‘East or West’, they say ‘Home is Best’ but for most of us, the process of assembling our home into the best place comes as a dreary hurdle.
If you don’t have the talent of assembling colors to make a pulsing hue, or the ability to play with shapes and silhouettes —then hold on tight.
Leya Akampumuriza, a blooming interior designer with ability to snap life back into your home has tips on decluttering, how to play with colors, shapes, textures and tips that will leave you wanting to stay in-doors this festive season.
The proud mother also spends most of her time catering, baking and parenting. But when she is not at that, repainting her home walls, tending her plants or doing interior designing for family, friends or clients keeps her busy.
“I have done interior designing since I was a child but you know village life, I didn’t have anyone to notice and nurture that gift. I remember as a child, I loved organizing the house, folding clothes and laying beds. It has grown with me to date” she says.
I later decided to add professionalism by enrolling in a master class on interior designing hosted by spice My Space. There I learnt so much and improved on what I already knew.
Coordination
A touch of vintage, and modern, a mixture of painting colors, say blue and orange, having the ability to coordination different textures, designs and styles will accentuate the space in your home. According to Leya, this goes a long way in making your interior decor style more visible. It is that time of year when you want to be bright, it doesn’t matter if your Christmas tree out shines the diamonds in the sky, with a touch of style your home will carry a bit of your personality.
Shapes and spaces
How do you manage your space to ensure that 1) it is not packed unnecessarily 2) it is not very spacious? That balance happens by managing your space, in interior designing, space is divided into negative and positive space. Positive space is the space being utilized, like where the tables, sofa and other appliances are placed, while negative space is that free space without furniture. These two spaces should be balanced. “It is important to first look at your space before purchasing furniture” Leya advises. Sometimes architectural design determines the shape theme of the house. Shapes are circular, rectangular, square, triangular and many more. These can be replayed by choosing the appropriately shaped rag, wall painting, antique art pieces to create a consistent theme.
Color and Indoor lighting
Colors play a big role in the appearance of your spaces. Some colors are rich, others warm, others bright, others calm. Depending on the mood you want to achieve. “Having a color theme helps your space look uncluttered” Leya says.
Lighting shows the real beauty of whatever is happening in your space. It is important because it brings the house owners personality. Natural light (Light from the sun, outdoors by open windows) shows warmth, but artifactual light (light from lamps, chandeliers, + any unnatural light) shows stillness, what do you prefer?
Simple Enticing Changes
“There are very many things you can change. But usually, the simple things to change on a low budget are cushions, plants in doors and changing furniture position from one place to another, they can make your house Beautiful” she says.
You can buy new sofa covers than a new set, you can even have different types of covers, say Ankara, Velvet, leather, cotton.
Decluttering
According to Leya, of all these tips, the most important thing is decluttering. “This means removing unfunctional things from your space. Some things that you’ve not used in a while. You get rid of them. You’ll find people who still keep books from campus that they finished 10 years ago. And you find the while house stuffed. So, you will find deculturing as a way of making your home beautiful.”
Infusing
What is interior designing if you are not integrating things together, “know your interior deco style” she says “for example, I like incorporating boho thing in my house like baskets, although I am not a boho girl so adding baskets, plants, mixing materials like velvets, silk, satin and cotton will spice things up.”
Have you thought of adding a painting on your wall, or an art piece on your set? Try looking around different galleries, for those with experience, where do you buy your indoors art pieces? Share in the comments.
Advice for Christmas
“Cleaning is necessary” she states “most of us spent the year without washing their curtain’s, cleaning walls, carpets, rugs.” Repaint the walls, change cushions and furniture. Tip: this is the right time to buy expensive house accessories because of the crazy discount sales. You better check out your favorite store/outlet for crazy discounts.
And when I asked about the trends in interior design, she said “I think there is no such thing as trends in interior, there are people who are old fashioned and prefer timeless pieces to make their home beautiful. It’s usually personal style, some people love rustic some modern and they are all fine if you can make it work.”
About the most irrelevant thing that should be taken out of the sitting room “a cupboard” she hurries to say “Cup boards are so outdated, if you insist on having it then please hide it in the kitchen, if not then have it at the dining area, not the sitting room.
Then there is a fridge, a fridge should also be in the kitchen, not sitting room. For people with small spaces, keep it near the dining set if there is now where else
Although Leya carries a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from UCU, her dozens of Certificates in Interior Designing together with her undeniable talent will make your home as warm as it can be.
Contact Leya
Instagram: https://instagram.com/akampumuriza_leah?utm_medium=copy_link
Email: leahmugisha@gmail.com
