In the Interior Design world the styling of a finished project is the pinnacle of the creative process where the complete look that was visualized at the very start of a project, maybe even a year or more before, becomes a reality. However, perfect styling is not effortless or easy and takes huge amounts of imagination, thought and thorough planning. It can be tricky to get the look exactly right while balancing the style, personality and history of the client along with your own creative process, and of course, a budget.

Styling at Liquid Interiors

At Liquid we love to create deeply meaningful homes for our clients, from the design right through to the styling. Below are examples of two lovely homes we have had the pleasure of designing; one was left without styling and another where we took full responsibility for the whole look.

This shows how we add that extra layer to make a project feel personalization and completely ‘finished’.

We love to tell the stories of our clients through styling, for example we created the quirky custom artwork at the end of this hallway, involving our clients in the process and making something that meant a lot to them. It’s these little meaningful details that really make a difference.

When we first meet our clients we go into great depth to get to know their existing style, their likes, dislikes and the overall look they want us to create for their home. We select lots of different options for items that could be used to style their home and present them in 3D renderings, on styling boards or elevation drawings to demonstrate how they will enhance the space. It can take many rounds of proposals to reach the final selection.

Top 10 Tips To Creating A Meaningful Home

To help you create a beautiful and meaningful home too our Interior Designers have compiled their top ten styling secrets! And to illustrate this we’re sharing some styling boards made for some clients who wanted a modern, simple and Zen vibe with cool, neutral tones and touches of warmth brought in with metal finishes and artwork. Included on each board is a rendering of each different room that the items have been chosen for.

One

When planning your styling have one or two statement or ‘stand out’ items in a room to create a focus and ‘wow’ factor. These could be things that you spend a little more on that really set the tone and quality for the rest of the space. For example you may choose a decorative wooden sculpture from a country you loved visiting or a glass vase with a soft fluid shape that makes you think of a day at the beach.

Two

Don’t over-clutter your styling; whilst you may have many small trinkets and treasures (and maximalism is a growing trend!), we still believe that usually‘less is more’. Pick out the items that really deserve to be showcased and give them some space to be admired.

Three

Great storage is a style essential! To maintain a stylish home your lovely possessions need to be clearly seen on display, so creating a place for everything will ensure that you avoid annoying piles of letters, loose keys, handbags and magazines. Make sure you have a mixture of open and closed storage so that you can display cherished items on shelves or in racks. We love the teachings of Marie Kondo who demonstrates how reducing your possessions, then finding a place for everything within your home is good for your soul (and your style!).

Four

Plants can break up the solid feeling of a room with soft or defined shapes, and brighten up a space with fresh, green color and life. It can help to see your plants as a form of art in your home, creating vignettes on shelves, in corners and spaces where there are natural gaps. They are also a great way to easily and practically counteract the negative effects of city living and enliven our homes, boost our wellbeing and connect us to nature. Fresh flowers in vases are also a wonderful natural way to introduce life, color, scent and sensuality into even the blandest of living spaces. We use specialist florists to select the right pots and plants to go in the right places in our projects.

Five

Color is one of the interior elements that most people have strong feelings about and even if you aren’t able to change plain walls and furnishings, color can be added very effectively through styling items. Whilst including color in your styling scheme is important, texture is also vital. Texture in different materials, rough, smooth, tactile all help to create an interesting atmosphere, be it cozy or airy or whatever look feels in tune with you. Keeping things varied and mixing materials will help give your home a relaxed and comfortable feel.

Six

As with texture, ‘layering’ is important in styling a room, think of layers like ‘clothing’, layering objects with different heights and lengths, or layering items such as cushions and blankets in similar colors but different tones and materials to create depth and keep it visually interesting.

Seven

Refillable items are a great eco addition to any home styling. For instance, refillable soap dispensers, which can be refilled with liquid from a bulk buy, reducing packaging and waste. Even better, make your own healthy cleaning and body care products! Having beautiful bottles and pots to store them in will make them feel really special. In general, it is good to look at buying items that can provide longevity and are reusable or recyclable at the end of the time you have a use for them, respecting the planet in your choices.

Eight

Personalization of a space is something we go to great lengths to get right for our clients, whether that be expressing their love of travel, culture, music or sport we want to reflect that in all the objects we chose to style their space. Always choose items that are personal to you and with which you have a strong emotional or meaningful connection. It’s not only good for you to value the things with which you surround yourself but it also creates ‘emotional durability’, the timelessness and strong emotional connection these objects inspire will ensure longevity, which is also good for our planet; less landfill, less waste!

Nine

Choose art and photography to make your space feel special. Whether that is art by your kids or photographs of your family, framing them up and displaying them in groups really creates an emotional anchor in your home.

We often choose art for our clients, for instance we gave these clients a range of options with some very minimal suggestions as well as livelier pieces that will help give more character to the home since the overall design is quite restrained. Choosing and creating gallery walls for our clients can take many rounds of proposals and we take the time to get these fine details right to really finish the space.

Ten

Making a small space for your most treasured items can create a focus in your home for thought and meditation, adding crystals or other items that hold spiritual significance deepens the connection. We often help to create wellness or altar spaces in our client’s homes for yoga, meditation or mindfulness practice.

Your Meaningful Style

It takes all these little details (and more!) to make a home beautiful, purposeful and meaningful but we think it’s worth it to feel your most relaxed and happy self in your own home. We hope you enjoy styling your home with meaning, please share your thoughts and photographs with us on social media!

For more info on styling with plants see this blog post.

 Zero waste styling is tackled in this blog post and although it is based on Christmas there are take aways for all year round!

For more information, feel free to contact Liquid Interiors, your healthy and eco consious interior design consultants.