Interior Designer Top Tips

As a professional stylist, I am in the business of creating good appearances. Whether the setting is for a photo shoot for an interiors magazine, a manufacturer's brochure or making products look great for a website – the same rules apply. And these rules also apply to making your home look great too. With a few tricks of the trade and insider knowledge, you can transform your interior to tremendous effect.

Kahrs Oak Castello Grigio collection demonstrates how subtle tone works to dramatic effect.

Follow our top tips – with specialist advice from Ireland's leading names – to bring a professional edge to your home interior styling.

For quick fixes, I have always found that there are key areas that, with a little thought, can transform not only the look – but also the feel – of a room.

Lighting – Even in a bright, airy room, subtle lighting should be introduced. Placing a few key perimeter lights on coffee tables (or as standard, free-standing fittings) will make a huge impact on the feel and atmosphere. If you have the time and the budget, dimmer switches are a worthwhile investment so that the lighting can be adjusted to suit mood.

Accessories – Updating cushions, throws, rugs and candles are an excellent – and inexpensive – method of giving a room a quick makeover. With great ranges available in the likes of Dunnes Stores, TX Maxx and Au Naturel, you can create a totally new look in just one shopping trip!

Feature Areas – Every room should have a focus point; a main feature that the eye gravitates towards, no matter what the dimensions or use of the room. This gives the room structure and substance. One wall can be painted or papered in a contrasting shade or pattern for instance. Collections also work well for feature areas. A group of photographs framed in the same colour of frame; or a collection of jugs grouped together works well.

Maureen Collins is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is a professional interior designer, television presenter and magazine editor. She offers training and advice on interior design, trends and display.
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According to Maureen, establishing your needs is an essential starting point. 'Think about the function of the room, when it is used – day / night, summer or winter – and how often you decorate,' she advises. 'As a general rule, use three colours with lots of tones rather than rigidly sticking to two colours. People often think patterns are frightening, but this shouldn't be so. A bold pattern used in a harmonious scheme creates a softer look, rather than a block of plain colour.'

No matter whether your style preference is for traditional classics, country chic or a sleek contemporary look, there are general rules of thumb that will lead to successful results. Maureen's top tips include:
'For me good design is about layering colour, texture and shape until you get a balance that works,' she says. 'To paraphrase William Morris, it either has to have a purpose or look good to deserve a place in your home!'

Owner of Creative Rooms, Belfast, Marie McMillen (email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) states that there is such a wide variety of goods to choose from, it can be quite bewildering. No one wants to make expensive mistakes – so here are her key tips:

• Buy a selection of magazines and mark the pages of anything that catches your eye. Most folk begin to see a pattern forming – not only in terms of your preferred colours but also style.
• Without being too rigid, I find it helpful to categorise style – be it Classic, Contemporary, Traditional, New Country, Ethnic, Eclectic. This helps to keep you focussed and leads to a more harmonious room.
• When it comes to colour, if you aren't brave enough to go for strong colour schemes and/or don't want to over power the room, choose a more neutral scheme and add lots of colour through accessories – cushions, pictures, vases and so on. And the great thing about this approach is that you can give the room an entirely different look simply by changing the accessories. Why not have fresh light tones for the summer months and cosy rusts and olive greens for the autumn!!
• Fashion and home style are often closely linked – when vintage clothes became fashionable, shabby chic became even more popular within the home. Don't be afraid to add personality to your home by displaying some of your favourite bags, scarves, perfume bottles and so on. If your taste veers towards "East Meets West", a Kimono hung on a wall can look fabulous.
• Decorating a home can be fun – if it becomes a chore and everything is rigidly co-ordinated, the home will not feel inviting and will lack personality. Happy shopping and enjoy!!

Classic good looks with quality furnishings from Breda Clifford.

Based in Dublin, Breda Clifford (email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) works with a variety of settings, ranging from domestic environments to commercial ventures and presenting properties for sale. As such, she has a wealth of insider knowledge when it comes to creating the best appearance.

Like Maureen and Marie, Breda agrees that there are quick fixes that can transform a room to great effect. Strategically placing a dramatic canvas for maximum impact on a blank wall… pairing matching lamps to create a balanced arrangement… and lots of candles always look fantastic. 'To give an instant lift to a room, I find the most effective way is with flowers,' she states. 'They inject colour and smell wonderful.' Breda's trick of the trade is to mix artificial with real flowers. 'There are amazing silk flowers that you cannot tell are not real, especially when mixed with an eye-catching arrangement.'