Curating A Room Through Layers

“What is the secret to making a room really wow? It’s all about creating layers. ”

Plenty of people have homes that can’t even rival the ones we see in magazines and yet not all of the home design magazines feature luxury design. It’s not about budget, so what is it about these spaces that make them look so complete? I’ll tell you.

——It’s all about creating layers. 

So what does that mean? It means using grounding elements like flooring and rugs, heavy core furniture pieces, lighter decorative accessories and finally lighting. Even still, playing with the color, scale and texture within each layer has an everlasting effect. 

——The more layers you pile on, textures you add, pieces you bring in, the richer the space gets. 

But it has to be done with intention, you wouldn’t put lemon filling, with chocolate ganache on strawberry cake, I mean you could, but it would just be wrong to your taste buds. There are general rules to baking and there are general rules of balance, proportion, color and contrast that help bring a design together in just the right way to make a room pleasing to the eye. A chaotic, thrown together room will confuse your eye and almost make you uncomfortable in a space; much like a weird concoction of flavors can make you want to spit it out immediately.

Ok, so I think you get it.

Read below for some tips to apply these ideas to your own space. 

How do you add layers to a room? Very simply put through a balance of contrast in color, texture and pattern. Think about a room with white walls, light wood floors, all white furniture, only can lights and no art on the walls. Pretty boring right? Sorry Kim (Kardashian). 

1）Add a colorful, or patterned rug if you like to keep it neutral, and see how the furniture now pops off the floor. 

（📷:@marlydiceblog)

2）Splash some color on the walls and see how they recede away from the furniture. Wall color is such an easy way to instantly change the entire look of your space. So we’ve started to add some contrast through color….Lets keep going. 

(cr:@kindredhomestead)

3）Add cased goods, aka coffee and end tables, in varying wood tones that play well with each other to add a layer of warmth. This adds a new texture and color to the room but in a supporting role kind of way. You can use a collection for case goods, but at least throw in an accent table that has a different color and/or leg style. Maybe your end tables match, but your coffee table is something different. I know matchy-matchy pieces are easy, but they blend together too much. It’s the contrast of wood tones and styles that creates more interest. 

（📷:@heart.and.home.crew )

4）Furniture is an opportunity to start adding personality with color, pattern and texture. This can even be done by varying the types of frames you use. Pair a leather sofa with fabric chairs or an english roll arm with a narrow sock arm; maybe throw in some exposed wood arm pieces like a bergere or spindle arm as an accent in the corner of the room that can also be used for additional seating if needed. Like the case goods, it’s better to change it up, and play with the scale of the pieces. At least have one chair with a different arm style, throw in a skirted chair or something tufted to give it variety. It’s the spice of life, according to William Cowper, and it applies to furniture too.

（📷:@_stylishmama_)

5）Now that you’ve got some core pieces it’s time to add the frosting layer. 

——Artwork, lamps, accessories, and window treatments.

（📷:@harborandpine)

This is your final layer to the room and just as important. Ever go into a room with nothing on the walls? Yeah, it looks like no one has moved in yet. If you have a lot of wall space to fill, choose 1 or 2 large statement pieces in combination with a set of 2 to 3 smaller arrangements. Too much of a good thing can be too much, so think about bringing in other wall art like mirrors or architectural pieces if you still have walls unfilled.

Keep the artwork theme relative to each other through a style, subject matter or color palette. These will keep the room in harmony. Definitely mix up your frame styles, but make them complement each other through color or profile. If you want to pair modern and traditional, it’s much more appropriate to add a modern painting to a vintage frame or vice versa. 

Pillows and draperies give another opportunity for pattern, color and texture adding actual dimension and softness to your room. This is where you can add some fun or elegance depending on your style. Stick to mixing solids together, adding in one print, or go all out mixing stripes, florals and geometrics. Just remember to vary the scale of your patterns and keep the colors complimentary.

Lamps are a necessity. There is nothing like a lamp to bookend a sofa, add symmetry to a buffet or bring some sparkle to a dark corner of a room. Not only are they necessary for a room to function properly, but they can add so much charm via a pop of color or change in texture. Lamps are a fun way to experiment with adding a glossy object, play with scale or design style to perfectly curate a room. Plus, you can never have too many lighting options for the different times of day. 

All of these elements combined create that finished look we so envy in our favorite designer homes. It can take a while to get to the finish line, but just keep adding as you go to create a beautiful, curated space you can call your own. 

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