Ever wonder how others could transform a space into a stunning and well-thought interior, without even spending a fortune? You might be guessing these lucky folks were probably either born with it or having a degree in interior design. Though, you yourself can achieve a gorgeous room design for you and your family by knowing a few of these furniture ideas so you can start sprucing up your interior in no time. 

As not everyone has the knack to transform a room into an awesome space, the following are furniture ideas and guidelines on how to wow your interiors with furniture.

Interior designing is not about how much furniture you can cram into a space, instead find pieces that are meaningful and functional to its users. Interior Architectural Elements that Affect Human Psychology and Behavior by H.T.H.Mahmoud lists: display of artworks; forms that express the user’s meanings and preferences have psychological impacts when it comes to aesthetics. 

Select furniture that you can showcase even without too many embellishments. Focus on the texture, its built, color scheme, and form. For industrially-inspired furniture, for instance, a tufted brown leather sofa can be a good-looking centerpiece, pair it with a steel and faux fur ottoman and it can look smashing in any room. 

The quantity of furniture you can place in a room depends of course on the available space you have. According to interior designer Kelly Wearstler of Home and Lifestyle, use 60:40 ratio, where 60 percent of the floor space can be filled with furniture while the 40 percent is for your circulation and open space.

There are many tips and tricks in making a room appear larger than it seems, but many don’t realize that a well-organized room can look more spacious. According to a published article by Christoph von Castell, et.al, that “perceived spaciousness increases with increasing degrees of organization”.  

After decluttering and cleaning up your room up to a tee, it’s time to select your storage furniture. 

A primary consideration when selecting your shelving or cabinets is whether you want to showcase your collection or hide your items away. Frosted glass with wood or metal framing is a great way to obscure your items away while still having an idea of what items are behind those closed doors. 

If you have a tight space to work on, you may want to opt for a built-in cabinet storage furniture design that occupies vertically up to the ceiling. Choose sliding mirrored doors for light and reflections to bounce off. As mirrors create an illusion of space while preventing an overbearing presence of your storage furniture.

A well-built and artfully crafted piece of furniture design is all it takes to get your thinking cap going. Start with your sofa, for instance, and build around it as you decide on the other pieces to go along. You can take cue on details such as the tapered wooden legs and white fabric of your modern Scandinavian lounger. Find wood art pieces with the similar light-colored wood and sleek forms or get a glass center table to pair off with your Scandi sofa to get that airy yet juxtaposed effect. 

Though being inspired by your furniture doesn’t mean you need to get all elements with the same color and design. Still, remember to add variety and contrast as not to make the room look dull and stark.

Furniture made of wood, wicker and other organic materials are recommended if you want to give your interior that cozy ambiance. Wicker sofa embellished with puff pillows and anchored with jute rug is the perfect lounging space for the wee hours. 

More than having a relaxed atmosphere, studies have shown that wood and other natural materials, and organic materials used in a built environment can provide positive health benefits to occupants. In fact, many hospitality and healthcare facilities have seen the benefits of natural materials and have continued to use organic elements in these built environments. 

In addition, organic materials never go out of style, especially for bespoke furniture where they can be perfect heirloom pieces. With the current trend, we’ll see more organic materials utilized in designing smart furniture. Winning furniture pieces of 2020 such as According to the Grain by Shot Ota, Binomio by Giuseppe Arezzi and ExCinere by Dzek are great examples of furniture ideas that uses natural materials are alive in interior design. 

Don’t forget one of the basic to have a central or an anchor point in your furniture layout. Focal points can either be a piece of art or a furniture itself. Choosing which is the best focal point in a room depends on the usual elements such as color, form, size and scale. But for the most part, you should also consider the possible position and function of your focal point. For example, for a living room, naturally your conversation area is likely to be the center of the room. Though this can change if you have a mantle and fireplace which will now be the focus of the room. 

If you want your furniture design to be the focal point in a room, choose furniture pieces that can stand out. A unique or unusual form for instance or a pop of color among the neutral backdrop is a great way to showcase a particular furniture. 

Now the question is, can you have more than one focal point in your furniture design? According to an article from Houzz, there’s no limit in the number of focal points a room can have. Though if you’re still starting on your interior designing venture and still not confident on your design skills, then you can limit your focal points up to three. In this way, you can avoid elements from clashing and maintain a cohesive look. 

Don’t forget to create a balance. A balanced furniture layout can greatly improve the overall look of your interior space. So, why is balance so important? Taking-in facts, the Gestalt Psychology tells us that our brains are hot-wired to process and understand symmetry more quickly than details, where we pick up on repeated patterns and forms.  

And, the quickest and economic way to get that well-balanced look is through arranging your furniture. Along with a focal point, you can have a more relaxed and organized look in your home. But, do note that aside from symmetry, asymmetry and radial are other types of balance which you can apply on your furniture layout.

When it comes to your room design, aesthetics and function should work hand in hand. Allow direct traffic around your seating, if you can’t have a centralized seating area, you can break it down by placing two conversation areas instead. 

Recommended Distances for Living Room Furniture:

From: The Furniture Layout Using Interior Design Guidelines by Dr. D.M.A. Tantawy

• Between sofa edge and coffee table : 18 inches
• Between sofa and TV: 7 feet
• Between seating furniture: 3.5’ to 10’ 

Every room has its own mood which can be evoked by color or light, but for homes, a positive and relaxed atmosphere is the key for successfully designed interior for you and your family. 

So, how do you do it with furniture? There are two general aspect to be mindful of when it comes to furniture. The first is the furniture details. Whatever style you are aiming at be mindful of the color, form, and the finer details your furniture has. For color, go for neutral colors which is your safest bet as you can pair it with other types of hues such as bold or pastel tinges. Though if you want a more youthful touch the trendy cobalt blue and silver are also great choices.  

Though more than just preference, consider your location. If you live in a warm place choose cool and neutral colored furniture to evoke a relaxed atmosphere while warm hues make your gloomy weather warm and cozy. 

If you love the homely feel of tufted cushions but want a more a dated look, choose flowing and elegant curves instead. Take a peek at The Little Mother Sofa by Danish furniture producer House of Finn Juhl which exudes elegance and comfort in every detail. 

Another aspect to consider when it comes to achieving a positive air to your interior is the furniture layout. Remember that the arrangement of your furniture can influence how your family and guests connect. Position chairs and sofas where they can easily converse together but still have the ample distance needed. For a more flexible use of space, place moveable ottomans and chairs. 

As mentioned, a good rule of thumb is to have 40% for open space for a room not to feel overcrowded. It also helps to get seamless furniture as well as a combination of vertical and horizontal furniture that goes with the shape of your room. As a general rule, tighter spaces will benefit from vertical furniture while larger rooms are great for horizontal furniture that can fill up the void. 

For small to medium kitchens, or other rooms where there are a lot of cabinets and shelves, choose neutral colors such as black, white or gray shades as the large portion of furniture won’t look overbearing. 

Don’t let furniture block windows and access points such as doors and hallways and having the conversation area open and in view of the whole room makes the room ambiance calm relaxed. This also goes with your bed and dining table.

Furniture is probably the more difficult design element to decide on when it comes to interior design. This is more likely true to homeowners who would like to do their own decorating for their property. As furniture can be expensive and are way more tedious to replace once they are installed or put into place. It doesn’t help as well that there are so many available designs to choose from. 

Remember to start with the room design basics and always decide first with the functional aspects of your furniture. If you have a good idea of your needs and requirements such as lifestyle and available budget, everything will start to fall into place after you’ve kicked off with the basics.