Often pieces and spaces seem to be fighting for attention. It is also where the mess is most times! Home Design (or HD) is an oft quoted term that means different things to different people. Not everyone wants their living room to look like a hotel lobby.Bold Is Not Always Beautiful! Huge prints, large motifs and busy characters shrivel an area down to a nub. But definitely not all together.Ready ReckonerMust-haves in a living space are: Sofa/sectional/lounger, 1-2 accent chairs, Coffee table and/or side tables, Nook/niche/bookshelf/tv console unit, Rug Adorn two out of three to four walls with basic eye catching, not over the top, adornments 1 floor lamp 1-2 table lamps. Lean wood and less fabric done tastefully serve the purpose but it should not be cumbersome.

With a clear way in and way out of the space whilst steering clear of bulked up pieces hindering it. The idea is to give a sense of expanse, with the space looking airy and light with a view of textures and surfaces. Don’t go bulky and period with furniture when the space is not meant to bear heavy duty padding.Collectibles often have memories attached to them, and can’t be rushed into a space with a last minute purchase. It makes absolutely no sense in navigating through the small gaps in the fittings, with perhaps lighting akin to aircraft emergency floor path illumination or signages along the walls!Chart out a movement layout.They are not popular with those suffering from arthritis or rheumatism. Customise the space to suit your needs. Clean lines in the furniture often help focus on pretty surfaces. Unless of course it happens to be the boudoir of Maharaja Gaj Singh! Spaces have to be accessible. Infusing several elements in a space is committing design hara**********. Unless of course you like the occasional "trip" as you find your way around the chaise lounge everyday!Ready reckonerIn keeping with a period look, distress modular pieces to blend in.And most often, they make the space look cluttered as retailers may want to showcase a lot more in a tiny space. Go modular and build down favourite pieces and areas that mean most to you.Gather as you go along and adorn your walls and spaces with interchangeable and interesting pieces that can have their moment in the sun ever so often.Bulking up can be a nightmare for most of us. For examples marble floors, while lovely to look at, and to touch, stain easily unless treated.A nasty fad is the soulless replication of catalogue looks.

Typically, darker colours for highlighting areas, heavy drapery or ostentatious window fittings often tends to swallow up most of the room. Based on weather conditions, a conscious shift from the excessive chennile, damask, faux leather and plaids to linen, drill and other lighter options. Many meetings and a browse through collectibles to understand one’s tastes is an Baby Fabric Factory absolute must, before arming oneself with catalogues, looks and the like. One often pays the price of keeping up with the Joneses, so find out what suits you and your family.Without sacrificing your favourite pieces, you can shift gears and change styles to fit them in.In an attempt to forcibly stylise spaces, one often lands up with a GUJLI at home! Your space is not meant to be Chor Bazaar stuffed up to the gills with artless antiques, obnoxious wall collages or garish paintings.Ready ReckonerCategorise everything under — Do I need it and Do I want it? Knock off anything that you can comfortably live without in the long run. No good ever came out of skipping research.Home is where the heart is. So, unless you are fortunate to own a stretch where rooms are in excess of 400 sq feet each, don’t busy up the space. Avoid these at all غير مجاز مي باشدts.Most often the engagement of a designer, goes against the very grain of what the space needs to reflect.

Tiresome and completely unimaginative, I urge you to say a big NO to buying out entire corner arrangements from design stores… or catalogues… they don’t speak of originality and a sense of self.A sense of ease in movement and pastel colours work well in living spaces. If you are running sparse on the artefact front, don’t rush it. So a formal living if overly plush, and inaccessible, is no fun. Do you really need that large potted plant in your living room? While Fengshui experts insist, are you up to watering it and maintaining it regularly in your space with your lifestyle? Anything that can’t be sat on, touched or stepped on is not personal… however formal the space is, it is not meant to be in a home.Ready reckonerIf your family, young kids, older friends, pets and the like are struck off from enjoying a space, this may not be the look for you.Commissioning work with material that may not work for you, is courting trouble in the long run.Ready ReckonerSpaces with the right blend of plain prints and textures are always a success.Busting myths of the more the merrier is my latest passion. So go forth and design with your new DIY design checklist! 

The writer is an interior designer and director at Sugar My Space, Studio SMS. Years go by in compiling memorabilia.A few pointers while initiating Home Design… HD 101. The muscular bits, if any can be centred or cornered with accent pieces built around it, aiding better access and easy movement. The process of collaboration needs to reflect the personality of the occupant whilst incorporating elements of style from a design point of view.Keep it simpleReady ReckonerScan the market.Personal, contextual and relevant design needs to resonate with the sensibilities of the occupant..Plush doesn’t mean shrink wrap rooms with oversized furniture.