We may prefer not to have drama in our lives, but there’s an aspect of it that could do with its own theatrics – your home. Minimalist and pastel palettes may be all the rage these days, but there’s something striking about a bold pattern made up of ornamental tiles on the walls, or a fluffy woven rug making up the centrepiece of the room. Add enough spice to your décor without going over the top with these tips.
Assemble your accessories
A neatly curated set of decorative items is the perfect focal point for your living room. Grab the attention of your guests through artworks from one series or a set of framed seashells on the walls. For tables and shelves, a collection of ceramics or antiques of the same type should do the trick. Take care not to go overboard with the embellishments, however – having too many groups in one room could clutter your space and encourage hoarding tendencies.
Establish a guiding light
Evoke different moods in your rooms with your lighting to fit your decorative themes. Those equipped with dimmers would work best for changing up the vibe when necessary – up the brightness for a cheery tone or tone it down for when you’re winding down at the end of the day. For an extra cosy touch, you can even opt to use candles to highlight a part of the room, or invest in a stylish pendant lamp so your small rooms can make a big statement.
Image courtesy of LU+C Studio
Go cosy underfoot
It may be too warm year-round in Singapore for one to invest in large, furred floor coverings, but even a small rug can do a lot to add a sense of drama. Always check out the material first – colour and patterns can be customised with other features of your time, but texture and feel are details that a rug would be best at bringing out. A particularly lush one can add just the right sense of glamour and class to the décor.
Image courtesy of Free Space Intent
Go heavy on patterns
Forget simple and plain tiles: intricate patterns and designs are where it’s at. While tessellations may be the norm to create a uniform shape, mismatched tiles have their own rustic charm, as they come together to create a bold wall or floor feature that adds a pop of excitement to the room. These features don’t have to be big – even small areas like the space above a kitchen sink can create a dramatic result that a monochromatic backdrop cannot.
Image courtesy of Space Sense
Create an accent wall
Thinking about overhauling the room’s mood? Add a deep colour to one of the walls. Known as an accent wall, this facet of decoration can do a lot to make the room inviting or relaxing, depending on the shade chosen. Instead of using the usual black or red, going with dark teal, midnight blue or a deep purple will serve to make the room stand out from the others in your home.
Image courtesy of Essential Home
Harness the power of mirrors
Mirrors can be used twofold. The reflection of light off the mirror will make the place seem open and bright; meanwhile, it’s also able to seemingly increase your room size and add some depth. Thus, be sure to consider the possible placements and sizes based on your plans for the space. A mirror of any size across a large window will do wonders for creating a bright atmosphere, while a ceiling-to-floor length pick opposite the rest of the room would no doubt elevate even the smallest spaces.
Image courtesy of Versaform
Clad your walls with wallpapers
With so many options available on the market now – from dark and moody to bold and bright – wallpapers are fast becoming the material of choice to add drama and movement to a space. What’s more, they are also a low commitment option, as they can be easily removed and replaced if the style no longer suits the home’s design. One thing to note when you’re using wallpapers however, is that the furniture you place near the surface should be comparatively lighter in terms of texture and colour. This is because feature wallpapers are generally heavily patterned, and overcrowding the wall with too much will drown out the design.
Image courtesy of HK Living
This was adapted from an article originally written by Megan Cheah published in the December 2019 issue of SquareRooms.
