How Does an Interior Designer Approach Their Own Home Design?

I always joke that it's easier to design a client’s home than my own, because when it’s personal, you suddenly see a hundred possibilities rather than one. You're emotionally invested, too close to the outcome, and trying to represent not just yourself but often a whole family dynamic. Whether you’re a novice or a professional, designing your own home presents a very particular challenge: how to make it feel like you while still working for the way you live.

So here are some things to consider...

How do I spend a limited budget?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get, and the answer truly depends on your stage of life and the state of the home.

I would suggest asking yourself a few questions before you do anything...

• Is this your forever home or might you move within the next 5–10 years?

• Is the layout fundamentally working or does it need structural/spatial changes first?

• Are there any practical issues that urgently need to be addressed?

If it’s not your forever home and you can get away with cosmetic changes, I always recommend allocating budget to quality furniture, art and decorative pieces and just a simple lick of paint for the walls. These items start to build your visual story, and more importantly, you can take them with you. They become part of your personal world, not just your current home.

If it is your forever home and the layout isn’t working, I would invest in the bones first, flooring, lighting, spatial changes even if it means living with garden chairs in the living room for a while!

To colour or not to colour?

This is completely down to personal preference, but I encourage people to look at what rooms they have historically enjoyed spending time in and see if there’s a theme to the spaces you enjoy.

Using my own home as an example, as a person I am always thinking, planning and creating, so I gravitate towards spaces that are calm, grounded and tactile. My husband, on the other hand, loves colour, energy and visual stimulation.

We realised that compromising in every room would leave us both feeling slightly uncomfortable everywhere. So instead, we divided the home by experience. I refined the sitting room and bedroom as my calm sanctuaries, while he got to bring colour and visual interest into the dining space and TV nook. It works because each of us gets to truly relax somewhere and feel their personality is represented.

"You have a whole house to play with, compromise doesn’t have to live in every room." - Maché Interiors

But how do you create synergy?

The next question I’m always asked is: how do you stop the house feeling disjointed if rooms have different moods?

The key is choosing a connected colour palette for the whole home, then dialling those same tones up or down depending on how you want each space to feel. All colours have quieter and louder versions. Olive can become soft sage, terracotta can become blush, navy can become pale blue.

Another way to create cohesion is through repeated texture or material, the same warm wood, brass finish, or curved shapes popping up in several rooms ties the story together even if the colours shift.

Let it evolve

One thing I remind clients (and myself) is that a home doesn’t need to be ‘done’ in one go. It’s allowed to grow with you. Once the core palette and layout feel right, it’s often better to live in the space for a bit and add things slowly and see how it feels day to day. Some of the most loved rooms evolve over time, one piece found on holiday, a gifted painting, a chair moved from one room to another. It’s a process, not a deadline.

Am I doing it right?

Lastly, please remember there is no right or wrong when it comes to your own home.

If you love it, keep it. If something feels off, try moving it to another room or use The Colour Wheel, sometimes a single supporting colour is all that’s needed to balance a tricky piece.

Your home doesn’t need to look like a magazine. It just needs to function and support the way you live; be a place you can be proud to have people visit and feel like somewhere you can exhale and build memories in.

Enjoy the process!