Collaborative post

A house is not a home until you’ve put your own personal stamp on every room. Everything you choose for your house or apartment, be that colour schemes, furniture or finishing touches, should somehow reflect you and your personality.
That’s easier said than done when it comes to items like furniture or decorations, which by nature tend to be standardised and hardly personal. There are ways, though, to give your interior design a very personal touch. Here are five simple interior design tips to help you make your home uniquely yours.

Wall decorations
Bare walls have a crisp, clean look to them, but they’re also uninviting and not particularly homely!
For many, a large canvas or shelves are the first choice when it comes to making the most of their walls. But off-the-shelf canvasses tend to be very generic, and while shelves are very practical, they don’t fill your home with warmth. It is possible though to use wall decorations to give a room a really personal touch.
One fantastic way to do this is a family portrait. It’s classic, timeless, and a good investment. Printed on photo canvas, it can give the room depth and add interest via colour and texture.

If you’re the travelling type, you can get creative personalising a large world map. With string, pins and holiday photos you can mark every place you’ve visited. This is a great option for a busy family room or study, and serves as a lovely visual reminder of your travels – not to mention a source of inspiration for your next trip.
If your room offers plenty of natural light, how about creating a vertical garden or green wall? There are lots of clever planters on the market now which make it easy to bring the outdoors inside. Do choose your plants carefully: make sure they are suited to growing indoors, and check how big they will eventually grow!

Photo books
If you spot an open space on a shelf or on a table, a photo book is the perfect personal item to fill it. Photo books catch the eye and remind you of great times with the family and friends, or your most memorable trips abroad.
Creating a photo book can be quite a bit of work, but in the end, you have a book that will last a lifetime. To find the right type and style for you, it’s easiest to check websites such as photobook deals. You can check out the books, prices, and deals first, and then choose the brand – much easier than checking each and every site to find the right fit.

DIY projects
If you’re handy with a hammer and up to the challenge, you can always create your own furniture and decorative items. This doesn’t have to be a major project; you could start small with something like DIY flower vases. If you’ve got kids, their artwork and craft projects are ideal candidates for an easy personal display too.
There are lots of DIY ideas for shelves, tables, and decorative items out there as well; Pinterest is a good source of inspiration here. Nothing will make your interior design more personal than items you make yourself.
A theme that reflects your personality
The key to successful interior design is a good theme. For example, choosing the same type of wood for all furniture can make a key difference to the overall look and feel of a room. Of course, it’s a matter of preference and there is nothing wrong with mixing things up and doing your own thing, but it can help to have a theme in mind.
The most popular interior design themes are modern (clean, white, minimalistic), hip (colourful, versatile, creative), and classic (vintage-style furniture, darker, more frills). Choose a theme that best reflects your personality, and you’re well on the way to achieving that personal vibe.

Finishing touches
This is all about the little finishing touches that make a home feel lived-in. It could be your favourite coffee table books, a framed print of a quote you love, a handmade throw, or those family portraits we talked about earlier. All of these things will do a great job of telling your own personal story.
Plants are another great finishing touch. They always add a natural vibe to a space, and are ideal for those spots that seem to be missing something. Use plants to add height, texture and interest to your room, and choose varieties that tie-in well with your theme – just make sure you don’t get carried away unless you’re going for the jungle look!
Think about adding practical finishing touches too; for example, if you have family members with mobility issues you may want to get a stairlift or arrange the furniture to allow easy access.
Making a house your home is an important part of feeling settled in a property. Adding your own personality to your home can be lots of fun, and doesn’t have to cost a fortune. It’s also an ongoing project that can change and develop alongside your own character, tastes and experiences.
What interior design tips do you have for making a home feel personal?
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