A Stress Free Guide to Revamp Your Room

Sheen Gabrielski

While redecorating is always a difficult and emotional process, I』ve developed a method to make the process less daunting. It all starts by conceptualising how the new room will look.

This takes understanding your own personal style as well as a good amount of flipping through magazines and touring furnishing showrooms. Don』t worry about collecting too many room images. They will always have a common theme, as the search is guided by what you are drawn to (that is, by your personal style).

The next step is always the hardest. The question of what to let go of and what to keep is fraught with sentimental feelings. Of course it』s easy to say, 「Take an objective look and edit down.」 But, start by thinking of what you invested the most in, either emotionally or financially. Then look at the rest to see what fits with the style you are trying to achieve.

The next step is deciding on a budget and what is possible within your budget. My passion for interior design is driven by the philosophy that style should never be hindered by your budget. My approach is that no matter what your budget is, what size your home is, or whether you rent or own, you can make your home a stylish reflection of you.

Even the largest of budgets will have limitations, so it』s important to have a realistic expectation of what is possible on your budget. If you are on a tight budget, my solution is to combine imagination with a little ingenuity so you can create the space you『ve been dreaming of. Typically I tell clients you can redecorate a living room starting at around S$4,200.

It』s very important to buy large, more-expensive items in a style and quality that will last you at least five to ten years. When working with clients, I always start with the sofa. Spending around S$1,700 and up for a quality sofa in a style and fabric that is not too trendy will end up saving you money in the long run. I can『t tell you how many IKEA and West Elm sofas I『ve purchased and given away.

Of course there is nothing wrong with IKEA or West Elm, but I always tell clients that a sofa is something you will use the most; it visually takes up the most space and takes the biggest chunk of your budget, so invest wisely.

My 「go-to「 store for sofa shopping is Room and Board. The range of sofas and the level of customer service makes it the best place to take all my clients.

To build the rest of the room, choose an area rug to define the space. With rugs, I find the common mistake is to purchase one that is too small. A small rug visually shrinks the size of the room, so always go with at least an 2.4 m x 3.0 m area rug. This is because most sofas are between 2.0 to 2.3 metres wide, and you want the rug to be wider than the sofa and just shy of the actual square footage of the space.

Accent chairs are important to round out the conversational area of the living room. This is the one place I suggest clients take advantage of in terms of budget and style. Accent chairs are very infrequently sat on but are essential to complete the look of the space. So you can go bolder in terms of colour and fabric choices to bring a bit of personality and pop into the room.

Additionally, since an accent chair doesn『t need to be as comfortable as the sofa, you can also go to inexpensive resources like IKEA, West Elm, or even Overstock and Target to save a bit on your budget.

Finishing Touches

It is so important to add the finishing touches to a room; otherwise it looks like a room with furniture, rather than a room that is thoughtfully decorated with personality. I like to use the analogy of an outfit: A room with just furniture is like an outfit without the shoes, belt, earrings, purse, and so on. So it is essential to start stylising the room once all the furniture is in. These are some of the elements to consider: window treatment, lighting, accessories, art, plants, and the like.

I know the options out there of window treatments are dizzying, so I』ll devote some time to discussing this. Going on the assumption of a S$4,200 budget, your best bet is to get a clean-line, simple curtain rod. I always use the Cambria brand from Bed Bath & Beyond and a pair of pre-made curtains.

The rule of thumb, if you have tall ceilings (2.7 m and higher), hang the rod about half way between top of the window frame and the ceiling. If you have shorter ceilings, hang the rod as high as possible to visually make the room look taller.

As for the length of the pre-made curtains, no matter where you hang the curtain rods, make sure the curtains are never ever shorter than 1.5 cm off the ground. If you have to buy longer curtains, just hem it to the right length. The look of puddling curtains is more formal and traditional, and I only use it in bedrooms and formal dining rooms.

Game plan

So here is how I would allocate a $3,000 budget:
Sofa—$1,200
Two accent chairs—$500
Area rug—$400
Coffee table—$250
TV console—$400
Window treatment—$120
Accessories—$130

Typically my clients have around S$8,000 to S$14,000 for the living room, and the options for this type of budget allow you to purchase more-expensive and custom accent chairs, a nice wool- or silk-blend area rug, custom window treatments, wallpaper for an accent wall, custom lighting like track fixtures, and the like.

Having a game plan makes the creative process of decorating less daunting and more linear. I hope you all enjoy the process of creating a stylish and functional room where you love coming home every day and sharing the space with your friends and family.

For more decorating tips by Sheen, visit redesignbysheen.com.