Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or looking to give your current home a new splash of life, designing your own space can be frustrating!
If you don’t have a natural eye for design, decoration tasks can be stressful. These include repainting walls, sourcing furniture pieces, and choosing rugs.
In an ideal world, we’d be working closely with a professional interior designer when attempting to make our dream home come to life. However, that’s an option not everyone can afford.
To sharpen your home interior design on your own, start by doing some basic interior design hacks! There are so many home decor strategies that don’t take professional-level skill. Here are interior design ideas to help you pull your space together without asking for professional help.
1. Layer your lights
You’ve likely heard of how crucial lighting is in modern interior design.
Not only can it make or break the mood, but good lighting can also make a space feel bigger and more spacious. When a room is properly lit, our eyes get tricked into thinking that the space is more open and airy than it actually is.
You can add more lighting to your space through simple choices, such as opting for sheer curtains. Natural light can do wonders for most rooms, especially those that don’t benefit from an open floor plan.
Or, instead of adding another ornamental table lamp, try installing lights on your ceiling (or getting ceiling lights) instead. These can help save counter and floor space and let you spread light evenly inside your home.
Note that indoor lighting can turn a room into a warm and relaxing space when done right. If you prioritise self-care and mindfulness, you may have a particular appreciation for its possibilities. In fact, interior design on the whole is shifting to align with such values. Cosy and restorative spaces that support wellness for both body and mind are now the ideal.
People are refurbishing more than homes to that end in 2025. We’re seeing thoughtful designs of this type in offices as well as public spaces today – and many of them rely on warm lighting.
Consider using adaptive and layered lighting as well. This can help craft a dynamic atmosphere that changes to meet your needs throughout the day. The lighting could be arranged to be softer during times when you need relaxation, for instance. It could be brighter at times when you need focus or energy too.
Remember to consider the proportion and scale of your layered lighting, as well as the lighting fixtures you use for this effect. Each of these can play a role in this simple designer hack.
2. Invest in custom storage
Storage solutions are important to keep your home organised… but let’s be honest, looking at them can be an eyesore sometimes.
Opting for custom storage means being able to match your drawers, shelves, and countertops with the design and structure of your space. It’s a practical way to arrange your space without compromising its aesthetics. This also makes it possible to organise your belongings while staying true to your envisioned design, without having to deal with storage boxes that stick out like a sore thumb.
So, what’s trending in 2025? Smart storage! Among other things, we’re noticing technology being integrated into it, such as closets with automated custom lighting.
Some of our favourite design trends here can even benefit your study or home office. Think about built-in charging stations or USB ports in your drawers or desks. Or, for the entertainment room, cable management in your cabinets.
Hidden storage solutions are trending as well. Options like concealed cabinets and pull-out shelving for a bathroom or kitchen island can help keep your space clutter-free.
3. Go multi-functional
Another major interior design idea is to fill your home with multi-functional furniture pieces.
For example, there are living room couches that double as sofa beds and study desks that function as cabinets when not in use. When you’re purchasing a furniture piece, it’s worth asking yourself how many uses you can get out of it.
A dining table could be used as a makeshift office desk during the day. Meanwhile, a coffee table could double as a communal dining era.
It’s up to you how you’re going to use every piece of furniture inside your home, but simple considerations like this can help you save a lot of floor space.
At the end of the day, modern interior design is all about how to turn your home into a functional space with as little clutter as possible. You can’t get more modern-styled than this.
We’re big fans of anything that has a multifunctional design element to it, especially if you’re living in a small apartment and you need to make the most of your space.
Multifunctional and modular items offer utility in a flexible package. This is even more important when you consider the multiple functions a single space may need to serve today, like using your bedroom as a home-office on work-from-home days.
Another thing supporting the modular- or multifunctional-furniture trend is the increasing emphasis on sustainability. This way, people don’t need to buy new furniture and can instead just expand or convert existing ones.
This can work particularly well if the furniture you’re eyeing also allows you to customise it for aesthetics. It can be made to suit both your tastes and your needs, in other words.
4. Don’t ignore the colour white
In the process of (re)designing your home, you might find yourself wanting to change its colours or exploring other interior design styles. Have you considered using the colour white?
Many often ignore this option, finding it too plain or boring. Some see it as a colour that’s incapable of bringing life and our personality into a space.
However, using different shades of white is the secret here! For lovers of neutral colours and decors, using multiple shades of white through wall paint and furniture pieces adds a certain depth and dimension to your space that’s effortlessly chic.
Of course, you can still pick other colours. If you want easy matching, try to pick something from a neutral colour palette, like the current colour of the year.
This is Mocha Mousse, a marvellously warm and sophisticated brown. With its touches of grey and beige, it can create a calming and cosy atmosphere with ease. It also matches many natural materials, like wood!
The quiet luxury of this shade can offer a nice foundation for contemporary design. Pairing it with white and other neutral colours gives it an understated elegance. If you want to try it for yourself, consider using it for a feature wall or some focal point like a statement piece of furniture.
Alternatively, you can bring it into a room with decor like rugs and curtains. Throw pillows, blankets, and even artwork can help too.
Don’t forget to try and match it with rich textures, by the way. Think velvets, wools, and linens. You’d be astonished by the effect this can have on your space, whether it’s your living room or bedroom.
5. Mix and match
If all else fails, don’t be afraid to mix and match furniture pieces to give your space a new dash of life and personality. Sometimes, trying new design ideas can pull off a room makeover without breaking the bank.
Oftentimes, when we don’t know how to move forward with our home’s design, we resort to taking inspirations from interior design magazines, which can make our space seem straight out of a catalogue.
Unlike other interior decoration tips, you don’t need to brush up on your DIY skills when mixing and matching. It all comes down to what works and what doesn’t according to your own design preferences.
Our suggestion is to take the time to curate furniture pieces from different sources, including second-hand stores. This is what will make your space unique and stand out.
6. Pick the right rug
The right-sized rug is another thing that can make or break your space. There’s no doubt that rugs can add character and pull the space together, but only when it’s of the appropriate size.
According to interior designers, homeowners often make the mistake of picking a rug that’s too small or big for their homes.
When the rug is too small, furniture crowds around it, making the room seem smaller and more cluttered.
If the rug is larger, it fills the room and all your furniture can sit within its boundaries, making the space look wider.
Fortunately for you, there are actually rules of thumb for this. We’ve explained some of them in a previous guide, so feel free to refer to it for assistance.
If you think you still need more help, however, you can also just reach out to us. We can actually do inspections to advise our clients on the right rug dimensions and design when they order bespoke items.
Decorating your space on your own
Designing a home without help from a professional interior designer is a nerve-wracking venture. Knowing a few handy interior design ideas will come a long way!
Try to follow these design hacks to help you build a home that looks as good as it feels to be in it.
Get in touch with us if you’re interested in adding a custom rug to your home, or just need more interior design ideas! We’ve done all sorts of rugs for different types of homes in Singapore so we can definitely accommodate your design preferences!
