Designers' Consistent Essentials: Unmissable 'Whispered Stylemarks' That Interior Professionals Vouch For in Each Undertaking
A well-decorated home is not just about aesthetics; it's about creating a space that reflects your personality, lifestyle, and taste. Interior designers often use certain elements, known as design signatures, to achieve this. These recurring features imbue a space with personality and cohesion, making your home feel unique and thoughtfully curated.
Colourful Accents
Many designers choose a specific colour or palette to repeat throughout a project. For instance, earthy terracotta and ochre are common in Mediterranean styles, while jewel tones and dramatic black-and-white schemes are found in Glam interiors. This reinforces a visual identity and ambiance tailored to the style or client preference.
Material and Texture
The use of characteristic materials like natural wood, leather, wrought iron, brass, or glass is also common. Rustic design highlights natural elements like wood and hides, while Art Deco uses glossy metals and glass to evoke elegance and modernity. Incorporating materials repeatedly creates tactile harmony and visual interest.
Lighting
Statement lighting fixtures are often incorporated as a signature piece. Crystal chandeliers for Glam styles or industrial-style fixtures for Rustic designs define space ambiance and serve as both functional and decorative elements.
Furniture and Architectural Elements
Designers often include signature furniture shapes, like the oversized armories and sofas in Art Deco or the leather and suede furniture in Southwestern designs. Architectural features such as arches, decorative tiles, or exposed beams may also be signature touches to ground the whole design.
Personalized Accents
In styles like Bohemian, layering an eclectic mix of patterned textiles and handcrafted pieces brings individuality and warmth, signaling the personality and story behind the design.
Practical Considerations
Cathryn Lindsey, an interior designer, emphasizes the importance of closed storage for maintaining the aesthetic appeal of a room. A thick weave basket can be used for this purpose, while a woven storage basket can hang from a wall hook, a cabinet pull, or even a door handle.
Vintage Charm
Vintage pieces are another essential element in many designs. Interior designer Lauren Saab always includes vintage pieces in her projects, believing that every space needs one piece with soul. Vintage candle holders, French confit pots, silver candlesticks, or horn bowls can add character to your home.
Woven Elements
Woven decor elements can add depth and layers to a home's overall design. A woven tray can make for a great coffee table centerpiece or serving tray, while a wool blend blanket with a deep black colour can be both cozy and elegant.
Artwork and Mirrors
Framed artwork is important in any home, reflecting a client's personality and adding character to a room. A traditional frame picture frame can hold any type of artwork. Mirrors with multi-toned jeweled frames, natural braided rope frames, or coral-like frames can act as a means to bring colour into your home and provide a dual-purpose, serving as both art and functional reflection.
Quiet Design Signatures
These design signatures are beneficial because they establish a cohesive and intentional look, enhance the emotional connection between the space and its occupants, improve spatial experience, and provide visual continuity across different rooms or areas.
Adding Unique Touches
A unique lamp with adjustable shades, a black pedestal bowl, or a zigzag candle holder with a black finish can add uniqueness to your home and bring some soul into your interiors. Pieces with sentimental value also add to the character of the home and make it feel lived-in rather than overly staged.
In conclusion, incorporating design signatures in your home decor can help create a space that is not only beautiful but also meaningful, comfortable, and authentically aligned with your taste and lifestyle.
- By focusing on a specific color palette or repeating certain materials and textures, interior design can reflect an individual's lifestyle and personal taste, such as using earthy terracotta and ochre for Mediterranean-style homes, or including vintage pieces to infuse a room with history and soul.
- Personalized accents, like using layered patterned textiles and handcrafted pieces in Bohemian style, or incorporating vintage candle holders, French confit pots, or silver candlesticks, can make a home feel unique and authentically aligned with a client's personal style.
