36 secret interior design tips from the experts

How you organise your interior space is paramount – from balancing colour schemes to hanging artwork, planning lighting and even positioning curtains. The smallest detail can be the difference between a fabulous space and a complete flop. To help you avoid any decorating faux pas, we've rounded up some of the interior design trade's best-kept secrets. Shh – just keep it quiet...

If a room lacks warmth and character, there's no better antidote than wood. While timber accessories and furniture are an easy way to lift a scheme and add texture, a 3D wall can really work wonders in a space without a focal point. It doesn't have to cost the earth either – this chic beach house-inspired design can be achieved with narrow strips of reclaimed wood. For something more rustic, sand down the surface before installing.

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One of the most common design mistakes that non-designers make – especially in open-plan spaces – is cramming too much furniture into an area without leaving enough room for people to walk around comfortably. The most frequently-used thoroughfares in your home should be at least 90cm wide – just enough for two people to pass each other. 

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Want a failsafe way to proportion a three-colour scheme? Stick to 60% for your dominant colour, 30% for your secondary colour and 10% for your accent colour and you’ll find it hard to go wrong. To add a fourth colour into the mix, split the secondary colour or, at a push, the dominant colour, but never the accent. 

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Lighting is often the last thing most people think about when coming up with a new design scheme, but it really should be the first. You need to carefully plan where every single light, switch and socket will go before turning to decorating, making sure you include a good mix of overhead lighting, task lighting, mood lighting and accent lighting. Using the right colour and brightness of light bulb for the right tasks will also help your room look and perform its best.

Using the same flooring throughout different rooms or areas in your home is an easy way to make the space feel much bigger than it is. If you have large, open-plan rooms, use rugs to break up the continuity and divide the space according to use. This will create the impression of distinct sitting and dining areas that still pull together as part of the same, larger whole.

Want to make a narrow hallway or staircase look wider? Rather than covering it all in carpet, fit a runner leaving about 8cm of bare floor on either side. The runner divides up the space, drawing the eye into the distance and tricking it into thinking the area is wider than it is. 

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When choosing paint, it’s easy to put colour first and forget other factors, such as how the paint might affect the environment or your health. Consider buying paints made from natural materials that contain no (or very low quantities of) harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They may be a bit pricier, but they’re a worthwhile investment, especially for a children’s room or nursery.

Ceilings don’t tend to get a lot of love in the UK. Boring old white with perhaps a bit of colour on the cornicing is usually about as exciting as it gets. But painting your ceiling in a vivid hue can give a room an instant lift, like this design by Lisa Michaels Interiors. At the other end of the scale, painting a ceiling in a dark colour can make a space feel warm and cosy. Metallic paints or even metal leaf on a ceiling inject glamour without being overbearing. 

An affordable way to create a piece of oversized art like this colourful number by Touch Interiors is to frame a striking wallpaper or piece of fabric. You can save even more money by searching for off-cuts online, or combining different samples to give a patchwork effect.

Not many of us would claim to look our best in the morning, but you can give yourself a head start by getting your bathroom lighting right. Never hang a bathroom sconce above the mirror – it will only make you look washed out. Instead, install sconces on either side of the mirror as they'll light your face evenly and frame you in your most flattering light. 

Wallpaper can be used in other unexpected places – to line cupboards, drawers and shelving, for example. This is a subtler, cheaper way to introduce a statement pattern into your scheme than papering a whole wall.  Again, keep an eye out for money-saving off-cuts if you don't need to use a whole roll. 

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A good interior designer knows when it’s time to replace an item and when a perfectly good piece can be repurposed to create something fabulous. Kitchens are an excellent case in point. For example, if you have basic IKEA kitchen units that are in a good condition, you can give them a fresh look by fitting them with new doors and hardware from kitchen upgrade companies such as Superfront, Reform and Plykea at considerably less cost than buying new units. 

When you're working with a blank canvas, it can be difficult to decide where to start. Rather than getting bogged down with boatloads of accessories in your living room, start with the sofa. Usually the largest piece of furniture in the room, it's easiest to plan your layout around this key feature. When it comes to positioning, consider the light, thoroughfares and any views you might want to utilise.