60 Practical and Fun Ideas to Make Your Dream Home
Designing a home, though no doubt excruciating at moments, is an amazing opportunity to flex your creative muscles. Any house or apartment, whether a new build or a historic property, 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 small space with little room for grand gestures or a spacious house with more room than you know what to do with, we have the answers.
Maximizing Small Spaces
1. Go Big with Art in Small Spaces
In a historic house in Los Angeles’s Hancock Park neighborhood, interior designer Ashley Lavonne Walker 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.
2. Make the Most of an Alcove
In this Manhattan studio, interior designer Robert Rowe 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.
Creative Design Solutions
3. Follow the Curves
In the sitting room of this Paris apartment, interior designer Sarah Dray 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.
4. Furniture Can Double as Art
In this Brooklyn dining room by Studio Dorion, two Tony Blahd floor lamps flank the window, operating like decorative columns while providing a necessary function to the room.
5. Use Mirrors to Deepen a Space
In this Hollywood Hills home, interior designer Mike Moser 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.
Unique Materials and Textures
6. Clad Your Walls in Cork
Cork is all the rage as of late, and it’s not hard to see why. The material is multi-use and adds just the proper texture and dimension in the right room. It’s perfect for damp environs like Miami where this cork-covered bedroom by Charlap Hyman and Herrero lives.
7. Paint Your Floors
What would otherwise be a simple, pared-back dining room in this 19th-century Connecticut home becomes a lively space due to a coat of green floor paint. Interior designer Jenna Chused 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.
8. Install Curtains Behind Your Headboard
Veere Grenney is known for his good taste and sense of grandeur. In this London townhouse of his design, the feeling of grandiosity extends to this bedroom via curtains hung behind the headboard, all in Michael S. Smith fabrics.
Practical yet Stylish Storage
9. Elevate Everyday Essentials
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 Ojai ranch, Eric Hughes and Nathan Turner use it to splendid effect.
10. Paint a Portion of Your Walls
The classic chair rail is sometimes thought traditional, but in Julie Polidoros Roman abode, 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.
Adding Personality to Your Space
11. Display One Quirky Thing
In the breakfast nook of this Los Angeles home, David Lucido 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.
12. Wrap Your Walls in Leather
High-end interior design clients sometimes ask for the craziest things, but perhaps we should all follow in their wake. In this extremely posh Paris apartment by Retrouvius, leather-wrapped walls make a case for quiet luxury.
13. Flaunt Your Shelf Wealth
This Patrick Melede-designed Aspen manse 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.
Adding a Pop of Color
14. Add a Zip of Unexpected Red
When Ciaran McGuigan, creative director of the Irish furniture brand Orior, moved into his Brooklyn loft, he started with a mostly muted palette. Life was brought into each space with pops of bold color, including bold red hardware.
Upcycling and Repurposing
15. Upcycle a Flea Market Find
Don’t just thrift; get creative with what you bring home. In the dressing area of Stacey Hill’s chic Texan retreat, 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.
Playing with Asymmetry
16. Play with Asymmetry
In her Toronto home, 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.”
Working with What You Have
17. Work with What You Have
In this mid-century Los Angeles home, 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.”
Concealing Everyday Tech
18. Conceal Everyday Tech
Hate the sight of your TV? Put it in a cupboard! Architect Andre Herrero, 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.”
19. Create a Gallery Wall to Blend the TV
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 sunny Los Angeles home.
Bringing the Outside In
20. Bring the Outside In
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 Palm Beach estate.
More Design Ideas
- Style Your Home with ELLE Decor for Wayfair Professional
- Designer Tiffany Brooks on Home Trends
- 41 Tips to Style a Coffee Table Like a Pro
- 125 of ELLE Decor’s Favorite Interior Designers
- 20 Stylish Kitchen Rugs
- 100 of ELLE DECOR’s Favorite Interior Designers
- Top Designers on How to Pull Off Shiplap Walls
- Stylish Baby Rooms Even Adults Would Adore
- 24 Unique Styling Ideas For Your Bookshelves
- Minimalist Furniture That Will Always Be On-Trend
- 24 Glamorous Coffee Table Books
- We Need These Moon Lamps In Our Lives
- The Best Plant for Every Room In Your Home
Design Inspiration
From stylish coffee tables to glamorous coffee table books, there are countless ways to add a touch of personality to your home. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for a specific room or just want to browse through the latest design trends, we’ve got you covered.
- Check out ELLE DECOR’s latest issue for the most up-to-date design trends
- Browse through our gallery of stylish baby rooms for inspiration
- Get tips from top designers on how to pull off shiplap walls
- Explore our collection of minimalist furniture that’s always on-trend
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some ideas to make my dream home? *_60 practical and fun ideas are provided to make your dream home, including maximizing small spaces, creative design solutions, unique materials and textures, practical yet stylish storage, and adding personality to your space._*
How can I maximize small spaces? *_You can go big with art in small spaces, make the most of an alcove, and use mirrors to deepen a space._*
What are some creative design solutions? *_Follow the curves, use furniture that doubles as art, and install curtains behind your headboard._*
How can I add personality to my space? *_Display one quirky thing, wrap your walls in leather, and flaunt your shelf wealth._*
What are some ways to add a pop of color? *_Add a zip of unexpected red, paint a portion of your walls, or use colorful textiles and upholstery._*
How can I conceal everyday tech? *_Put your TV in a cupboard or create a gallery wall to blend the TV with other art pieces._*
How can I bring the outside in? *_Take advantage of lovely views by creating a custom banquette and seating area._*
Where can I find more design ideas? *_Check out ELLE DECOR’s latest issue, browse through their gallery of stylish baby rooms, and get tips from top designers on how to pull off shiplap walls._*
