Recently, I learnt a method of home decorating I’d never considered. It was shared by Australian creator Rowi Singh at an IKEA event for the launch of the brand’s AI tool, IKEA Kreativ, in Australia this month.
Singh said that the process for styling her first apartment had started with a single piece, the first item she’d bought for her home: a colourful vase. She then bought furniture and homewares in the same colours as the vase. While most people use big pieces, like a couch or a rug, as the starting point for their home’s interior design, she suggested you do what she did: start with a décor item you loved, even if it was as small as a vase.
“Decorating a home can become quite an overwhelming task,” Briellyn Turton, an Australian interior designer and stylist at Studio Brie, as well as a TikTok creator (@studiobrie), told me when I shared with her Singh’s method.
“You’re trying to make several furniture and décor items work in perfect harmony, not to mention you might feel pressured by the expense that often comes with doing so. We also have a lot of pressure to have a beautiful, picture-ready interior, thanks to social media.”
The result? Turton says she thinks people can be quite fearful of getting interior design wrong and end up overthinking it. Instead, she suggests you take a page from Singh’s book. Though, not only should you use a single item for the start of your decorating direction, but you might also want to make that item the room’s centrepiece.
“A centrepiece or focal point, by definition, is something you’re always going to look at first when you walk into that room, so make sure it’s an item you love,” says Turton. “A focal point is such a valuable tool for interior design because when done correctly, you can control which part of the room demands attention and which parts strategically fade into the background.”
Turton says having a focal point in a room can be particularly important for people who might be working with or living in a rental property and therefore can’t changes to the home. It may also be helpful for those who don’t have the resources to decorate or re-decorate a room from top to bottom, but still want maximum impact.
“If your focal point is large like a piece of furniture or wall art, position it so that it faces you as you enter the space,” she says. “If it’s small, like a piece of décor, give it some height on the surface it’s placed on. For example, if you want to create a focal point out of a vase or small sculpture, perch it atop some coffee table books to make it closer to your eyeline.”
Generally, though, when interior designing your home, Turton says to trust your gut and fill it with pieces you love. “That’s the easiest way to get it right,” she says.
Related: IKEA’s Sims-Like Home Design Tool Will Make You Feel Like an Interior Stylist
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