We tend to play it safe when it comes to making home decor decisions, yet the right design risk can pay off big time to create a memorable space with tons of personality. This year, let your resolution be to embrace change, try bold colours, make friends with pattern and experiment with texture to bring wow factor into your home.
Paint It Black
The Honeysuckle model home at Empire Avalon in Caledonia.
It’s often assumed a dark paint colour can make a space feel smaller, but it can actually have the opposite effect. Committing to colour in smaller rooms is a good way to ease into bigger, bolder paint experiments, like in this home office where the walls draw attention to the rich green accents and blond wood furniture. To prevent your space from skewing too dark, be sure to work in a few pops of white with accents and accessories.
Play with Personality
The Sumac model home at Empire Avalon in Caledonia.
This rustic-meets-glam look would be an unexpected design mix for most, but carrying a light pink hue throughout the chairs, art and accessories coupled with a show-stopping chandelier really creates continuity and breathes life into a space where we would normally play safe.
Make Art Priority
The Surrey model home at Empire Livingston in Hagersville.
Filling space on blank walls is often an afterthought in our design plans and something we tackle after furniture and other big ticket items are in place, but there’s something to be said about building a space starting from a piece of art you love or a photograph with special meaning. In this kids’ bedroom, a gallery of framed canines take centre stage, influencing the colour palette of the accessories, textiles and industrial-style furniture.
Decorate from the Ground Up
The Roseberry model home at Empire Avalon in Caledonia.
You might not consider a rug as a showstopper, but the right one can make a design statement. In this case, a black and white striped rug adds depth and frames the living room’s important elements like the sofa and coffee table, making it the starting point for a rich design palette and a space with character.