutrals, clean and straight lines and work your way with wood.

2. Make the resting places good ones

Make comfortable and beautiful places to rest. Add a hammock to the family room. Yes, didn’t think of that before, did you? Well, this is a perfect blend of design and comfort. A window seat in the hallway, super comfortable velvet furniture in the sitting room and vintage rocking chair in the nursery will be an excellent idea.

3. Choose comfort where it matters

A very important point to remember is to choose comfort over design where it matters. Undoubtedly, your aim is always choosing both, but that does not work in the real world. When needed, comfort should be a priority. Functional items like flooring, sofas in the lounge and beds need to be comfortable. You can balance this by adding textured walls, over-the-top wallpapers and huge chandeliers. Play with the rest of the room, where nobody has to sit on your decision.

4. Colours

Choosing a colour is the first thing you will be doing when remodelling or designing the room. Go with a palette that brings cosiness and warmth into the room. Make sure the living room is the most vibrant. The colours should be light and soothing to the eye. Go for pale yellows, light pinks, whites, greys and other colours.

5. Bring on the rugs

You can never go wrong with a rug. Rugs add comfort, style and modernity to the room. Cosy up your room by adding layers of rugs wall-to-wall. This is especially true in children’s rooms. It will be durable, add depth and keep those little toes warm all year round. They are an excellent way to dampen the noise and provide padding for your feet.

Pro tip. To get the most out of this, put a natural fibre rug down as the base and lay something soft, a sheepskin for instance, on top of it. Then stand back and look at it.

If you would like help balancing a room, tell us about it, or call the studio on 020 7731 6841.