{Design} Rule breakers

MANILA, Philippines - Walking on the wild side of decorating and home design can be much more fun and rewarding, especially when you do it yourself!

(NOTE: For major renovations, it’s still best to consult with an interior designer.)

Rule breaker #1:

White, everything.

The trick to pulling off all-white is texture, layers, and varying degrees of shine. Of course, don’t do an all-white color scheme for an easily-soiled area, like the kitchen. This works better in bedrooms and bathrooms. Layer cushy comforters with pillows with soft lace trim. Choose glossy white paint for the walls, so they’re easier to clean, and distress white wooden furniture for a worn in, shabby chic feel.

Rule breaker #2:

Paint and stencil your floor.

Commitment-phobes may cringe at the idea, but painting or stenciling on your floor is the cheapest way to create a fresh look for your space. More low maintenance and definitely cheaper than an area rug, a stencil will allow you to add a personal touch to your space. You’ll need a stencil pattern, masking tape to stick it in place, and a stencil brush that has stiff bristles. Once the stencil is done and dry, varnish the floor to protect the design. You can also use an antiquing varnish to make the floor stencil look worn in.

Rule breaker #3:

Dark walls.

Soft grays, deep blues, and forest-y greens may be categorized as space-restricting colors, but when the shade is just right, they can have a really cozy and comforting effect. To avoid the feeling of walls literally closing in on you, use different shades of the same hue. Use navy blue on your walls, for example, and powder blue for the ceiling. If you’re hesitant to go all out dark, just paint one wall – a wall that you want to define and accentuate. For instance, the one behind a main seating area.

Rule breaker #4:

Incidental dividers.

Create spaces by using furniture that you already have as dividers. Sometimes , just positioning your things in a certain way can draw the eye towards “rooms” within the room, even without using actual dividers. For example, placing a narrow side table behind a sofa draws a line between the sala and another space in the same floor.

Rule breaker #5:

Sheer privacy.

Channel countryside chic with light, translucent fabrics used as curtains. Instead of heavy, opaque fabrics that are more drab than fab, gather a breezy fabric that lets the light in and use it as a curtain. Create a canopy for your bed with sheer cloth and sturdy, tightly screwed-in poles. It adds instant privacy to your room and home without making it feel heavy and tied down.

Rule breaker #6:

Bring in something alive.

Plants are good additions to your home, provided you make sure they don’t attract any insects – but flowers are another story. Notice how in photos, a floral arrangement on a bedside table, or dinner table, instantly brings the picture to life? Fresh flowers have a really positive effect on houses and people, so don’t hesitate to bring a bouquet in at least once every week. To make cut flowers last longer, add a few drops of household bleach to flower water and a spoonful of sugar to protect it from slime caused by bacteria. Cut stems of bulbous flowers like tulips at an angle, while woody stemmed flowers like roses should have the bottom of their stems cut and split open so they can absorb more water.

Rule breaker #7: Asymmetry.

In every cluttered, utterly chaotic home, lies a secret order of things that only those who live in it can understand. The concept of asymmetry is purposefully disrupting rhyme and reason to enhance your home’s design and your way of life. It’s making things look a little bit off, on purpose, so there’s more for the eye to see than mere perfect balance.

Rule breaker #8:

Reuse, reupholster, recycle.

Do you have a favorite dress, coat, or any item of clothing that you just can’t wear anymore? Why not use them to reupholster chairs. A friend with an upholstery shop shares they have lots of clients who bring in old clothes to be used for reupholstering seat cushions and the like. “One brought in an old Mango brocade skirt,” he shares. Tartan, tweed, velvet, and other cushy fabrics also work.

Rule breaker #9:

Framed mirrors.

One of the most well known tricks to achieving the illusion of greater space is adding mirrors and other reflective surfaces. However, huge mirrors are real safety hazards, expensive, and frankly a little scary. Get the same effect but with triple the charm by framing mirrors of different sizes and hanging them in random way on your wall. Make sure all frames are painted and finished in a uniform way, so it looks put-together. Mirrored furniture, a throwback to the 12th century Venetian furniture made with bronze and other metals. Today, they’re literally made of mirrors and are quite expensive, but you can have them custom made by your neighborhood carpenter for less.

Rule breaker #10:

Hit the roadside.

Speaking of furniture for less, don’t immediately rush to the mall when you need something, unless you’re in an absolute hurry. Often times, you’ll find quality furniture of various woods and styles at roadside shops. For a quick fix, try the Dapitan Market in Quezon City. Tagaytay, Laguna, Bulacan, and Pampanga also have a lot to offer in the area of hand-crafted furniture.