Home is where you can be who you are and what you are. If you have to tiptoe around the décor, fearing you might break something or bump into an expensive piece, it wouldn’t be fun, right? Also then, a home without aesthetics and décor will be a dull place. So, what do you do? Balance them both!
The solution lies in mixing it up. Practicality and aesthetics can go hand in hand, provided you spend some time in planning. Even if your home is spacious, if you do not give a thought to balancing functionality and appeal, the result would be a cluttered design without any sense of belonging.
6 Incredible Tips to Help You Find the Right Balance
So, it is evident that the right approach to design your home is to strike a balance between aesthetics and utility. Here is how you can go about it:
Plan it out
Sensible planning is a must to make a place liveable. First, decide the role of each room. Will it all be bedrooms? Will there be a home office? Is one of the rooms for your kids? Will there be a guest room? Is one of the bedrooms for your parents?
The design of your room should depend on its purpose. Consider the visual weight and the distribution of different elements to create balance. Do not leave out the corners. Include them also in the plan. Give a thought to the flooring, walls and windows. Spell out zones for larger spaces.
Focus on a focal point
Creating a focal point and then designing around it is one of the best ways to combine appeal and functionality. It could be in-built points such as a full-length window, or you can create one. It could be an attractive sofa, a pompous bed, a unique table, bookshelf, a colourful rug or a stunning artwork. A bright wall too could be the main attraction, especially for a living room. The focal point takes over as the dominant factor of the room and calls attention to it.
The colour choice matters
So, you have assigned a role to each of your rooms. The focal point is also decided. Now, let us think about the colours. The hues you choose will have an impact on the overall atmosphere of the room.
Gone are the days when you chose a single colour for your entire apartment. Modern interior designers advocate the use of different colours elegantly as per the theme or the personal preferences of the homeowners. For example, a few would prefer neutral shades to create a classic ambience while some would love to have vibrant, electric interiors with bright colours.
While the choice of colour is up to you, here are some tips. Generally, in a 4 BHK apartment, it is best to opt for a palette of three or more colours. Divide them into three parts – main, secondary and tertiary. Use the main colour for the walls while the main furniture or the focal furniture can be of secondary colour. Finish off with pillows, side tables or accessory pieces in the third colour.
Now, let’s go to each room. The living room should be vibrant and energising. So, you could go for neutral shades on the walls but prefer a lively, bright shade of blue, red or yellow for the focal point through the sofa, accent chairs or a wall.
Bedrooms should have a soothing and relaxing ambience. Some of the popular colours for bedrooms are soft green, soft grey, lavender, pale or deep blue, cream or even white.
A home office or study needs to be a place where you can concentrate on your work in a relaxed atmosphere. While neutral shades such as white, grey, black, blue and brown are popular for the home office, shades of bright colours too can be used as per your likes for instant motivation and mood uplifting.
No need to emphasise the importance of bright and vibrant colours such as yellow, blue, green, purple or red to lighten up the space for kids’ rooms. You could add some pastel colours or pale hues as well.
Functional furniture is a must for apartments
In city homes where rooms aren’t very spacious, opting for multi-purpose furniture helps in optimising space. For example, the living room could have a centre table with storage options or an ottoman that has storage space. A traditional wooden room divider with shelves in the living room could double up as a display unit as well.
When planning the layout for the furniture, ensure that the room is devoid of clutter and that they are not in the pathways or blocking free movement. Opt for signature furnishing. Instead of several units, keep a large sofa with a couple of chairs, a sleek centre table and one or two ottomans for the living room.
For an open space or larger room, dedicate a purpose to each zone. There could be an entertainment nook where you place the TV, a reading corner, a dining place and so on. It will help in the best space management as well as optimise function and appeal of the space.
Intelligently designed wardrobes are a must for apartments. Include multiple shelves in them, so there is a dedicated space for every item, and hence, you don’t have to clean and arrange your wardrobe every day. You can find many sleek wardrobe options that do not take up much space, are innovative and appealing but are also super functional. These days, you do not have to compromise on the style as functional furniture is much popular.
Multi-purpose furniture can elevate your kitchen as well in terms of functionality and appeal.
At the same time, do you need all your furniture pieces to be multi-utility pieces? No! The idea here is to make the best use of space and not to clutter the rooms with too many pieces. And along with convenience and functionally, also give preference to comfort when choosing beds and seating.
Add functional accessories that bring in appeal
Accessories in interior design work as the icing on a cake. They provide visual interest and detail and make the place feel loved. Accessories aren’t just decorative elements, but they also include functional objects such as books, vases, bowls, throw cushions, clocks, plants, mirrors, etc.
Ensure that you plan and budget for the accessories at the initial stage itself. It is not always necessary that you include new items. Bring in your personal taste and story through memorabilia, travel souvenirs, photographs or any old items you own.
Light it up
Lights, both natural and artificial, play an important role in adding appeal as well as utility to space. Today, you will find umpteen innovative lights which can enhance the appeal of your rooms. Try different light sources, including pendants, wall mounts, table lamps, accent lighting, task lighting, chandeliers, fluorescent lamps, etc., to transform your home into a magical land. Lights also enhance textures and colours, add to the details of the room and work as decorative accessories as well.
While every element you use in your home design can serve some purpose, you need not fuss over it. In a 4 BHK apartment, you’ll most likely have enough room for an art gallery as well. Adding aesthetic features to complement functional pieces also can be done smoothly.
To sum up, your home should be comfortable to live in and appealing to look at and all of this can be achieved easily by balancing aesthetics and functionality.
For some inspiration for your home, check out some of our past completed projects. Need more customised design ideas for your home? Book a video call with us! To get in touch with our Team, call/whatsapp at +91 97698 91528.