Secrets Most Interior Designers Don’t Tell You

Accessorize in threes and other top design advice

By Jennifer Hayes

A new home is like a blank canvas just waiting to come to life with color, textures, furnishings, art, and the unique, personal touches that make a house a home. But much like taking that first brush stroke on a canvas, designing a home’s interior can be intimidating.

Before considering what to do first when designing a home, consider what not to do, suggests John Phifer Marrs, ASID, an interior designer in Dallas, Texas.

“People tend to go for quantity, not quality, when it comes to design,” he says. “They just want to move in and get it done. I tell my clients if you buy one great piece every year, in five years you’ll own five great pieces, rather than have rooms full of stuff you don’t even want anymore. Don’t buy indiscriminately. Focus on one room at a time, and eventually, you’ll have beautiful rooms filled with meaningful, carefully selected pieces.”

Estate sales offer bargains

Just because a piece of furniture is beautiful, doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. Some of Marrs’ most coveted finds come from estate sales. “Most designers won’t tell you this, but many of their favorite furnishings in their showrooms or inside the homes they’ve designed were discovered at estate sales,” Marrs says. “You can find really well-constructed, timeless furniture for next to nothing. If you’re willing to invest in a nice slip cover or get the piece reupholstered, you’ll have lovely pieces throughout your home that are much higher quality and more unique than most anything you can buy in a store today.”

Design consultations pay off

One of the biggest secrets of the design industry is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a designer’s advice on how to successfully design your home’s interior. If you like a designer’s work, ask what he or she would charge for an in-home consultation. The result of their advice is usually more than worth the often minimal cost. In fact, by eliminating the guesswork of what to purchase, you’ll probably save money because you’ll know exactly what you need and where to find it.

Here, interior designers across the country share even more of their favorite and best-kept tips on great home design.

Keep walls neutral

“If you need inspiration, find a great fabric you like and pull the colors from that. Try to keep the more neutral colors on the larger spaces, such as a wall, and the brighter colors on the smaller objects, such as a lamp or accessories. For your color scheme to be successful, you need to include a dark, a light, a neutral, and a bright.” — Betty Torrell, ASID/architect, Seattle, Washington

Select fabric before paint colors

“Always select fabrics before paint colors. There are only so many choices for fabrics, and you can always find a paint color to coordinate. When you select a color palette in the room, look at the paint color on all walls, particularly throughout the day, to see how it reacts to light. A wall that looks a pretty green in the morning can look sage in subdued light and gray at night.” — Veronica Lawrence, ASID, Orange County, California

Photograph your space

“Make sure there is a balance of height in the space. It doesn’t have to be matchy-matchy, but balance is key. If you want to really know what your space looks like, stand back, take a photo, and analyze it!” — Marilizabeth Birk, ASID, Scottsdale, Arizona

Accessorize in threes

“The top tips designers use, but don’t always tell you are this: Always accessorize in groups of three. Maintain balance with items of the same size. Accessorize using the least prominent color in the room, and blend textures—such as silks with tweeds and cottons.” — Lori Miller, ASID, New York