5 Design Elements That Create The Right Ambiance In Your Home

For some interior design tips we checked in with interior designer Lisa Davenport of Lisa Davenport Designs, who showcased 5 must have elements for every interior to give your home a sophisticated and affordable design.

Here are Lisa's essentials:

1. Light. It's not just important to have lighting throughout your home—Lisa stresses the importance of lighting placement as well. She recommends minimal overhead lighting because it can wash out a space and the people in it. She suggests using sconces and lamps, using dimmers and even stringing white lights on plants. These are excellent ways to draw the eye and establish a warm and welcoming environment. To test how well you've lit each room, Lisa says to imagine connecting the various sources of light in your room—think of the old game of connect the dots. If your imaginary line makes a pattern that rises and falls, job well done.

2. Living elements. Adding plants can give your room dimension and texture. It’s a great way to liven up a space, not to mention the added benefits of cleaner indoor air! Lisa suggests placing plants around a room at different levels, similar to the way the lighting should be placed. If you don’t have a green thumb or a room has minimal sunlight, Lisa says that silk plants will do the trick just as well.

3. Reflection. A creative way to add dimension and excitement to your space is to include reflective furnishings that will bounce the light around your room. You can add traditional mirrors or use elements that have reflective properties like glass, home furnishings with mosaics, fabrics with metallic accents or floating candles.

4. Literature. Lisa points out that using books in your design is a great way to create interest and offers a lot of placement options. You can use them in a traditional way by filling a bookcase or use them to raise lamps, add layers around the room and play around with binding colors—a popular concept is to group books by jacket or spine color to create a rainbow effect across your shelving.

5. Repetition & Variation. According to Lisa this is a design basic. All spaces must have some repetition and variation in them, meaning that you should repeat colors throughout the room while varying their applications. For example, sew together the accent color of a wall through furnishings, fixtures and flooring.

For more about Lisa Davenport visit, www.lisadavenportdesigns.com