Let's Hear From Our Interior Designers

living and dining area with natural lighting

We’re calling on our interior design expert, Lori Bastone for her go-to tips and tricks for styling your new Simonds home.

Interior styling secrets for your Simonds home

You’ve just received the keys to your beautiful, new Simonds home - now what?

Soon you’ll be up to your ears in moving boxes and starting to put those special touches on styling and personalising your space.

Whether you’re starting to style from scratch, or you have a few treasured items from your previous home or rental, this quick guide will help make your home be the very best it can be.

You’ve watched on with excitement as your home has transformed from slab, to frame, to fixing and lock-up stages. Now, it’s time to bring the final parts of your vision to life!

Keep reading and start taking notes, because Lori has dished her top styling secrets...

tips on designing the interior of your home

Where Should I Start?

From trawling Pinterest late into the night, to soaking up every pearl of wisdom from our home inspiration blogs, there’s so many ways that you can start to build your vision for styling your home.

But this freedom also comes with a lot of choices and it’s easy to become overwhelmed when trying to navigate the latest trends and the biggest interior design blunders.

If you’re feeling stuck on where to begin, start from the ground and work your way up. With a tiled space, your go-to pieces will be textured rugs, upholstered furniture and romantic, billowing sheer curtains. On the other hand, timber flooring radiates warmth, giving you greater leeway for sleek pieces made of marble and glass.

And remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Don’t feel the need to rush your choices. Instead, take your time to collect classic pieces that you have a connection with.

how to design the perfect interior

Achieving an Open Flow

First things first, take a step back and determine the main thoroughfares of your open plan living space. You’ll want to make sure that your furniture and styling choices don’t box key entry points in. If you’ve opted for an alfresco, think about how your dining and lounge layout can support the flow of movement and boost the feeling of indoor-outdoor living. The curved edge of an oval or round dining table, or the relaxed profile of a modular sofa are both great ways to achieve a softer walkthrough out to your alfresco.

To continue this flow throughout other areas of your home, choose pieces of furniture that aren’t cemented entirely on the floor. For your bedroom, ditch the solid bed base and opt for an open-legged bed frame and side tables. These won’t absorb the surrounding space and they’ll give you that sought-after open flow feeling.

While we’re talking about creating an open flow and the illusion of space, don’t be afraid to go big and oversized with your rugs. Take the rug in your lounge and have it spill under and over the footprint of your couch. A small rug tricks the mind into thinking a space is small, even when it isn’t.

Also, think twice before placing a rug under your dining table. Save yourself the hassle of wayward glasses of red wine, young kids at dinner time and chair legs constantly snagging, and instead consider featuring your prized rug in another room.

Stay tuned for part two, as we dive into all things art, extended bedheads and the golden pillow ratio.

designing the perfect interior