Details that Make a Room
By Cigal Kaplan
I often ask myself why it is that when you walk into a room it can make you feel a variety of different emotions – stressed, relaxed, happy, inspired. For me, a project is brought together in the finishing touches, and I often find myself saying to clients that God is in the details. In this blog post, I’ll be thinking about the little details that make a room look and feel so much better.
Curtains
One of my biggest pet peeves in home design is when curtains do not kiss the floor. Having short curtains that end mid-wall make a room look unfinished and disorganized. A long curtain touching the floor adds a level of grandeur and abundance, making you feel well taken-care of in the room. I also recommend to clients having a fabric lining installed behind the main curtains in a thicker blackout fabric. The lining ensures a constant level of privacy, and the outer curtains are blackout when closed for watching TV and also can be in bold, luxurious fabrics.
Another important trick with curtains is to cover the tracks with more of the curtain fabric, giving the room a polished finish. If you’re paying to have someone install your curtains, they might as well do the job properly.
Panelling
Wall panelling is making a major comeback and is super trendy at the moment. Wall panelling has been around since the Greek and Roman periods, but for me it is a hallmark of historical British interiors as wooden panelling was common in Tudor palaces, which I’ve always admired for their ornamentalism and craftsmanship. Panelling adds elevation, texture, and character to a space even if it is otherwise more modern and minimal. They are a perfect example of how details can make a room, as they add interest, intention, and intrigue. They can also be a nice way to frame hanging artworks.
Flooring
Like panelling, herringbone flooring is currently having a renaissance – originating in 16th century France, installing herringbone floors today is a great way to add historical resonances to a room in a way that is elegant and understated. In the below project, we designed the geometric shapes in the flooring by using three different colours of wood stain and brass inlays. Also for this project, we added LED lights to the handrail, and some panelling below it – the perfect details to elevate the stairwell.
In the next example of herringbone flooring, we used a light and airy wood stain, studded with brass inlays to give the floor its golden moments, and this section actually demarcates the separation from the dining area into the lounge. To reinforce the demarcation between rooms suggested by the herringbone feature, we also added a column overhead, clad it in the same wood stain as the flooring, thus putting boundaries and intentionally marking the shift in the home between cooking/dining and lounging. A great way to be space-efficient, these details can do structural work, signalling a shift from one room to another in more open-plan homes.
Lighting
Also as part of the same project, which was incredibly detail-orientated, I had the idea of using three brass-coated spotlights above the dining room table. This gave the light streaming down a warmer, calm touch, perfect for a dining table where people come together to eat and enjoy – just switch on the overhead lights for an automatic romantic feel.
For me, the details are what make a project come to life, and are those added moments of love, care, and intention, that is what makes hiring an interior designer worth it. They are also the moments that the client can put their own mark on a home in a subtle and sophisticated way, adding personality, curiosity, and encouraging bursts of creativity in the people that live amongst them. Book a consultation today to see what details can elevate your house into your dream home!