Important design concepts for you to keep in mind

Professionals recommend keeping the following in mind:

1. Follow the light. On site, in a building or in a room, observe how the light changes and moves throughout the day. This gives lots of information about what you need to do when designing the building or the space.

2. Use local materials. It’s good for the environment, and those stones and woods impart soul in the spaces we inhabit.

3. Take color cues from the environment. Color can connect your home to the great outdoors. A defined palette can help your home complement the environment. A color wheel, based on Sir Isaac Newton’s work, divides colors into primary, secondary and tertiary hues, and shows their relationships to one another. The color wheel is the basis of determining color harmony and how colors are used.

4. Know your budget. When there’s a will, there’s a way. You can make your ideas work with the help of professionals.

5. Incorporate pieces you love. They imbue your home with meaning. So keep those wonderful old things that matter to you, or at least some of them.

6. Have fun, try new things, and take your time!