As a homeowner, it is your responsibility to take care of your home in every way. From a maintenance perspective, but also from a design one. If people walk into your home, you should want them to be somewhat impressed (or at least not put off) by your design. Here are some basic design principles you should be aware of.

Learn to Use White Space

One problem a lot of homeowners discover is that they clutter their walls with too much stuff. Their home is filled with knick-knacks and photos from top to bottom with no regard for organization or style. While you may like the pictures that you have up on your wall, it doesn’t do a lot from a design perspective.

White space can make your home feel bigger, and it looks nicer. People inherently like order, and white space gives your mind room to breathe as you walk in. White space can also be used to highlight specific sections of your home, so keep that in mind.

Pay Attention to Color Choices

The greatest step in your design process will be the way you interact with color. Despite what you may think, color influences the way you and others feel when they walk into a home. Bright colors like yellow, orange, and red can be strong, while dark blues and blacks are somewhat soothing.

Color also affects the way your room appears. Dark colors can make a small bathroom feel even smaller. Because of this, many people opt for a brighter bathroom pallet than they would for other rooms, since bathrooms tend to be smaller in general. Think about the way colors affect each room in your home.

Use Space Effectively

Another way you can improve your home’s design is by learning to use space effectively. You don’t have to stack things above your head, you just have to use the right organization tools. Invest in large shelves to house all of your books, knick-knacks, and pictures. You shouldn’t just think horizontally in your home, but vertically as well.

Buying multifunctional furniture can also alleviate the stress you put on each section of your room. Rather than buying storage and a table, buy something that can do both. This is a practical way to make your home easier to follow.

Now that you have the basics down of design, you can go forward and implement better practices into your own home. Design is a great way to express yourself and make things look nice.

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