The best way to approach interior design is from within yourself; identifying what makes you special and original – then applying this to the design of your own home. It’s often said that the greatest artists are those who are most original. But all artists think they’re original. The truth is, ‘there’s nothing new under the sun’ as the saying goes.
From an interior design point of view, then, the trick is in coming as close to this ideal as you possibly can, free of any external images which are fresh in your mind. In other words, don’t look at websites, interior magazines or the tables, sofas, flooring and designs of other people’s homes etc., for inspiration at the initial planning stage.
Instead, take time to think quietly about the things you love most. Each time you go to bed at night, take the time to try and construct the ideal interior for your own ideal home. Try not to worry about practical constraints at this stage. Just let your mind be free to explore how an interior would be if neither money nor practical considerations needed to be taken into account.
Now … here’s the important part. In doing this exercise, try and imagine this is a space only you and perhaps your immediate family would ever occupy. In other words, your friends, wider family and neighbours would never get to see it. This is a neat trick in getting as close to your own true interior design ideal as it’s possible to – as free of external; factors as it’s ever possible to get. You may find the ‘construction’ no process quite difficult and surprisingly time-consuming, but stay with it quietly on your own – and make notes of how it’s beginning to look and feel.
Once you’re happy with the end result – then it’s time to look at real life examples of interiors or furnishings from the Harveys furniture sale, for example, which come close to your mind’s construction and to temper your dreams with a little reality.