How to Play the Interior Design Game: A Beginner's Guide (Updated)

This updated guide translates classic interior-design rules into contemporary practice. It emphasizes uncluttered spaces, appropriate colour choices for light conditions, lighter ceilings, simple table styling, correct use of furnishings, continuity in open plans, sensible rug placement, respectful antique integration, flexible strategies for small homes, and layered lighting. Study museum and online collections to refine your eye.

The interior design game: start with order and space

Begin by creating a feeling of restfulness through order and breathing room. Avoid crowding walls, floors, and surfaces. Clear sightlines, meaningful negative space and few well-chosen objects read as calm and intentional.

Colour and light

Use warmer hues in north-facing or heavily shaded rooms; cool tones can feel gloomy where natural light is limited. Keep ceilings a shade or two lighter than the side walls to keep the room feeling taller and brighter. Plain wallpapers or subtle textures make effective backgrounds for art because they let pictures read clearly without visual competition.

The dining table: scale and restraint

Match table dressing to the meal and the scale of service. One restrained centerpiece is usually stronger than many small items. Avoid excess flowers or mismatched clutter that competes with place settings. Good table styling respects simplicity, line and balance.

Furnishings: use and honesty

Choose pieces that serve their intended function. Makeshifts and ill-fitting items often look out of place. If a piece doesn't work, it's better to delay the purchase than force a provisional solution. Eliminate what is unnecessary - thoughtful subtraction often improves a room more than continual addition.

Keep clutter under control

Remove excessive vases, china or bric-à-brac, especially from dining and living areas. In open-plan layouts, use a consistent color depth or palette to maintain visual continuity and a sense of space. If a home is very small, a limited, unified palette for walls, woodwork and floors can help blur transitions and make rooms feel larger.

Rugs and architectural lines

Avoid too many small rugs that break the floor plane and create visual restlessness. Place rugs parallel to walls and furniture to reinforce the room's geometry. When you're hanging art or curtains, respect the architect's intended lines and focal points so you don't obscure the best features of a room.

Integrating antiques and modern pieces

Protect the character of good antiques by choosing complementary tones and finishes for newer pieces. Staining or painting modern supplements in muted shades can harmonize them with older items. If you don't own antiques, look for well-shaped, period-appropriate reproductions to create a cohesive setting.

Small homes and multi-use spaces

In studio apartments or combined living/dining rooms, minimize visible dining accoutrements when not in use. A decorative cloth over the table and a lamp or stack of books can read as living-room rather than dining-room. Prioritize flexible furniture and concealment to keep the space adaptable.

Creating a cheerful room

Dark, saturated colors tend to absorb light and can make a space feel muted; choose lighter, warmer tones and layer lighting - ambient, task, and accent - to maintain a bright, inviting atmosphere.

Where to learn

When you're unsure, study museum interiors, gallery displays and high-quality online collections. Observing how professionals combine scale, colour and restraint will sharpen your eye and help you make decisions with confidence.