Newbie Design Adventure : 5 Fast Tips for Newbies in Designing a Space from Scratch
Interior designers are supposed to be masters of styling, but I have to be honest. It takes a lot of getting used to! There are a lot of elements to consider: Contrast, Harmony, Color, Scale and a lot more. One really has to have a level of confidence, too, to achieve an astonishing set-up.
I had the chance to work with a beautiful and extremely jamming mentor, Idr. Bernadette Uy for Mandaue Foam’s Featured Designer/ Mentorship Program. We were tasked to come up with an “Autumn” theme. We deviated from the usual feel of Autumn and decided to hype it up with more color. Because we were also asked to use only Mandaue Foam’s furniture pieces and accessories, it became a fun challenge!
I managed to dig some tips which I think are really useful when designing a space from scratch.
# 1 - Focus on the theme and sketch a floor plan first.
Decide which furniture pieces you’re putting and do it fast. Anyway, your plan will develop or change by the time you roam around to look for actual pieces. The plan will guide you and help you save a lot of time.
# 2 - Choose main furniture pieces first.
Try not to focus on small accessories yet so you won’t waste your time trying to build everything up from small elements. Found a really cute sculpture? Put that aside first and hope (or try to make sure) that there’ll be an awesome furniture piece that’ll go with that. Accessories are a lot easier to move around than big furniture pieces. Efficiency is key.
# 3 - “You cannot rush art.” Don’t be ashamed of trying and finding error.
Try to look at things from different angles and consider the colors and patterns, too. It takes a lot of mixing and matching to finally get that look you want. Also, don’t be afraid to ask. If your partner/ friend says that what you came up with seems awkward, then it must be somehow. Although if you feel it in your gut that what you put together is just perfect, try to gently justify it. Let ideas flow like waves!
Idr. Bernadette Uy sure had a lot of ideas in revamping the use of furniture pieces! As seen above, she placed two bar counters together to make a long high table. The chairs are actually bar stools. The bright red cabinet at the back seems even hipper with the two industrial lamps at both side. Again, never be afraid to mix and match pieces!
# 4 - Consider the scaling of the pieces and the variety of heights they have.
This is a great tip, and I’m fortunate to have learned this. Try to see if your setup has high, mid and low elements. These will create a balanced, “put together” look and will really give you an impact that you may not be aware about. If your pieces are all tall, chances are your whole scene will look intimidating, crowded and heavy. If all pieces are on the mid / eye level, then you’re not really making good use of your vertical space. Don’t get me started with pieces that are all low! I bet you already know that a scene like this isn’t comfortable to look at at all. It feels incomplete.
# 5 - Play with textures and materials when choosing accessories.
The fun part — accessories! These details will either make or break your whole look. One thing to consider is that you don’t have to choose items that match. A shiny, metallic finish goes great with a bold, solid color. Never forget botanicals, too! They make a scene look alive and their vibrant, unpredictable shapes really make everything look less robotic and stiff.
Metallic plate we used as a charger, paired with a folded fabric placemat (we had to use the resources that’s available), topped with a black round soup dish. The plastic moss balls were just additional details to help let the bold colors pop. Red and green are complementary colors, by the way. This means they lay directly across each other from the color wheel. They are two opposing colors. If you use them in the same level, they will clash, but if you make the other one subtler than the other, they actually will balance each other out.
The fun artificial branches we placed on an empty space helps liven up the area.
It sure was a great experience styling and being really hands on with design. The slight pressure of putting things together in a limited time is quite addictive, and I’m sure I will be doing it over and over again.
I hope you’ll have your own newbie design adventure as well!
Remain excited!
<3
Idr. Ced Karmela