So you’re finally moving! This probably means you’re thinking about how you’re going to design the interior of your home. This can be a tall order. Your old furnishings may not match the décor of your new home; your old lights may not complement the new color scheme; your old art work and antiques may not aesthetically fit the new rooms. There’s a lot to think about, in addition to the normal stress factors of moving. Here are a few tips that may help you to transition smoothly in your new home without sacrificing a good interior design:

Stagger the moving dates—It’s useful to have a few days in your new home before you’ve moved all your stuff in. This affords you the opportunity to paint, repair, or refinish without any boxes hindering your movements.

Make sure you know the dimensions of the rooms—This should be fairly obvious, but it never hurts to reiterate what’s important. Having comprehensive measurements of all the rooms, doorways, and hallways will allow you or your interior decorator to properly plan what kind furnishing can fit in the different nooks and crannies of your new home. Additionally, this will help you avoid the nightmare of realizing on moving day that your bed won’t fit through the hallway.

Understand the relationship between form and function—Form and function should operate side by side as much as possible. You should never have to sacrifice efficiency for the sake of something looking good. Nor should something have to be ugly just because it works better. Keep in mind the purpose of each room: a home office should be designed in a way that  maximizes productivity; the entertainment room should be bright, friendly, and full of places to sit, socialize, and store things (armoires are good for this); the kitchen should afford you room to move while being cozy. Think about the function of a room before you fill out the form.

Focus on the appearance of walls, ceilings, and floors—These are the main visual elements of your home. A new home have some wear and tear that you need to take care of. Don’t be afraid to regrout or recaulk the tiles; replace cracked plaster; add architectural moldings to bare walls or windows; bring in new light sources like recessed lights or wall sconces; try new fabrics and textures on your walls and floors (there’s no guarantee your old ones will match).

Moving homes is stressful and designing your new home interior can be flat-out frightening. The above tips will give you a general blueprint for how to approach this new phase in your life—making the rooms of your home beautiful and functional!

Studio MODE have designed the Graffiti Cafe in Varna, Bulgaria.

“We built up the interior as natural continuation of the architecture. By functional design we separated the area into two zones: the front zone was incorporated into the exterior creating public space and feeling of console silhouette of the building; the rear zone was separated through floor and roof design that allowed reducing depth of space while keeping the panorama.

The real challenge was to solve all functional problems related to ventilation, sound and mostly acoustics in a way subordinated to the chosen aesthetics as an interpretation of Escher work and the structure combinatory from one side and the striving to achieve this aesthetics through sparing use of materials and means of expression on the other side.

We created identical and unique concept that generalizes and masters the space while satisfying all technological and functional requirements. The result is trendy interior with sufficient dose of artistry as intentionally wanted reference to the Gallery of Modern Art situated on the next level of the building.”

Architects: Studio Mode
Location: Varna, Bulgaria
Completed: 2011
Area: 300 sqm
Photographs: 3 in Spirit

Updating your bathroom is an important task due to the fact that, along with the kitchen, it is a room that is not frequently restyled. Redecorating these two rooms can be quite expensive and as a result it can be five, ten or even fifteen years between updates. This of course means that it is essential to achieve the perfect bathroom design that you will be happy with for many years. Following the five
steps below should ensure that you accomplish your goal.

Measuring up

In order for your furniture to look right in the bathroom it is important that they are the right size. Large items situated in relatively small bathrooms can dominate the room and have an overpowering effect. On the other hand, you do want to maximise the space that is available to you. It is therefore advisable to carefully measure the dimensions of the room. You may even wish to draw a scale plan of the room, including measurements and then make a few photocopies.

Browsing your options

With your measurements or plan in hand, it is time to take a trip to one or two bathroom showrooms to see what they have to offer. Try not to be guided too much by your current bathroom design and think outside the box. There is nothing to say that the positioning of your bathroom suite as it is now is the right layout. You may find that an L-shaped bathtub at completely the other end of where your current tub is situated makes better use of the space. Using your copies of the bathroom plan here can help you decide which suite will best fit your bathroom.

Floor and walling

Having visited the bathroom showrooms you should now have at least one suite in mind that will fit perfectly. Your next step is to decide what kind of materials you will use on the floor and walls. Modern bathroom designs often incorporate tiling on both the walls and floor; essentially creating a wet room. Travertine and granite are popular choices right now and both provide striking aesthetics. If you have chosen a more traditional bathroom suite and are looking for a Victorian vibe then tiling might not be the right choice for you. If you do decide to go for a tiled floor then marble or black and white chequered porcelain design will suit best. Plain painted walls, perhaps with some wooden panelling will finish off the look.

Accessorising

One aspect that many homeowners overlook when planning their bathroom design is the importance of accessories. Even the plainest bath or sink can look appealing when complimented by the right taps. Spending a little extra here can really have a huge impact on the feel of the room. Whether you are going for a modern style or more traditional approach, be sure to add a chrome heated towel rail or
classic cast iron radiator. Your choice of mirrors can also have a huge influence on the ambience of the room. If you have quite a small bathroom then it is wise to have a large mirror that most of the length of one wall – ideally above the sink. If other furniture items prevent placing a large mirror above the sink then consider fitting a small model here, with the larger mirror on the opposite wall. Wherever you fit the large mirror, it will help create the illusion of space within the bathroom.

If your bathroom is on the large side then you don’t really need the big mirror. Installing one in an already spacious room can actually make the bathroom feel too big and even characterless. In most instances you are better advised to fit a couple of smaller mirrors.

Considering Lighting

The final factor to consider in your perfect bathroom design is the lighting. Whilst it is important that you are clearly able to see what you are doing, too much light can detract from the charm of the room. Where the bathroom should feel welcoming; the wrong lighting can have the opposite effect and create a clinical hospital like vibe. Make sure that you go for light bulbs that offer a warm colour as opposed to bright white and then you should be able to relax as you take a dip in your lovely new bathtub.

Spring can be the perfect time for a home renewal. Perhaps all you want to do is give your living room a lick of paint or put up some shelving units, or maybe the kitchen or bathroom needs replacing. However big your plans are, you might need a few tips on how to avoid chaos whilst you are decorating. You’ll need space to work in the rooms you are doing up and there are many ways you can avoid a chaotic state of affairs and make the improvement phase more enjoyable.

Throw out the rubbish

Decorating a room often required a certain degree of tidying up to prepare for painting, wallpapering or other decorating activities. You should take this opportunity to de-clutter the relevant rooms getting rid of anything you no longer wish to keep such as old curtains, books, bric-a-brac and clothes. Pack it all in boxes and plan a trip to the charity shop and/or the skip as soon as possible so you don’t need to store the objects for longer than necessary. If you are decorating with a partner, why not plan it so that one of you takes the boxes to the charity shop and skip while the other cleans or continues the tidying?

Put away unnecessary items

As you prepare the rooms before the decorating go through room by room and consider if there are any ornaments or soft furnishings that won’t fit with the new décor but you still want to keep. Perhaps you’ve left certain objects on show for too long and although they have emotional value they no longer need to be on show. Place these items in boxes and prepare them for storage.

Temporary storage of furniture

If you are carrying out work that requires some time to be completed it might be worth hiring a self storage unit for the furniture that will be in the way whilst you decorate and any items you don’t need during this period of time. Moving the furniture into self storage will save lots of space when you’re painting and installing new kitchens and painting. In addition, you may wish to keep the storage unit after your decoration project is complete as you can store the boxes with the items you no longer wish to display, but don’t want to throw away.