60 Clever Home Decor Ideas That Designers Swear By

Designing a home, though no doubt excruciating at moments, is an amazing opportunity to . Any house or apartment, whether a or a , comes with its own sets of quirks. The trick is to see these details as opportunities rather than road blocks. Once you’ve done that, the whole world is your decorative oyster.

We combed through both new and old projects from the pages of ELLE DECOR to bring you 60 practical and fun ideas to make your dream home from whatever you have. Whether it be a with little room for grand gestures or a with more room than you know what to do with, we have the answers.

Go Big with Art in Small Spaces

Haris Kenjar

In a historic house in Los Angeles’s Hancock Park neighborhood, interior designer leaned into the client’s considerable art collection to enliven her design scheme. In the snug family room, a large scale painting by Tiffany Alfonseca overlooks the room, vibing the room’s vibrant textiles and upholstery, as well as offering a place for the eye to land.

Make the Most of an Alcove

a living room with a couch and a coffee table

Björn Wallander

In this Manhattan studio, interior designer had no choice but to maximize the space at hand. Into a windowed alcove he slid in the apartment’s only bed, using the rest of the room as a living area.

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Follow the Curves

Stephan Juillard

In the sitting room of this Paris apartment, interior designer let circles lead the way. From the vintage de Sede sofa to the Beije Avenue cocktail tables to the custom ceiling lights, one simple shape pulls the room together.

Furniture Can Double as Art

Ethan Herrington

In this Brooklyn dining room by , two Tony Blahd floor lamps flank the window, operating like decorative columns while providing a necessary function to the room.

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Use Mirrors to Deepen a Space

William Jess Laird

In this , interior designer and architect Tyler Thomas hung a mirror in their bedroom to expand the space. Now, instead of looking into a sleeping area from the living room, guests are given the impression of an expanding enfilade just past the bed.

Clad Your Walls in Cork

a bedroom has cork wallcovering and a cork headboard and nightstand, a sconce with an accordion arm and pleated shade, brown bedcover and curtain, a light shag rug, and a painting over bed

Chris Mottalini

Cork is all the rage as of late, and it’s not hard to see why. The material is multiuse and adds just the proper texture and dimension in the right room. It’s perfect for damp environs like Miami (where cork-covered bedroom by Charlap Hyman and Herrero lives).

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Paint Your Floors

William Jess Laird

What would otherwise be a simple, pared-back dining room in this 19th-century becomes a lively space due to a coat of green floor paint. Interior designer coated the floor instead of the walls with the bright color, adding surprise and anchoring the neutral woods of the table, chairs, and ceiling light that dominate the rest of the room.

Install Curtains Behind Your Headboard

walls, bed curtains and headboard are in a fabric with a green floral pattern on a light yellow background, sconces are attached to headboard, side tables with lamps, and bed is flanked by bookshelves

Simon Watson

Veere Grenney is known for his good taste and sense of grandeur. In this of his design, the feeling of grandiosity extends to this bedroom via curtains hung behind the headboard, all in Michael S Smith fabrics.

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Elevate Everyday Essentials

kitchen with old brick flooring, dutch door open at top, pegboard covering one wall with pots hanging from top to bottom, wood table with wood chairs and fabric seat cushions, window with light yellow half curtain

Roger Davies

Pegboard is one of those materials so ubiquitous you forget how fabulous it can be. It calls to mind the quaint old general stores of times past but does double time when it comes to function. In the kitchen of their , Eric Hughes and Nathan Turner use it to splendid effect.

Paint a Portion of Your Walls

Helenio Barbetta

The classic chair rail is sometimes thought traditional, but in Julie Polidoro’s , it reads as starkly contemporary. For some easy visual interest and a rooting influence, try painting a portion of the bottom of your walls (or the top!) with a sharp clean edge and no additional adornments.

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Display One Quirky Thing

Ori Harpaz

In the breakfast nook of this , subverted what would have otherwise been a very serious corner. Muted tones and art in the style of Georges Braque are given a cartoonish edge in the form of a toe sculpture. A dose of hilarity is a surefire way to keep a home humble.

Wrap Your Walls in Leather

light colored space with honey colored walls and floor a small stairway leading up and a beautiful old cane seat chair standing guard

Theo Tennant

High-end interior design clients sometimes ask for the craziest things, but perhaps we should all follow in their wake. In this extremely posh by Retrouvius, leather wrapped walls make a case for quiet luxury.

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Flaunt Your Shelf Wealth

terracotta colored walls, bookshelves flank a fireplace with a mirror, objects, and lamps on mantel, stools and side tables, colorful upholstered armchair and chaise longue, multicolored abstract patterned rug

Miguel Flores-Vianna

This Patrick Mele–designed is called Happy Hill—and for good reason. What is more joyful than a colorful pair of bookcases bursting with well-worn tomes? A mismatched medley of reading material is all any room needs to feel truly lived in. And when it comes to books, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

Add a Zip of Unexpected Red

Nicole Franzen

When Ciaran McGuigan, creative director of the Irish furniture brand , moved into his , he started with a mostly muted palette. Life was brought into each space with pops of bold color, including bold red hardware.

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Upcycle a Flea Market Find

Douglas Friedman

Don’t just thrift; get creative with what you bring home. In the dressing area of Stacey Hill’s chic , flea market finds are repurposed to cover up function with beauty. A vintage Chinese-style folding screen became a pair of cabinet doors and dressers placed back-to-back form a dressing table.

Play with Asymmetry

Patrick Biller

In her , designer Montana Labelle says, “We opted for asymmetrical artwork on top of the bed as well as in the hallway to create more visual interest and layers in the room.”

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Work with What You Have

a family room has a brick wall with a fireplace and a painting, a standing paper sculpture, two vintage wood chairs with woven rush seats and backs, a colorful abstract rug, and a potted floor plant by a glass door

Chris Mottalini

In this midcentury , designer Garrett Hunter worked with the original floor plan and architectural details like the exposed brick and ceiling beams. “We didn’t move walls, so our focus was really to enhance the existing architecture.”

Conceal Everyday Tech

full on view of the fireplace clad from mantel to ceiling in stainless steel

Chris Mottalini

Hate the sight of your TV? Put it in a cupboard! , of Charlap-Hyman Herrero, designed a steel fireplace surround with double doors to conceal the living room TV. “We were crafty with our resources and took advantage of architectural quirks,” Herrero says. “Things that seem like negatives can contribute to a more romantic narrative.”

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Create a Gallery Wall to Blend the TV

Karyn Millet

Or, if you’re lacking a decent cabinet, try camouflaging your screens with an artful gallery wall. Designer Joe Lucas shows us how it’s done in his

Bring the Outside In

Nick Mele

If you have lovely views, flaunt them! Designer Lori Deeds of Kemble Interiors created a custom banquette and seating area to take advantage of the garden views of this .

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