20 Interior Designer Secrets to Style Your Decor (Without Breaking Everything)

Soraya Gemney-Wagner

He designs with Maxime Lyotard, a duo led by Lyotard and the Queen, who recently designed the decorations for the Cyril Lignac patisserie in Saint-Tropez, the My Boule ice cream shop in Cannes, and the Hotel Florida in Paris.

Dare to use unexpected colors “When it comes to paint, you have to think outside the box of beige, white… And that’s even in small spaces, because, contrary to popular opinion, stronger shades don’t overwhelm volumes. Don’t hesitate to apply them to the walls and ceiling.”

Multiply the light sources “I’m not a fan of ceiling lights and overhead lighting. I prefer to increase the number of light sources, especially with table lamps. Depending on the texture and shape and position of the lampshades, they create an atmosphere. They are also real decorative objects, sometimes sculptural, that bring a lot of personality to a room.”

Hunting again and again “I find that antique decorative items bring something extra to an interior: originality, meaning. I love street markets. They allow you to find precious stones much cheaper than among specialists. Some time ago, on the rue Martyrs in Paris, I bought two absolutely brilliant elephant bedside tables for a pittance. And to keep up to date with the best events, I follow Le Couteau and Alicja, two TikTok accounts that offer a selection and calendar of garage sales.”

Treat yourself to an extra large sofa “To add personality to the living room, just install a huge sofa, even in a small space, even if it means reducing the size of the coffee table and limiting the number of furniture pieces. A large sofa is a real eye-catcher, and above all, it is comfortable. It’s a comfortable, generous piece, enough to build and furnish a room.”

Create your own little corner “Even in small rooms or small spaces, you can create your own corner to relax in the evening when you come home, read, meditate… Toad’s compact armchair and pedestal table placed in a corner not too far away. window and that’s it. In addition, this installation brings a lot of charm to the living room or bedroom.”

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Marie Deroudilhe

Our mouths are watering at the decor of the new Michalak boutique on rue Étienne-Marcel in Paris, and soon, Neely. And if one of his specialties is inventing unique settings for gourmet and gastronomic addresses, he also excels at designing beautiful homes. Without stopping to develop furniture and objects like his mute servants for the Plaza Athénée.

Find your home fragrance “Like light, fragrance helps create a unique atmosphere in an interior. I love it when there is a good smell in the apartment or house, it immediately makes me want to go inside. However, the fragrance should match the spirit of the place. I’m not a fan of candles. I prefer incense and especially sprays, especially from Diptyque, which are more practical and subtle.’

Clean the work surface “I am an architect obsessed with storage. When I design a kitchen, I always make sure that small appliances can be hidden in cabinets. It is not used very often and is not very decorative. This frees up space to display piles of beautiful plates, salad bowls, well-chosen objects… It’s more pleasant to look at.”

Change the bulbs “Lighting is important. It is a decorative element in itself. So you should avoid spotlights, prefer table lamps and, above all, choose your lamps carefully. The cold, white side of LED lighting is a concern for me, but hey, two brands, Tala and Segula, have finally managed to reproduce the warm glow of filament bulbs. Very good news.”

Painting the entrance and corridors in dark colors “Painting rooms without windows, such as entryways and hallways, completely dark colors is, in my eyes, the best way to expand them. These are often places with no personality and because of these colors they are applied whole, they become interesting, surprising. In addition, the contrast with the living rooms, which will be painted in lighter shades, immediately gives the impression of volume.”

Hang mirrors “It’s an accessory that has it all. it increases space, adds movement, reflects light, views and is very decorative. Therefore, we do not hesitate to put them in all rooms. For example, we have cut mirrors to cover the sides of a small corner unit, this gives it a surreal touch. I also like to dress the walls of the dog triangle with mirrors. It is magical. we immediately have a sense of volume, we are also immersed in the sky.”

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Sophie Dries

Selected from hundreds of top designers of 2022, he presented a very remarkable marble and leather table at the Nilufar gallery during the last Milan furniture fair. As he prepares to launch a tableware collection with La Romaine Éditions, he is designing the decor for a Tokyo art gallery that will open in the fall.

Cover the walls with straw

“I love the Japanese straw that hangs like a wallpaper. We line the walls with it, and we choose a tonal color for the ceiling. This unexpected and slightly retro texture brings a very sensual side. I get my supplies from CMO Paris, which is a specialist in natural wall coverings.”

Have fun with rugs

I designed a puzzle mat consisting of pieces that can be put together, exploded, superimposed… We move them to change the atmosphere. We can be inspired by this work. multiply the rugs in small formats and different shapes and have fun placing them to create islands. It’s a change from a large rug that creates a more rigid space.”

Create group effects

“Putting objects in groups on the table, buffet, above the fireplace is more interesting than displaying them individually. The same is the case with photographs, small format pictures. I hang them on the walls with ham or columns, diptychs, triptychs. A bias that brings life, personality.”

Choosing the right handles, switches and rods

“I pay particular attention to nice switches and nice doorknobs, cabinet handles, window handles… It immediately adds character. And I’m not neglecting the curtain rods either. At Le Monde Sauvage I find some very nice and affordable ones.”

Scenography your books

“The bookcase is a real decorative space because it is a very present piece of furniture in the room. I like to arrange books in alternating vertical and horizontal stacks. The idea is to avoid symmetry effects and instead focus on displacements.”

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Emily Bonaventure

For more than ten years, he designed the interior design of Greg Marchand’s restaurants. For Altro, the chef’s new Italian restaurant in Paris, he envisioned a glamorous atmosphere with a touch of ’60s. He is also currently working on a private club and residential projects in Burgundy.

Focus on the useless “You shouldn’t hesitate to place abundant objects in your interior, such as cups and storage compartments, and make them talk. Not interested in their function, but only in their aesthetic power, we create ‘material’ for very pleasant contemplation.”

Don’t be afraid of the carpet “I have no taboo in this matter. At home, I also put a carpet in the kitchen. The rug adds warmth, partially erases the purely functional side of the kitchen to make it a truly welcoming room.”

Cultivate the spirit of collecting “I really like the work of the artist Francis Alles, who collects reproductions of his portrait; FabiolaBy Jean-Jacques Henner. Canvas, watercolor, paint…, he has accumulated these identical images in various forms. This collection is a work of art in itself. We can take inspiration from this approach by defining a theme that we display, such as Japanese paint brushes that can be lined up on a wall like a frieze.”

Abuse of pillows “In bedrooms, I like to put a lot of pillows on the beds. First are the pillows, in front of which I will put large, very decorative pillows, then smaller ones. It’s joyful and an immediate source of comfort. The same on the sofa in the living room. At home, there are nine pillows on the double sofa. To make it harmonious, you need to combine the shades, especially white, changing the textiles.

Display photos and drawings in the kitchen and bathroom “We rarely dare to display art photos and drawings in the bathroom. It’s a shame, because it immediately brings a sense of uniqueness to this often rather standard room. This makes it more pleasant and elegant. And, properly framed, these little works can withstand moisture. The same in the kitchen. Why not hang pictures on it to take it out of practicality and inject it with an aesthetic dimension?’

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