"Build your interior layer by layer..." KATHRINE MCDONALD, KATHRINE MCDONALD DESIGN
Gerrand Floorings are the ‘go to’ for many Bay of Plenty interior designers who agree that flooring should be one of the first decisions made in planning your interior. They are also unanimous in seeing their role as providing the guidance and expertise that ensures your home reflects your taste, not theirs. Planning an interior can be a daunting task. That’s where an interior designer comes in, not to tell you what to do, but to help you identify clearly what is important to you in your home, and to source the best for you. Begin at floor level Interior designer Kathrine McDonald says she always advises starting with the flooring as the all-important base and building your interior layer by layer, always keeping function and mood in mind. Do not be dictated to by current trends Current fashion in interior design may influence your choices but should not dictate them. Sally Lines from Urban Lounge says that it is far more important that your home works for your lifestyle (which may be quite different for a busy family than for a professional couple) and that you should focus on what you have always genuinely loved rather than following trends. Sort the loves from the likes The designers at Blank Studio suggest an inspiration board, taking its cue from your environment, favourite furnishings, looks you have seen in magazines and on social media. If you identify the ideas and looks you really love from those you just like, you will see a clear pattern emerging.
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"Focus on what you have always genuinely loved..." SALLY LINES, URBAN LOUNGE
Make first choices where you have least choice Interior designer Tina Jones advises that with not many options, you should start where you have the least choice and invest the most in horizontal surfaces like benchtops, carpet and hard flooring. Start with a key loved piece The word love keeps popping up! Designer and lover of conscious layering, Kim Farrant from Tilly & Tiffen encourages you to identify something you are in love with, be it a family heirloom or favourite piece of art or wallpaper and pull tones and colours from this piece. You will be surprised at how a scheme naturally evolves from that key item.
