A decorating style is a feeling created in the home that represents your personality and things you love, while a theme is a literal look. A themed room uses decor and items that represent a specific idea or inspiration, making the style obvious and unquestionable. Interior design focuses on the aesthetic elements within a space, while interior styling adds finishing touches to complete the look and feel of the room.
Interior design and interior decorating are two interdependent but distinct disciplines. Interior design is about creating functional spaces and frameworks, while interior decorating is about furnishing or adorning a space with. The theme sets the tone and creates a cohesive atmosphere throughout the event, while the decor adds visual appeal and enhances the overall ambiance. A well-thought-out theme helps to create a memorable and immersive experience for guests.
Concept is a near full/basic idea, while theme is an idea around a specific concept or topic. No matter your decor style, there are ideas that teach you how to use furniture, color, and decor to your advantage for whatever theme you’re going for. A theme is a visual look created to bring about a particular idea or topic, while a concept follows an abstract idea or thought.
Theming is the use of an overarching theme to create a holistic and integrated spatial organization of a consumer venue. A theme is a unifying or dominant idea, while design or the act of designing is a verb and becomes “Art”. Understanding these distinctions can help create a successful event concept with a cohesive atmosphere and memorable experience for guests.
📹 HOME DECORATING TIPS || STYLING IDEAS || MY GO-TO DECORATING TIPS FOR A HIGH-END SPACE
In today’s video I’ll be giving you all some home decorating tips, styling ideas, and my go-to decorating tips for a high-end space.
What is theming in design?
Design System Theming is a process that allows a design system to be flexible to stylistic changes, using design tokens or stylesheet variables. This allows engineers to make a single change that impacts the entire cross-platform ecosystem. Examples of organizations using Design System Theming include dark mode for accessibility, white labeling for customization of component libraries, multi-brand design systems for organizations with multiple products, and marketing campaigns for specific campaigns. It is essential for modern product development, accessibility, and marketing campaigns.
What is theming in web design?
A website theme is a finished look and feel that can be installed on content management systems (CMS) like WordPress or Umbraco and ecommerce systems like Magento. It is installed by a developer and updated to match the company’s brand, including logo uploads, color scheme changes, and email configurations. Some themes can be used out-of-the-box without additional configurations. Custom designs are unique designs created by a designer that meet brand requirements 100%. After completion, a developer implements the design on the chosen CMS or ecommerce system.
How do you use material theming?
To utilize Material Theming with color, one must first select suitable hues for the user interface. This may be done either by utilizing the inline tool located within the Color section or by consulting the Material Palettes, which contains a variety of harmonious color schemes.
What is considered decorating?
In English, the “decorate verb” can be used as an adjective to describe the act of painting or affixing paper to the interior or exterior of a building. Synonyms, antonyms, and illustrative examples of this verb can be found in the thesaurus. The employment of adjectives in the English language is a common practice. The utilisation of dissonance and creativity is of paramount importance in pattern design, particularly within the domains of textiles and interior decoration.
What is the difference between designing and decorating?
Interior design and interior decorating are often used interchangeably, but they differ in key ways. Interior design is the art and science of understanding people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building, while decoration is the furnishing or adorning of a space with fashionable or beautiful items. Interior designers apply creative and technical solutions within a structure that are functional, attractive, and beneficial to the occupants’ quality of life and culture.
They must adhere to code and regulatory requirements, promote environmental sustainability, and follow a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis, and knowledge integration, to satisfy the needs and resources of the client.
What is the difference between theme and theming?
Theming is the use of an overarching theme to create a holistic and integrated spatial organization in a consumer venue. A theme is a unifying idea or motif on which new construction ideas, style generation, or products are designed. Theming is applied to create a memorable and meaningful experience for individuals or groups visiting the space, using techniques such as architecture, decor, signage, music and sound design, costuming, integrated technology, and special effects.
It is increasingly used for experiential marketing, connecting consumers with a brand. The industry that creates themed environments, such as theme parks, water parks, museums, zoos, visitor centers, casinos, theme restaurants, and resorts, is known as themed entertainment. Theming is also increasingly used on smaller-scale projects, such as parties and product launches, to make these events more impactful.
Is it decoration or decoration?
The term “decoration” is used to describe the process of enhancing the visual appeal of a room, house, or other space. The term is frequently used in the plural form and encompasses items that are added with the intention of enhancing the overall appeal of a given space. The term “decoration” is frequently employed in conjunction with special occasions, such as holidays. The formal term “ornamentation” is uncountable and may be applied to any item. An exemplar of decoration is a gold bracelet with beaded ornamentation.
What is the difference between decoration and decorating?
The term “decoration” is used to describe the act of enhancing the visual appeal of an object through the introduction of color and interest. This practice is often observed during specific holidays, such as St. Patrick’s Day. Such embellishments may be achieved through the suspension of streamers or ornaments upon a tree, the interlacing of simulated foliage in intricate designs, or the adornment of an individual with an ornament such as a knot of ribbon or a rosette on a hat.
What is theming in research?
A theme is a fundamental element of data that pertains to the research objective and exemplifies a pattern or correlation across the data set. It is imperative that common themes be identified across codes through an iterative process of searching. This is the only way to ascertain similarities.
What is the meaning of design and decoration?
Interior design and interior decorating are both components of building design. They entail an understanding of human behavior to create functional spaces and the adorning of these spaces with decorative elements to achieve a specific aesthetic.
What is the meaning of decoring?
The verb “decorated” is used to describe the act of furnishing or adorning an object with something ornamental or becoming. This may take the form of a festoon, garnish, trim, bedeckment, or ornament. It can also be used with objects like walls.
📹 8 HOME DECOR STYLING TIPS | DESIGN HACKS YOU SHOULD KNOW
8 Home Decor Styling Tips | Interior Design Hacks You Should Know Kristen Mcgowan do you what to decorate your home like a …
1. Styling Cushions in groups of three, varying sizes, colour, and textures 2. Styling in groups of three, triangle/diagonal rule, scale, texture, colour 3. Wall Décor: hang mid-point of wall art 56-58 inches from floor 4. Scale and type of pattern: stick to 2 and one prime and the other accents 5. Balance and Symmetry 6. Scale of furniture to space 7. Colour: monocramatic layering, neutral + colour 8. Cohesive look: use same colour palet through house
Thank you for a article that provides information and tools to use, not one that left me feeling like I’ve been scolded. I will be on my own for the first time in 30 years and want to discover my style but do it with style. I can’t understand houses designed and decorated by committee. I think I have found my guide.
Hey there Kristen. Bless from NJ I just bought a house. Then I started to look for home makeover articles and interior design-related resources. Then I found you!! I really like your content and your beautiful smile! I’ve always been interested in interior design but I chose graphic design instead throughout my school year and career. Your articles help me understand how to decorate a home much better. Thank you for sharing your insight and articles! 💛💛💛🙋♀🙋♀🙋♀
I love this article!! So inspiring. I looked for “interior design” on YouTube because I realized while writing to my friend that I really like this kind of stuff. Now that I’ve watched it, I’m even more interested than a few minutes ago! I am excited right now because I think I can become more intentional when decorating my home and now have some ideas I never thought of, like how I place pillows!
Kristen is a down-to-earth practical interior designer who makes the most of what she has to work with, creating beautiful interior spaces to overjoy anyone. Creativity, ingenuity, practicality, and hands-on hard work are her unique hallmarks in this DIY YouTube design space. Kristen has put together a succinct, well organized summary master-class of interior design accessable to even the most novice of homeowners. So well done.
One principle I think is really important (that dovetails with Scale) is Visual Weight. Making sure that the furniture and decor you use have appropriate visual weight REALLY helps! Visual weight is a product of factors such as size and color (and even pattern). For instance, bold colors are interpreted by the brain as visually heavier. Knowing this will help you maintain balance among your furniture and objects. A lazy boy is going to look heavier than a traditional chaise. Generally, it’s a good practice to stick to one area of the spectrum (e.g. it’s not recommended to decorate with both a delicately framed chaise and a chunky lazy boy in the same space). : )
I’d LOVE a article on how to incorporate old heirlooms, antiques, or meaningful items that might not look the right style, into a home!! My struggle is I have things that I love but I struggle finding place for them with the look I’m going for, but I see other people incorporate old and new and different styles effortlessly. I have a lot of things that I feel make a house feel childish but I know other people do great and showcasing these things really well (nerdy posters, nerdy figurines, old family clocks, old paintings). Also if you could please please recommend some books on home decor and making a house a home that would a great as I really trust your judgement 💕
I do the placement of 3 decor items and it is like Magic for spaces as well as much of the other tips you gave. Was just reaffirming that these tips make a difference. Over the years shopping high end furniture stores has helped to realize color And placement are key and going for a cohesive look. Finally to younger women take charge of your home environment don’t be bullied by a guy but do Keep comfort in mind.✨✨
This is just one person‘s opinion but I do NOT like the “karate-chop” look on pillows. I’ve raised my children and have grandchildren, and it looks like they were either playing on my bed or messing around on my couch (when I see a karate-chop pillow), and I wanna walk over and fluff it back up.🤷🏻♀️🙀 ••• I don’t 100% dislike it but I just think it looks unkept and Messy!! But other than that; I love your ideas and I have learned a lot from them so thank you for all the fresh ideas…👻👻 Take care, stay healthy and be well 🧡🎃🤍👻🧡
Best overall, concise advice seen in months. I thought l knew quite a lot of this but your clear uncluttered theory and examples or what to do and what not to do, was fantastic. I can now see what l need to do…l have areas that work but need to be cohesive with all my areas and rooms. Respect to you. Thank you. 😘
My husband and I are building our first home, so I found this article extremely helpful! My biggest challenge is making everything cohesive. I found the wall decor rule to be the most helpful because in the past places we have rented, we had paintings too high up or not high enough :/ the decorating in groups of 3 is my favorite tip & I’ll definitely be applying that to the new home 🤍 thank you for sharing!
Anytime I hang anything I google for height suggestions – wall art, the distance from a table top to the bottom of a pendant light, how high to hang the curtains. If it doesnt work for you, you do what you need to, but doing the research first has helped me out. Another tip I use is the same I heard on a clothes styling show about color. Color goes with color. If you use black, there needs to be something else with it that also has black. (With a clothing analogy, a colorful top with black pants isnt as “cohesive” looking as black pants with a top that may have color, but also has some black in it). Last color tip I try to research is looking at flowers and natural things. The color combos (patterns too), that you find attractive in nature will pair well in your home.
Regarding wall art, I am curious about scale. What size frame is more visually pleasing for the size of wall area? I have rather large frames on a comparatively small wall area. To me, I feel as if they are two large for the space. But, others tell me they look fine. Their cost and the art themselves are the only things that keep me from starting fresh. However, your advice might be the very push I need to make a change in size. Thanks
I have a large bedroom and find difficulty filling in one of the corners as there’s quite a large space. I tried an armchair but ended up full of clothes 🙂 so I removed it and added a plant. But now that we are using the AC, I had to take it out of the room as it wasn’t doing well in the AC. any tips please? THanks
Great tips for sure! I think I would add unless you’re doing a neutral space, don’t pick the paint color first. Instead, if you’re going to invest in an area rug or piece of furniture to use as the focal point choose the wall color after not before. Also know the lrv in your paint choice and the lighting in your space.
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Hey Kristian, I was looking up why people were karate chopping their pillows, and a few designers said that was a 1980’s trend that needs to be discontinued. Slicing the pillows down the middle so that their top corners stick up like the ears of a nervous dog. lol the designer was Hadley Keller House Beautiful 7/17/19 Love the thought of 3’s.
I’m sorry but 57 inches may be your world but if you come in my house. That’s bumped up a little! Not to my eye level bc everyone else would have to look up if your not my siblings!!! I’m six one and a half’!!!! Lol’ lol Just couldn’t let one go by’nn. I’m liking you!! You just gained a supporter!!!!! Lunda
I appreciate the fact that you make these articles but I definitely have my own thoughts and styles and I don’t consider myself to be decorative savvy. What I would like to say is that whoever came up with the whole bunny ear pillow must’ve been an anime lover. I love bunnies but I don’t like them in my pillows and I would definitely not karate chop my pillow because I don’t think it looks good honestly. I just watched another one of your articles that talks about styles and having a vision board which I do you think can be really helpful for some people but you have to remember not everyone can stick to that some people simply cannot compute so my recommendation is by what you love especially if you’re drifting in order to make it cohesive stay in the same color palette with all of them when you refurbishing that way they come together as opposed to shopping for each individual piece and not settling until you find the exact right thing you have to be able to be flexible and to make things work but there are some rules about that so maybe you could do a article that helps people take so many different maybe similar styles Or even complementary styles that could work together and bring it all together and create an amazing room by changing the colors and the textures and the wood stains if there are any and making it all cohesive
Oh my God these tips came in at a great time I want to do changes in most rooms in my house mostly the living room since it’s the first space you see it’s small and I have dark walls and a way to big bark couch that is similar to the walls it was my fiances choice I need to make some so changes so bad I’ve hated that couch right when he picked it out
I really struggle with changing up style. There are old things i really like, things that dont really go together, and sentimental things.. nothing looks great because i struggle with the idea we just need to keep updating to be ‘in style’ when i already own perfectly fine objects. It’s a real struggle. I guess i just need to change my b philosophy, but i really, really hate ‘throw away’ culture when something is ‘out of style’.
Love your articles! I had a quite cohesive pallette in my home while decorating when it was newer. After the first 10 to 12 years then more gray and white schemes were trending and I tried to incorporate some of this, but it was not working well. I can not afford to change entire decor and am now making small changes in keeping with my original richer fall color pallette and going a bit more with nuetrals and greens with a touch of rust. This seems to be trending now with some of the paint companies. Seems the trends are cycling back to what I originally had!
Recently subbed and love your articles. I try to scan my rooms that blend into each other, living, dining and kitchen, to see if anything looks jarringly out of context. I like to add accents to enhance favorite pieces. Have a clock with 2 shelves on the sides, recently placed bamboo shade as background behind them. Renter, so can’t paint but hate all the white, so boring. Thanks for your tip about groups of 3. Looked around and see that I have been using that all along. Stay safe and have a great day.
I do love your site and your suggestions. I especially love the photographic images you select for your visual “examples.” However, I am just NOT fond of gallery walls (too busy for my taste) or so many pillows on a couch or chair. They may look “in” but are more of a pain because they have to be moved every time I want to sit on a couch. And a coffee table in the center of a seating grouping? Not very practical when it cannot be reached from the couch or the chair. Design is great but practically is also a main issue too at keast in my book.
I tried your idea and rearranged my room. Now I have to patch picture hanging holes, rehang pictures and get a bigger rug. I’m so close to perfection. And I had so much fun! But my husband is cursing you. Hahaha. I am not following your tips to be stylish but because the room just is so much I believe the room is now much more comfortable and inviting. I am following your tips. It makes the space more comfortable and it took me one evening to do it. I think we will get a bigger rug because once I see your tips everything is so obvious. It makes really great sense and your pictures are also really awesome. I feel like I see everyone’s space now differently. Thanks a ton!
Loved the article, especially for the cohesive aspects. I have always had a common theme to my houses until I moved until my most recent. It had a TOTAL 80’s Colorado condo look which I’m sure was why I felt comfortable buying it. Then when all my furniture was placed it was a disaster. I had to get rid of popcorn ceilings, brown bi-fold doors and beige paint and multiple flooring types. I ended up with a silvery gray, dove gray and dark gray for accents. My kitchen and bedrooms we’re a grayish sage green and went with a Faux ebony plank flooring. The color scheme looks great but I still have a cast iron wood stove and exposes brick around that area. It clashes with my espresso book cases/coffee table, and brown suede couch and loveseat. I just can’t find enough cohesive elements to bring everything together without totally redesigning the entire downstairs. Did I mention my kitchen cabinets were fresh country and dark?! And my tile in the kitchen was white with dark grout???? Eeee Really 80s mountain condo look! Help! I feel like my entire house is compartmentalized!!!
The one important thing I learned from you is the height of wall art. No matter what, it usually gets put too high, so I have to bring it down. Too high can just ruin the whole look of a room. I’m in the process of re-decorating the living room. I went from dark leather to lighter cloth material on the sofa and chairs, a new wool rug, end tables and lamps. I’ve somewhat of a throw pillow ‘hoarder’. I just love the way that they, and throws, can make all the difference in changing the room for the different seasons. My bedroom is next and it won’t even look like the same space. It’s exciting, but nerve-wracking at the same time. It’s hard sometimes to come down to a final decision on pieces of furniture. I want a pretty chaise lounge for reading, computer and t.v…not the bed, a platform bed and a real vanity with plenty of drawer space. I wish I had you to help me!
Omg i re-did my room closet with high-lites of Black! Did the floor, window & door frames. Llloooovvvveee it!! I never thought i wud fall in love with black paint but it makes the space so magical! So magical, i high-lited my banister & working on painting some more door frames. It really lets the other colors stand out! 💖
That’s just what I needed. Studied some design in my 3d visualization course, some of concepts repeat (so your article is also a review of what we studied), but I also learned so much more. Thank you, Kirsten, for sharing these valuable tips with us. They will really help in my design project of my own new apartment)
First…thank you so much for your time and help with your professional tips. They could not have come at a better time. The problem I am having at the moment is knowing whether or not my curtains throughout the common areas of my house all have to be similar or at the very least compliment one another. We have sheer grey and white curtains in the front and central area ( Kitchen/ dinning area which is designed as an open floorplan). My husband wants to hang cream/beige curtains on our back french door windows and I think they need to be one of the other colors. Our couch is blue, Dark hardwood floors, and a rug that has all three of those colors in it. Plz help. 😜😔🤔
Video ideas: I like when you show example so it would be fun if you did a article on ‘Scale’. Take some wrong examples and make them right so we can see what your thot process is and what the changes accomplish. This could be done on’Balance’ and ‘Color’ too on other articles. It’s amazing when a room can be close to done and decorated, but something is just off. It’s fun to watch you fix it.
Hey Kristen, I’m a Photographer with a serious amount of framed prints in all different sizes that have been slowly stacking against my office walls. I found your tips on hanging wall art super helpful but I was wondering if you could go into more detail on that subject. I keep a lot more framed prints than I know what to do with but I keep them on hand so I can sell at any moment. I have a dining in the center of my house with high walls all the way around the table and skylights in the ceiling. I though about hanging prints all the way up the walls but I’m not sure if that’s ok to do or not. I know I’ve seen it in some older feeling decors. Harry Potter comes to mind for that hanging style.
Mt Primary Color in the Main large part of my home is Yellow 🤗 We have very tall A-frame walls & an open floor plan, for the most part. I have a difficult time w/ furniture & decor due to always trying to get something that works & I like 😊 My favorite decor style is French County w/ hints Scandinavian design (My hubs us Swedish) 💏 I’m a KY Girl Do you have any suggestions on what colors go best w/ Yellow, lots of White Furniture from IKEA & Light oak hardwood floors (also yellowish). Thanks 😘
I enjoyed your design chip article. I am already using those rules in my space, except I never heard of exactly 57 inches before, I just heard I level. I wish that you would have included some tips for lighting. I find lighting challenging, and Wood appreciate hearing your thoughts about various types of ceiling fixtures, lamps, up lighting, blinds and window treatments, etc. Thanks for everything you do to help people have lovely spaces.
Kristen help! I have a HUGE see-through fireplace in my living room. I love it BUT it is green. Different shades of khaki greens. Early 70s greens. And the bricks look like fired ceramic. It is a glassy feel. I hate the thought of painting it because it is glassy and do not want to have it peeling. Or just finding a color to go with it. I had a interior decorator come in the she said purple, My husband said no purple. I love color and sick of whites. ARG! But I like your suggestions and wish you were my neighbor! Thanks JoAnne
I could use help with styling shelves…such as built-ins. Also grouping pictures on walls can be difficult. How do you lay them out and get them hung correctly? Now one final challenge, I’m 64, have had broken wrists and back surgery. Quite frankly making beds with comforters and getting sheets/blankets tucked in so they don’t show and without disturbing the dust ruffle is physically taxing and will only get worse. What works best at my age is a bedspread, but good luck finding a stylish one for a king bed, and then if I can find one, how can I make the bedding look great without a bunch of pillows that trip us at night if we have to get up? I feel there are not many good answers for seniors or those with compromising health situations. I’m hoping you can so an entire episode on this last one. I’m desperate in Dallas. ❤️
You are a rock and I’ve learned so many useful things from your experiences. Thank you, Kristen! I wish I could receive your advice about my new apartment which will be done in October. So in any chance that I can consult your ideas, please show me the way to contact you directly ~^^~ I appreciate it so much! Thank you!
I decided on British Colonial in 2001. I love to travel, love foreign food and foreign languages. It’s taken me years to collect Persian rugs and the just-right ceiling fans, so I don’t plan to update my home to look like everyone else’s every few years. Every home or apartment on YouTube interior decorating right now looks like Target!
The design tips I loved the most was keeping the color palette the same throughout but have fun in bedrooms if you want! Plus the pattern info was great Can you help with choosing light fixtures for open concept Do they all need to match or how do you make them flow and something that is long term in case we want to redecorate without switching out lights (fixed lights)
I don’t understand the chopped pillow look. It looks so unnatural to me and it seems like it would be a huge pain to do that to the 6-9 pillows we’re “supposed” to have on our furniture every time we get up from said furniture. Why can’t pillows be pillow shaped? Anyway, just my personal pet peeve, no offense to anyone who likes it or to Kristen who’s just keeping us informed on what’s “in” (and is great at it).
How to make a boring beige love seat come to life with modern bohemian style. He. I can’t afford the living room furniture that is beautiful and out of my price range and then I was thinking about getting a chase lounger it’s a really weird floor plan with all different angles which drives me crazy but I can’t find other places in town and I need tcouple of months so TMI my bad. Love your songs💕
Great tips. Some of the fail pictures were pretty funny. I’ve taken an interior design certificate class at an interior design institute and they didn’t even cover what you discussed regarding pattern. That is really helpful, using one large pattern and two smaller ones. That’s the piece, or one of them, that was missing from the program I did. How to actually put rooms together! It was too focused on architectural drawing and presentation boards.
I bought an ivory corduroy couch and I’ve been struggling choosing a rug to match it. I want my home to look more neutral with a pop of color and since my bed’s headboard is navy blue, I thought maybe to go with a rug that has blue notes but somehow it feels less warm and more on the cool side. Please help! I feel stuck! Also thank you for this article!!!💖
One design tip which is NOT my favourite is the karate chop cushions. They really look awful, so staged and really distracts the eye from the beauty and detail in the actual cushions. I agree, this tip has been used by professionals for years now but I’ve never agreed with the purpose of it. Besides this, all your other tips are spot on! I have used these for many years in my furniture retail business and at home. Thanks for the concise article, I enjoy your work.