4 simple styling tricks to put a stamp on your space
From ambient lighting to shelving and rug rules, pro tips to enhance your decor. By Sam Wylie-Harris.
Flick through any glossy interiors magazine and it’s easy to get carried away with what’s trending; especially with a string of decorative ideas to spur your creativity.
But it can be a bit of a reality check, and you end up asking yourself: How can I express myself so it’s about me… as much as it is the decor?
Given all this – and depending on your design ethos – Lara Clarke of Lara Clarke Interiors says it’s about taking a personal approach with clients: “It’s a collaborative process – instead of putting our style on you, we pull your style out.
“We work with you to try and create something that’s essentially yours and unique, and not a carbon copy of everything else.”
From how you live, to a fabric you love, to where you’re going to be sitting with a cup of tea in the morning, the Surrey-based designer says those sorts of things are really important.
“We get into the nitty gritty detail… how this home is going to work for you as a family, and how it’s going to work best for you – and not for anyone else.”
An advocate of how simple styling tricks make a room feel more expressive, Clarke shares her top tips to inspire creatives and interior enthusiasts…
1. Layered lighting
One of the key things is lighting. “A lot of people might just have downlights; but if you layer your lighting, it makes a huge difference.”
Clarke suggests using a rechargeable wall lighting – flexible and cordless, simply mount a bracket or use strong adhesive – think brass sconce and decorative shade.
“You just put it on your wall, and instantly you’ll have some wall lights… it’s a great way to layer lighting in your home.”
“Table lamps are another one,” suggests Clarke. “On a table, go for a different lampshade.”
So if you buy a table lamp from John Lewis for example, she suggests choosing your own designer lampshade. “It elevates that lamp in a way an ordinary, plain white shade wouldn’t.”
She also prefers to add colour. If you’re not painting the walls and want to refresh your space by influencing the mood, Clarke says it’s another tool to add colour and pattern.
“I like using coloured lampshades in my designs, I kind of link with the scheme… a plain white one can be boring; but a patterned lampshade makes a big difference.”
2. Shelving & placement
To style your shelves and place accessories just so, the designer says it’s good to have a mixture of taller things, think photos, books, and suggests including some flowers within the scheme.
“Sometimes people tend to stuff it full when actually less is more.”
And if you’re torn between symmetry and scale, it’s an equilibrium. “So if you’re looking at a shelf or bookcase as a hole, there will be some elements of symmetry.
“But you don’t want everything to be symmetrical, because then it will feel too staged, there needs to be a balance between both.”
Clarke likes to do a mixture. “I put a lot of books flat, and then it’s nice to have something on top of them.
“If you have some books you want to balance, and they’re stacked on top of one another, then balance that with an object, vase or candle on top.”
3. The secret to scatter cushions
“I think cushions is one of those massive areas where it can completely change the look of your room,” highlights Clarke.
“The key is to get a quality cushion with a good plump; you can buy cushions from the high street, but they won’t have a nice feather insert.”
Therefore, if you’re buying a cushion cover, she says to buy a feather insert one size bigger. “So you stuff it, and then your cushion looks fuller than if you were to buy the corresponding insert which normally looks a bit flat.
“It makes the cushion look more expensive, I like a very plump cushion, it’s more luxurious rather than something limp on the sofa,” she quips.
Moreover, Clarke says you can never have too many cushions. “It’s a really good way to add colour and interest to potentially a plain sofa.”
4. Rug rules
When it comes to do’s and don’ts, the designer says a lot of people always buy a rug too small for the space. “And actually, it makes the space look a bit smaller if anything.
“So you want to oversize your rug… you don’t want it to look like a doormat under your coffee table.”
Ideally, she says to have most of the furniture sitting on it. “So that would be your sofa, your side tables, your accent chairs, if possible – but if in doubt, bigger is better.”
“You want to zone the space by including the furniture within that,” she says confidently.
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