How to shop like an interior designer

Redecorating a room and styling a space can be daunting: with so much to choose from it can be difficult to achieve a clear vision of how it’ll look, feel and function. That’s when we all wish we had an interior designer on hand to help guide us through the process and turn our ideas into reality – with some added style and flair, of course! When budgets are tight, the insider know-how to make your money go further, where to spend and how to cut back, can often make the difference between completing the project as you’d hoped and compromising more than you’d like to. Happily, interior designers Emily Harrop-Griffiths and Polly Aspinall of Oscar Wren Studios have shared their top tips and design secrets so you can tackle your next reno with confidence.

1 GATHER YOUR INSPIRATION

It can be tricky to know where to begin when embarking on a room refresh. The possibilities are endless and unless you have a clear idea of what you’d like to achieve it’s easy to overspend, and still end up with a space that doesn’t fulfil your needs or reflect your vision. ‘Start by scouring magazines, Instagram, Pinterest and even photographing the world around you to gather images that appeal to you,’ explain Emily and Polly. ‘Considering the room you’re designing, pull together your favourites and analyse what draws you to each – the colour palette, the furniture or even the layout.’ This is also the stage to factor in any key pieces of furniture that you need to incorporate in the room for practical purposes, so that they’re part of the vision from the very beginning.

2 MEASURE UP

Get the toolbox out to take accurate measurements so that you can plan every inch, ensuring there’s plenty of space to move about between furniture. ‘A floor plan is an essential element of the process but you don’t need fancy software, just graph paper and a pencil. Measure every wall, nook and cranny – our motto is measure twice, buy or make once!’ say Emily