An elegant modern home interior – Photo Courtesy: Gnilenkov Aleksey

 

With many Britons choosing to stay put rather than enter the volatile housing market, lots of householders are on the look out for ways to create their dream homes right where they live now.

Modern interior design trends make it easy to create gorgeous dwellings with a touch of our own style and taste. Have a look at some of our key tips for creating the home of your dreams with ease.

 

1. Pick your colours

 

Contemporary interior color scheme – Photo Courtesy: Matt Walker

For a clean, modern home, pick colours that reflect your personality and style. Whilst neutral colours are easy to accommodate, don’t be afraid to pick a few bold accent colours to add interest and elegance to your rooms. Building on a palette of creams, beiges and browns, you can add in a bright red for passionate heat, or a cool baby blue for retro glamour.

 

2. Pick a theme

 

In modern interior design, anything goes, so you can pretty much pick and choose your style. However, it’s a good idea to decide on your ‘theme’ before you start out, to help you pick the right pieces for your rooms. Some of the popular styles of the moment include:

 

French Edwardian revival:

 

Think Louis XVII styles; white furniture with delicate legs, gilded with gold and intricate decoration.

 

Retro funky:

 

Iconic design furniture mixes with bold colours and patterns in this very trendy style.

 

Minimalist chic:

 

A Minimalist Modern Design John Pawson home in Central London – Photo Courtesy: Nicolas de Camaret

Clutter free, clean lines and neutrally coloured, the minimal style lends itself perfectly to a relaxing, grown up home.

 

Vintage class:

 

Elegant florals, upcycled furniture and quality vintage objects have made this style popular with lovers of Kath Kidston and Laura Ashley.

 

Modern industrial:

 

A glamourous Modern Industrial interior decoration project – Photo Courtesy: Mazzali of Italy

Think stainless steel countertops, tread plate stairs and function over form pieces to pull off this masculine style.

 

3. Invest in a couple of feature pieces

 

 

Whether it’s a sofa, a piece of artwork or a gorgeous dining table, making a wise investment in one or two statement pieces can make all the difference to your home. Buying from auctions or on the second hand market can often reveal unique pieces that you would never find on the high street, and with many of the companies offering removal services in London also able to collect and deliver your items to you, buying second hand can be much less hassle  than you thought.

 

4. Work with your space

 

Above: All of the walls on the second floor of the Morgenthau Residence in Silver Lake, California were removed and three bedrooms were combined into a lofted master bedroom suite. Photo Courtesy: Jeremy Levine

With building space at a premium, modern homes are getting smaller. Rooms in houses built since the 1980’s are around 30% smaller than those in the decades before, leaving many of us limited in terms of the furniture we can include in our designs. Whilst a big corner sofa might be desirable to own, if it takes up too much of your room, you’ll only feel cramped and cluttered in your space.

 

5. Make your space work for you

 

 

No matter what interior design magazines say, what every home needs is storage. If you seem to have more belongings than space, then the removal services will be able to take some of your possessions to a self-storage unit, where they will be safe and accessible but out of your way. Design in clever storage solutions – such as storage in furniture, under the stairs and in attractive storage units to keep your clutter out of sight and create clean lines in your rooms.