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From the Ground Up: How to Create a Cohesive Home Design Inside and Out

Creating a cohesive home does not mean that you have to match everything perfectly; it’s all about designing a space that feels linked together and leads from the front yard all the way to the bedrooms. Run your home flow as well; it can feel a little bit more comfortable to live in, and it can give a great impression to guests. You don’t need to have any background in design in order to get this right, but you do need to pay close attention to how your exterior layout and design choices link together a little bit more. 

Let’s have a look at how you can pull it all together without having to start from scratch.

Start with Your Home’s Architecture

Before you start picking any colours or shopping for new furniture, you need to have a look at your home’s structure. Is it mid-century? Is it Cape Cod colonial? 

Things aren’t just fancy labels; they give you ideas on how you can guide your design choices inside your home. If your home has clean lines and modern details, then you’re going to want your interiors to reflect the same. 

Inside, it’s better to go for a more traditional look if you have a traditional home with brickwork and decorative trim. You need to think about ways that you can get a little bit of these elements into your home, such as adding classic mouldings, water textures, or timeless lighting. 

Even if you are working with a builder-grade home or a newer build that doesn’t have massive character, you can still choose a direction. Have a look at things like the windows and finishes, and think about finding a style that complements what’s already there rather than trying to fight against it.

Repeat Materials and Finishes

What are the easiest ways that you can make your home feel more cohesive? One way is to make sure that you are using the same materials in different places in your home. 

Maybe a little bit of stone from the exterior can show up on the fireplace, or wood from the porch scene can reappear as shelving or a bench in the entrance way of your home. This type of repetition means that you are connecting the outside of your home with the inside. 

It doesn’t need to be a literal connection; you’re not trying to make your kitchen look like the exterior of your home, but instead finding a tone, a texture, or a finish, and repeating it will instantly make your home feel a little bit more linked together. 

For example, if your exterior lighting is matte black, look for ways that you could maybe use that finish inside your home, such as on your kitchen cabinets or in your bathroom. These kinds of connections help a house feel well-designed and not just decorated.

Keep a Consistent Color Palette

Colour is something that can easily tie everything together. Try starting with three to five tones that feel great for your home; these don’t have to be bold either. 

Often, the most cohesive homes are the ones that actually rely on a more neutral palette, such as sage greens, creams, and warm taupes, with deeper or lighter versions of the same colour used throughout the home. 

Think about your front door being a deep forest green; that tone could reappear in the hallway runner or as an accent wall in the office, or you could even use the pattern as a color on a pillow in the living room. 

You’re not painting every surface the same, but you are giving the eye something that is familiar, which helps link all the rooms in your house. 

This is great when you are in an open-plan home and you need to be able to create little bits of boundaries, but have everything match a little bit.

Pay Attention to Transitions

You need to really have a focus on how one room flows into the next; this is really important, and it is probably more important than what is in each room individually. When transitions are awkward or abrupt, the entire home just doesn’t feel very polished.

Walk through your home and think about whether the materials or style suddenly shift without any warning. Does one room feel too dark next to a very bright space? 

Are the furnishings in one area sleek and modern, and the next room all rustic and wood? You don’t want to make even from the same; this isn’t what you were aiming for, but you want to make sure that your rooms are connecting smoothly.

Don’t Overlook the Roof

A lot of people put plenty of time into things like choosing the paint, plants, and furniture, but they forget about the roof on their home. The thing is, your roof takes up a lot of visual space on your home, and it’s one of the first things that people will notice, even if they don’t realize it.

If your roof is damaged, old, or simply does not match the design of your home, then it can make everything else look mismatched. A worn roof competes with the efforts that you are going through to create a more polished look. 

Kirby peel can have a big impact if you ever come to sell your home, too, so it’s smart to consider working with a local expert. Have a look at this website https://supremecontractingva.com/roofing-company-northern-virginia.html, as they can guide you on materials and colors that fit with your architecture.

The new roof will not only make your home look great, but it will also protect it.

Final Thought

Having a cohesive look in your home is definitely not about being perfect in the slightest; it’s all about being a little bit more thoughtful with what you put in your home. 

When your home feels connected visually, stylistically, and functionally, it is much more enjoyable to live in. You don’t have to explain why it works; it just does for you. 

Have a look at the little details around your home and try to repeat some of the best details. Choose palettes that flow well and make sure that you try to connect your interior and exterior. 

It’s not about doing more and going crazy; it’s all about doing it with a little bit of purpose and making sure everything looks together.

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Karen LeBlanc

Karen LeBlanc is an award-winning travel journalist and storyteller, honored with two Telly Awards and four North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) awards for The Design Tourist travel show. As the show’s host, producer, and writer, Karen takes viewers beyond the guidebooks to explore the culture, craft, cuisine, and creativity that define the world’s most fascinating destinations.

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