Home Decoration Tips From Furl's Experts

Real homes get lived in. These are the decorating decisions that still look good on a wet Tuesday with everyone at home.

Most homes don't look like the ones on social media. Those rooms are styled for one photo, then put back. Yours has to work every day: school bags by the door, a dog on the sofa, friends staying over, a desk in the corner of the spare room.

So a lot of decorating advice doesn't survive real life. White linen sofas. Open shelving in a hallway. A coffee table too precious to put a mug on. The homes that feel good for years are the ones where every decision starts with how you actually live.

Home Interior Decorating Tips That Work With Your Lifestyle, Not Against It

Before you choose a colour or a sofa, think about who uses the room and what they do in it. The answers change almost every choice that follows.

Do You Have Young Children or Pets?

Even the tidiest children and the best-behaved dogs leave a trail. Muddy paws, felt tips, juice, toys underfoot. If that's your house, choose things that can take it.

• Fabrics. A tightly woven or textured fabric hides marks far better than a flat velvet or a pale linen. Our guide to the most durable fabrics for furniture explains what to look for.
• Colour. Mid-tones and gentle patterns forgive more than brilliant white or very dark solids, which show every crumb and every hair.
• Protection. On our sofa beds you can add Guardsman fabric protection, which covers stains for five years.
• Shape. Rounded edges and fewer fiddly legs are easier to clean round, and kinder to small heads.

Order a few free fabric samples and live with them for a week. Rub them, spill on them, let the dog sit on them. You'll know quickly.

Do You Have a Lot of "Stuff"?

Having things you love isn't a problem. Souvenirs, books, records, the kids' artwork: that's what makes a home yours. It only feels cluttered when everything is out at once and nothing has a place.

• Hide the everyday. A storage bed swallows bedding, suitcases and out-of-season clothes. Ours go up to 40cm deep, so the space underneath is genuinely useful, not a token drawer.
• Display the special. A few shelves or a slim bookcase keep favourite pieces off the surfaces you need to use.
• Rotate. Put some things away for a few months. Bringing them back out feels like redecorating for free.

Do You Need Rooms to Do More Than One Thing?

Most of us do. The spare room is also the office. The living room is also the dining room, and sometimes the guest room. When a room has two jobs, the furniture has to do both properly.

A sofa bed with a proper mattress turns the living room into a real guest room in seconds. A clever table goes from coffee table to dining table when people come round. We've rounded up the multifunctional furniture you need in your home if you want more ideas.

Do You Often Host Get-Togethers or Parties?

Busy, sociable homes need furniture that shrugs off spilt wine and a lot of sitting. Choose upholstery that's built for wear, table tops you can wipe down, and a paint finish you can sponge clean in hallways and dining areas.

Colour matters here too. Warm, mid-tone walls make a room feel inviting in the evening without showing every scuff. If you're stuck, read what colour should you paint your walls, and our guide to durable fabrics.

Our Favourite Time-Tested Home Decoration Tips

Trends change. These don't.

Keep a Cohesive Flow From Room to Room

Rooms don't need to match, but they should feel related. Pick two or three colours or materials and carry them through the house: the same wood tone, a repeated accent colour, similar metal finishes. In a small flat especially, it makes the whole place feel bigger and calmer.

Choose Colours That Work Together and Say Something About You

Start with one colour you love and build around it with a couple of quieter tones. The sofa is usually the biggest block of colour in a room, so it's worth matching your sofa to your paint colours before you commit to either.

Use Multifunctional Furniture to Keep Things Calm

Clutter makes a room feel smaller and busier than it is. Furniture that stores things or changes shape means less on show during the day, and the room can still transform when you need it to: a bed for guests, a dining table for six.

Tie It Together With Soft Furnishings

Cushions, throws, rugs and curtains are the easiest way to pull a room together, and the cheapest to change. A rug anchors a seating area. Cushions can bridge the sofa and the walls. Swap them with the seasons and the room feels fresh without a paintbrush.

Should You Always Follow Interior Decorating Trends?

Not blindly. Buying things because they're everywhere right now tends to give you a home that feels disjointed, with a bit of every year in it. Start with what you want the space to do for you, then look for ideas that fit.

Some trends last. Natural materials, warm neutrals, layered lighting and furniture built to last have been around for decades. Others burn bright and fade: the grey-everything look of the 2010s already feels dated in a lot of homes. Before you buy, ask yourself whether you'll still like it in five years. If not, keep it to cushions and accessories that are easy to change.

Decorating doesn't have to happen all at once, either. A new style can make a room feel like a different space, but the best way to get there is bit by bit, once you know what you want each room to feel like. It costs less, and you make better decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the easiest way to update a room without redecorating?

Change the soft furnishings and the lighting. New cushions, a rug and a couple of lamps change how a room feels more than most people expect.

How do I make a small room look bigger?

Keep the colours light and consistent, keep as much floor clear as you can, and choose furniture that does more than one job so you need fewer pieces. A mirror opposite a window helps too.

What sofa fabric is best for a home with pets?

A tightly woven, textured fabric. Avoid loose weaves that catch claws, and add stain protection for the accidents.

Should my sofa match my walls?

It doesn't need to match, but it should sit comfortably with them. Either choose a sofa a few shades away from the wall colour, or pick a contrast on purpose and repeat it somewhere else in the room.