Advice on interior design is available everywhere—from TV shows and websites to books, magazines and apps. We love seeing people become engaged in design and educated on the wide range of possibilities. But we hope you’ll proceed with caution. It’s not that style errors are a matter of life and death. It’s just that it’s easy to choose designs that aren’t necessarily reflective of your own personality and character. And since you’re typically stuck with your interior design decisions for years, styles that don’t quite fit can tend to grate on you. Interiors that give one person comfort may unleash chaos in someone else. This goes beyond favorite colors or hot trends, right to the heart of interior design, where you find questions of composition, balance, repetition, space and more. The goal is to find that unique combination of design elements that gives you comfort, support and balance. In one home, that perfect balance was struck through the use of symmetry. A pair of comfortable swivel chairs sit beneath matching indigo patterned paintings. Matching bookcases below the paintings contain similar, but not identical, arrangements of books, vases and bowls. Woods and bronzes help warm up the simple white bookcase shelving. Two matching poufs in front of the fireplace provide additional seating. The sofa is accented with a pair of pillows with a blue pattern that echoes the artwork. The effect of the symmetry is to achieve order and simplicity, which I promote at every opportunity. After all, your home interiors should be the setting or the backdrop of your life—not center stage. Antique bronze and blue are complementary colors. Together, they offer a rich palette of richness and depth, which brings out the beauty of wood and stone. In the home office, a unique, whitewash-stained wooden desk rests on metal, Sawhorse-inspired legs for a warm, rustic look. The black leather chair features a contemporary silhouette with an antique brass frame. An adjustable desk lamp has bronze accents. The bookcase combines a sleek, black metal frame with concrete shelves, for another unusual pairing. It’s kept uncluttered for an orderly, peaceful look. Items on the shelves include a bronze-accented lamp and a pair of high gloss-finished wooden bookends. The elegant artwork behind the desk is a simple midnight-blue and bronze with mottled white. Deep blues are again picked up in the rug, which adds a stately vibe with a modern pattern and satisfying texture. Within the framework of symmetry, the living room repeats the blue-and-bronze color scheme. A large midcentury brass clock above the fireplace keeps the natural stone visible, rather than hidden behind a painting or television, while its straight lines and color create a beautiful contrast. The sofa is a soft, neutral blue. The pattern on the round brass side table features echoes the darker blue-patterned rug, as well as the rug in the office, tying the rooms together. Indigo blue books adjacent to bronze vases on the shelves repeat the color scheme. The soapstone-topped coffee table echoes the shape of the fireplace. A pair of tall, matching floor lamps with long wooden bases, brass pulls and simple linen shades combine both the colors and symmetry found throughout the home.

Advice on interior design is available everywhere—from TV shows and websites to books, magazines and apps. We love seeing people become engaged in design and educated on the wide range of possibilities. But we hope you’ll proceed with caution. It’s not that style errors are a matter of life and death. It’s just that it’s easy to choose designs that aren’t necessarily reflective of your own personality and character. And since you’re typically stuck with your interior design decisions for years, styles that don’t quite fit can tend to grate on you. Interiors that give one person comfort may unleash chaos in someone else. This goes beyond favorite colors or hot trends, right to the heart of interior design, where you find questions of composition, balance, repetition, space and more. The goal is to find that unique combination of design elements that gives you comfort, support and balance. In one home, that perfect balance was struck through the use of symmetry. A pair of comfortable swivel chairs sit beneath matching indigo patterned paintings. Matching bookcases below the paintings contain similar, but not identical, arrangements of books, vases and bowls. Woods and bronzes help warm up the simple white bookcase shelving. Two matching poufs in front of the fireplace provide additional seating. The sofa is accented with a pair of pillows with a blue pattern that echoes the artwork. The effect of the symmetry is to achieve order and simplicity, which I promote at every opportunity. After all, your home interiors should be the setting or the backdrop of your life—not center stage. Antique bronze and blue are complementary colors. Together, they offer a rich palette of richness and depth, which brings out the beauty of wood and stone. In the home office, a unique, whitewash-stained wooden desk rests on metal, Sawhorse-inspired legs for a warm, rustic look. The black leather chair features a contemporary silhouette with an antique brass frame. An adjustable desk lamp has bronze accents. The bookcase combines a sleek, black metal frame with concrete shelves, for another unusual pairing. It’s kept uncluttered for an orderly, peaceful look. Items on the shelves include a bronze-accented lamp and a pair of high gloss-finished wooden bookends. The elegant artwork behind the desk is a simple midnight-blue and bronze with mottled white. Deep blues are again picked up in the rug, which adds a stately vibe with a modern pattern and satisfying texture. Within the framework of symmetry, the living room repeats the blue-and-bronze color scheme. A large midcentury brass clock above the fireplace keeps the natural stone visible, rather than hidden behind a painting or television, while its straight lines and color create a beautiful contrast. The sofa is a soft, neutral blue. The pattern on the round brass side table features echoes the darker blue-patterned rug, as well as the rug in the office, tying the rooms together. Indigo blue books adjacent to bronze vases on the shelves repeat the color scheme. The soapstone-topped coffee table echoes the shape of the fireplace. A pair of tall, matching floor lamps with long wooden bases, brass pulls and simple linen shades combine both the colors and symmetry found throughout the home.

Above a newly constructed triple garage, we created a multifunctional space for a family that likes to entertain, but also spend time together watching movies, sports and playing pool. Having worked with our clients before on a previous project, they gave us free rein to create something they couldn’t have thought of themselves. We planned the space to feel as open as possible, whilst still having individual areas with their own identity and purpose. As this space was going to be predominantly used for entertaining in the evening or for movie watching, we made the room dark and enveloping using Farrow and Ball Studio Green in dead flat finish, wonderful for absorbing light. We then set about creating a lighting plan that offers multiple options for both ambience and practicality, so no matter what the occasion there was a lighting setting to suit. The bar, banquette seat and sofa were all bespoke, specifically designed for this space, which allowed us to have the exact size and cover we wanted. We also designed a restroom and shower room, so that in the future should this space become a guest suite, it already has everything you need. ​ Given that this space was completed just before Christmas, we feel sure it would have been thoroughly enjoyed for entertaining.

Inspiration for a living room remodel in Vancouver

Above a newly constructed triple garage, we created a multifunctional space for a family that likes to entertain, but also spend time together watching movies, sports and playing pool. Having worked with our clients before on a previous project, they gave us free rein to create something they couldn’t have thought of themselves. We planned the space to feel as open as possible, whilst still having individual areas with their own identity and purpose. As this space was going to be predominantly used for entertaining in the evening or for movie watching, we made the room dark and enveloping using Farrow and Ball Studio Green in dead flat finish, wonderful for absorbing light. We then set about creating a lighting plan that offers multiple options for both ambience and practicality, so no matter what the occasion there was a lighting setting to suit. The bar, banquette seat and sofa were all bespoke, specifically designed for this space, which allowed us to have the exact size and cover we wanted. We also designed a restroom and shower room, so that in the future should this space become a guest suite, it already has everything you need. ​ Given that this space was completed just before Christmas, we feel sure it would have been thoroughly enjoyed for entertaining.

This open space great room is fit for entertaining! With rich wide plank hand scrapped floors, ultra modern furnishings, and sophisticated monochromatic palette this space is the rebirth of cool. Located in: Fulton, MD

David Burroughs
Home design - transitional home design idea in Baltimore

This custom louvered roof system creates a comfortable retreat in the homeowner's backyard. The shade control afforded by the adjustable louvers is an essential element in providing an idylliic outdoor living space no matter the weather. The addition of a firepit and cozy lighting allow for this space to be used at all times of day.

Martha O'Hara Interiors, Interior Design & Photo Styling | Stellar Homes | Troy Thies, Photography Please Note: All “related,” “similar,” and “sponsored” products tagged or listed by Houzz are not actual products pictured. They have not been approved by Martha O’Hara Interiors nor any of the professionals credited. For information about our work, please contact design@oharainteriors.com.

Painted exposed brick and original arched topped windows add loads of charm to this modestly sized sunroom. Shots of pink and orange punctuate the white space. Handmade colorful metallic art in acrylic frames are a focal point. At only 100 square feet, it can comfortably seat four people.

Interior Design by Sarah Stacey Interior Design, Photography by Erin Williamson, Art by Elisa Gomez
Inspiration for a 1960s living room remodel in Austin

Photo: A Darling Felicity Photography © 2015 Houzz
Kitchen/dining room combo - small southwestern light wood floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in Seattle with white walls

This super swanky 565 square foot condo is large on style and handsome traditional comforts. The uber tailored bedroom offers plenty of storage drawers under the bed in addition to the adjacent walnut shelving and large dresser. Behind those furniture pieces lays a Phillip Jeffries’ stunning Charcoal Pin Stripe wallcovering, which feels like wool suiting. Modern swing arm sconce lighting and a George Nelson clock add a sophisticated flare on the painted wood panel wall, along with the classic hotel style custom bedding and custom designed double diamond patterned barn doors hung on a stainless steel track. The stately stand up desk in the plaid covered hall niche also has a television which can be viewed from the bed. The open living room and kitchen is a lounge lizard’s dream. The sink-right-into modular caterpillar sofa was reupholstered from orange velvet to a cool Robert Allen Sterling Wool Chevron. The electric linear fireplace adds warmth and is a design feature along with the gallery wall of black and white art that flanks it along with the 60” TV. All of these sit on a black and copper striped vinyl wall covering. A bar cart with all the necessary supplies is tucked into the corner. Three ottomans are also placed in this room and act as extra seating for guests. In a matter of seconds, the coffee table can adjust from ultra low cocktail height to dining table height. The kitchen is dark and moody with a marble herringbone pattern backsplash and black granite counter. Black appliances lend to the masculine modern James Bond feeling. Side tables along the wall house a lamp, art and other gentlemanly things. Photography, Phil Crozier

Million Dollar Listing’s celebrity broker Ryan Serhant reached out to Decor Aid to stage a luxurious Brooklyn condo development. The only caveat was that our interior designers had 48 hours to come up with the design, concept, and source all the furniture. Always up for a challenge, we partnered with Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams to create this contemporary gem. Staying true to their contemporary vision, our interior decorators sourced all pieces through MGBW. Starting in the living room, we placed the Gunner Sofa, a piece that offers clean-lined living. The thin arms and slanted profile emphasize the modern elegance of the home. Through the use of various contemporary patterns and textures we were able to avoid the one-dimensional ambiance, and instead, the apartment’s living room feels detailed and thought out, without making anyone who enters overcrowded with home decor. The Melrose cocktail table was sourced for its sleek, stainless steel and glass design that contrasts with more substantial pieces in the space, while also complementing the contemporary style. The glass design gives the illusion that this table takes up less space, giving the living room design a light and airy feel all around. The living space transformed into something out of a decor catalog with just the right amount of personality, creating a room that follows through with our starting design, yet functional for everyday use. After the living room area, we set our eyes on designing the master bedroom. Our interior decorators were immediately drawn to the Celina Floating Rail Bed, it’s opulent nailhead trim, and dramatic design brings fresh sophistication to the bedroom design, while also standing out as a timeless piece that can complement various trends or styles that might be added later on to the bedroom decoration. We sourced the Roland Table Lamp to add texture, with its elaborate ribbed design, that compliments the air of masculinity the Carmen Leather Ottoman add while contrasting with the light, sleeker pieces. This difference in weight left us with a bedroom decoration that lives up to the trending modern standards, yet a space that is timeless and stylish no matter the decor trends. Once we finished and the project was completed, our senior designers took a step back and took in all of their hard labor. Decor Aid was able to make this newly built blank space and design it into a modern wonder small brooklyn apartment. The MGBW furnishings were all hand-picked to keep an even balance of complementing and contrasting contemporary pieces, which was one of our more critical apartment decorating ideas. The apartment home decor brings to life this modern concept in a way that isn’t overbearing and shows off their style making the space in every sense an accurate reflection of a chic contemporary style.

Embracing the inevitable aging of building materials, the original wood beams, floors, and exposed brick are on display as much as the artwork and furnishings the envelope.

Frederick Müller
Example of a minimalist living room design in Auckland

Ryan Rosene | www.ryanrosene.com Built by Rosene Classics Construction | www.roseneclassics.com
Living room - huge mediterranean formal and open concept marble floor living room idea in Orange County with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a concrete fireplace and no tv

First impressions do matter. This beautiful Downers Grove home had such an inviting and comfortable atmosphere, but the entry into the home was lacking. We took the beautiful bones and added to the character to brighten and add function to the space. By replacing the lighting, brightening the walls, and adding comfortable furniture, the first impression of this home is now welcoming and inviting.

A versatile sunroom! This sunroom is one of the most special spots in the home. In Washington, one needs to be aware of the quick weather changes, which makes this spot a safe place for tea or drinks no matter the time of year. This large sunroom acts as a second living room and barbeque area, complete with plush fabrics and furnishings, a cozy fireplace, and of course a fully-functioning outdoor kitchenette.