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12 Ways to Style Your Interior Photos Like a Pro
For great home photos, declutter, prop well, and tell a little story
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Do you ever pretty up a room and take a shot, only to print it out and think, "Sheesh, my room looks so much better than this in person!"? I do. I do it all the time. There's so much you notice in a photo that you don't notice in person. For me, the number-one thing I notice in my pics is a cord. Lamps, phone, computer, you name it, I hate to see wires in a photo. In other peoples' photos, it's that ugly dishtowel you leave haphazardly hanging off the stove handle or shoved in the fridge handle. In stylists' photos, it's the over-karate chopped throw pillows.
Enough with the negatives. Here are some positive things you can do to up your interior photo styling prowess.
Enough with the negatives. Here are some positive things you can do to up your interior photo styling prowess.
| Go ahead and use overused props. Top three kitchen styling props:
• Campbell's Soup cans • Perfectly aligned bottles of Perrier |
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| Pick a show. Television sets almost always ugly up a shot; I don't care how expensive and fancy they are. So choose something fun to put on and make it look like a painting. I've been taking careful notes of where Houzz photographers have chosen to freeze the screen (upside down Spiderman/Kirsten Dundst kiss; Avatar), but seeing some sort of Toddlers and Tiaras in this very contemporary room is my favorite pick so far. Do I believe that someone with such clean, minimalist taste would indulge in such trashy reality TV? You betcha! |
by Fisher Hart
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Use flowers. When in doubt, go for dramatic flowers. Is the colorless, minimalist palette that emphasizes the textures of this room beautiful? Yes. Does it make for the most interesting of interior shots? Not really. Enter a tall drink of purple wildflowers. Take it a step further and compose the picture with said flowers anchoring the right corner and almost all of the side, and you have a beautiful interior shot.
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by Workshop/apd
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| Play with your tablescape arrangement. Get rid of the messy notebook, coffee cup and IKEA catalog, bring out your favorite monographs, perhaps a bowl or a tray, and of course, flowers.
For more advice on these kinds of arrangements, take a look at this ideabook about trayscapes. |
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Tell a story. There is A LOT going on in this room, from the deep blue walls to the Greek Key-ish sofa, zebra pillows and exotic collectibles. However, the styling tells a story. Some sort of intellectual naturalist (glasses on book with leaf drawings on it) likes to make himself comfortable in this study, where he enjoys the coral and butterflies and other specimens from the field. Perhaps he uses this book and a magnifying glass to identify them in here. Perhaps he looks like Harrison Ford.
Declutter. You don't want your dog-eared paperbacks distracting from the rest of the room. The shelves here have the right amount of empty space and enough items to keep things interesting.
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| Go for symmetry. Although this room is not perfectly symmetrical, draw a mental line through the center. Now fold it along this line. There are enough mirror-image items to give the shot a pleasing balance, yet enough different elements to keep the image interesting. |
| Light that fire. More exciting television screen picks abound. I often turn on all the lights in my bedroom and enjoy ski racing from my bed, don't you? Anyway, the blazing fire adds to the ambiance, and closing the shades here keeps the view outside from distracting from this calm and serene bedroom. Well, it's calm and serene until a skier crashes.
Tell us: Where would you choose to freeze the TV screen? Let us know on our Facebook fan page (and see what everyone else is saying). |
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by AMI Designs
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| Put the lid down. Bathrooms are full of shot-ruining pitfalls. The number one rule: PUT DOWN THE LID ON THE TOILET! Number two: Get your towels and washcloths in check. Number three: Put your toothbrush, toothpaste, and tacky plastic liquid soap bottle away. Number four: Get that stupid fluffy loofah thing that hangs from your showerhead out of the shot. In fact, throw it away; it's probably moldy. Tuck your shampoo bottles, razors, and other shower items away.
This shot makes the room look just lived-in enough. The rolled towels, the texture from the lidded basket, and the perfect tissue box and matching counter accessories are just right. A shot without these little touches would be rather boring. Note that there is not a loofah or a bottle of Garnier Fructisse to be seen in that shower stall! |
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by FRANCISCO MUÑOZ
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| Don't overdo dining setups. I don't know about you, but I don't like that fake, overdone set table in shots. I call it "Model Home" syndrome. You know when you go into a model home and there's even a fake turkey and all that stuff like the Bluths had on Arrested Development? Anyway, I think just a simple bowl or centerpiece can be plenty of style for a dining room photos, but I really admire this table. They used just the right amount of items without looking too fake. |
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| Do not fear using people in your interior shots. Exploit cute kids, cute pets, and cute chefs. The people in this picture are not the focus of the shot, but they certainly enliven it and let us see it as the perfect family kitchen. |
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| Pull out the chairs. Take this advice more generally. If you take a shot and something doesn't seem quite right, play with the furniture as well as the composition. If these charming chairs were tightly tucked in under the table/desk, the room would have a completely different feeling. Pulling them out makes the room seem more welcoming, and makes it more obvious that this is a workspace and not a dining table.
More: Tray Chic: Turn an Everyday Item Into Decor Browse more home design photos |
Ideabook updated on June 1, 2012.
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I remember seeing a Houzz member commenting on an urn that was caught up on an entry mat....
Also, if you're photographing a bathroom, make sure that the toilet paper roll is full, not almost empty.
You have so many good tips here. I have one more to add. Don't be afraid to move something out of the way to get your shot. So many times the back of a chair is distracting in the foreground of a shot. So what, if the chair is normally there? If it's in the way of getting a good photo, move it. You really do have to work at getting great photos.
http://bellinghamlifestyle.blogspot.com/
So thanks for those interesting tips!
I've been watching real estate for sale in WA, online, for over a year as we're moving there. I can't believe how many realtors take pictures of bathrooms with the toilet lid up and even the seats! Really makes you want to buy the house! I'm so glad you are telling the world to put the toilet lid DOWN!
Great topic, I used a DVD of "paintings by the masters" on TV screens when shooting our work. This one is a Monet landscape. Not the best photo, but now that I have learned a few tips from you I will improve.
http://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/
This ws a fabulous post. I could not agree more with everything that you have mentioned. I look forward to using some of these tricks in my next photo session. One thing is ultra impt is the type of camera and the lense. A great camera can make your life a lot better. I will definitely bookmark this ideabook and save to my favs. Thanks for writing such a fantastic article.
Juliet