The great secret to house design is careful planning right from the start, and this begins with deciding how to create flow throughout your home.
I know that may sound like complicated business, but it’s actually much easier to do than you think. By definition, good flow means a house that has a logical layout with a complimentary connection between spaces, meaning that you have created a well-thought-out home that functions exactly how you want.
It’s really about how the house feels all the way from your front door to the back yard. Is it comfortable, cozy, a good size and functional? Does it give you enough space to move easily from one room to the next?
That’s flow, and this is what you should think about:
- The position of rooms and their relationship to each other.
- The detail of how a room is laid out in terms of doors, windows and furniture, including “fitted” solutions such as flooring, kitchen finishes and cabinets, and bathrooms. These items all have colour that should be included in your overall scheme as they will certainly interact with the paint colours and sight lines to other rooms.
Design: think about your route through the whole house and each space, as these decisions will be reflected in the final plans. At this stage, always walk through your home numerous times to see how it feels.
Limit your palette: Rather than paint every room a different colour, my advice is to consider one beautiful neutral (I love a warm white) across the majority of your rooms. In saying that, be open to cherry-picking a couple of rooms in the house, such as a bedroom or den, where you can play with a bit of colour. Hues with similar tonal values tend to be your best bet, or even various shades of the same hue.
- Here’s another great tip Try before you buy. The best way to avoid a risk is to purchase a pint colour sample first and try it on for size. Paint your options on a board that you can move around the room for context or paint it directly on the wall and stand back.
- Don’t forget wallpapers. This treatment is making a huge comeback, and I’m currently obsessed with the return of grass cloth. It’s gorgeous, and I remember my mom using it in our living room, although it would look equally as lovely in a powder room or library and I’ve been taken by it ever since. It has a look of spring grass—light, fresh and beautiful.
- I’ve used it in a few rooms in my new Arizona home and it would look gorgeous in a powder room or library.
Furnishings: Discover what your style is. Do you love Scandinavian, modern, contemporary or traditional? You don’t want your house to be a mish-mash of all sorts of styles. It should be a story from beginning to end.