4 Ways Layering Will Take Your Home From Ordinary to Extraordinary
If you’ve ever found yourself fascinated by a beautiful home design and wondered why in the world your home doesn’t turn out as stunning no matter what you do…. this blog post is for you. Chances are, you are not incorporating layering in your designs. Layering elevates a space from looking ordinary to extraordinary.
What is layering?
It really comes down to this: shapes, patterns textures, and colors working together in harmony to create depth, balance, and contrast. Each element in a space – paint, wallpaper, lighting, flooring, soft furnishings, furniture, artwork, and accessories – is a layer. The art of layering is to learn how to use each of these individually and make them work together cohesively – building a room from the ground up.
kelly wearstler
The Formula:
The basic formula for layering is to break the room down into four main categories:
Walls
Floors
Furniture
Accessories
Within each one of these categories, you want to think of your main pieces and your soft pieces which we will call your accessories. Now let's dive deep into each category.
WALLS
Walls, Walls, Walls... This is one of the first categories you want to focus on.
Layering Paint - source
Layering Wall - kelly wearstler
Let's start with your color palette which is a major element. Color is both emotional and powerful in setting the right mood. Ask yourself this question: What do I want to feel in this space? Then, choose a color that best matches your emotional response. From there, use the color wheel to get a perfect contrast to the color. The complementary tones will allow you to create balance and harmony in your space through your accessories and soft furnishings.
The layering of your walls comes in these three forms:
• Wall coverings – paint, wallpaper
• Window treatment – blinds, drapery, shades
• Wall elements artwork, mirrors, and photos.
II. FLOORS
Decorating a room is a layering process, it starts from the ground and goes up from there.
• Flooring – wooden floor, carpet, or tiles
Layering Floor Tiles - Source
Starting from flooring, followed by the big pieces of furniture, wall treatments, and accessories last.
But now, we want to focus on flooring. Just like the wall colors, you want to choose a flooring treatment that best suits your needs. For example, if you have a high traffic space, then you want to make sure the materials you choose are durable. once you pick your material within your color scheme, you can start adding layers by adding the right type of carpet to your room.
III. FURNITURE
• Furniture – different for every room.
• Soft furnishings –pillows, throws, area rugs, and bedding
• Décor items – accessories like vases, books, sculptures, greenery, objects.
A lot of people make the mistake of starting their interior design process directly from the furniture. If you are in the process of designing a new space, you want to make sure that your furniture pieces align with your color scheme as well as the functionality of your room and lifestyle.
Your goal in layering is not to create something matchy-matchy or symmetrical. This typically falls flat and looks boring.
Asymmetry is more modern and sophisticated but also more interesting to the eye.
Use The Rule of Three:
This is a rock-solid rule of thumb in interior design: Odd numbers of items simply have more visual appeal than even numbers.
So, three being the magic number, think of ways you can create sets of threes in your home. It could be in your wall treatments, it could be in coffee table arrangements, pillows, and many other areas.
After choosing your big furniture pieces, you are ready to tackle the soft furnishings such as accessories, vases, books, sculptures, greenery pillows, throws, rugs, and bedding.
Think of mixing patterns, and textures within your color palette.
When you are layering multiple things, create a continuous theme among each element. so that you do not end up with a cluttered look.
To create additional visual interest, overlap pieces.
IV. LIGHTING
• Lighting – ceiling lights, sconces, table lamps, floor lamps
Ambient lighting.
Task lighting.
Accent lighting.
Lighting - Kelly Wearstler
Lighting - Lulu and Georgia
Lighting is one of the most important things you can add to elevate your room. Yet, so many people fail to do so. Just like your furniture, you have your main light sources and secondary light sources.
For example, natural lighting, recess lighting can be considered your main light sources. However, Ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting are also extremely important.t
lighting tips:
Add an accent light above your favorite picture frame.
Add wall sconces above your tub.
Add ambient lighting below your kitchen cabinets or task lighting where you read the most.
Lighting helps you create zones and layers to your space without adding more stuff. It really makes or breaks the mood of a room.
Lighting - Lulu and Georgia
There you have it.
The four key areas to create layering in your home that will elevate your lifestyle.
Layering is a fun and enjoyable process. This is where you get to add a ton of personal touches to your color scheme and patterns. However, if you still find it confusing and exhausting, you can reach out to professionals who can guide you every step of the way.
Merav Frenkel, Virtual Consultation services were created to help homeowners like you to design beautiful homes on a budget.