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If the entire universe of interior design could be summed up in a phrase, whether budget or luxury, residential or commercial, renters or homeowners, no matter the designer or location or circumstances, that phrase would be this: You be you. Do you like deep purple walls? Paint your walls a stunning indigo. Do you prefer to divide a house into rooms rather than present an open concept? Embrace your preferred space! Do you prefer brass drawer pulls to gold or stainless steel? Go purchase the brass pulls that caught your eye.
Michael Mitchell is a Charleston-based designer with an iconic store on King Street. His opinions are sought from Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts, to Manhattan Beach, outside Los Angeles, and he is not afraid to offer them. "It's my job to guide you through your project, so that's what I do," he said.
Generally Accepted Principles of Design Designers have opinions about what constitutes good and bad design, and sometimes, they have their personal idiosyncrasies. On most design issues, though, there is some consensus because the experts share generally accepted principles of design. For example, Mitchell says buy what you love.
It's hard to imagine any designer disagreeing. "There will always be a place for the pieces you truly adore in your home," says Stephanie Molster of Charleston-based Stephanie Molster Interiors. In fact, Molster says, building your own home collection is becoming more necessary because the internet's democratization of everything has helped trends spread like wildfire.
"Most things are readily available at our fingertips, which proves to be extremely convenient in many ways, but also challenging when trying to create a home that doesn't feel mass-produced. Building a collection, therefore, becomes a great way to add a personalized aesthetic to your home, and I think this desire to create a singularly personal space will only continue to grow," she said. Some 2025 Design Trends In the world of interior design, trends often dictate what makes a house cool or outdated.
Wall paneling, shag carpeting, and linoleum all scream 1970s, whereas if you want your home to boast 2025, you might expect to see the wallpaper, natural fibers, and vibrant colors. Bold color is number one on the trend hit parade, say several designers. "I just worked on a house in Avondale, and she did her living room in a slate navy blue," said Cathy Rowland, owner of Cathy's Custom Window Treatments on John's Island.
"They painted the walls, trim, and ceiling, and it's very pretty but moody. Her daughter's room has a medium pink molding, trim, walls, and doors. She carried that through the whole house.
I'm seeing a lot of that on Kiawah and Daniel Island, too." Wallpaper is also becoming widely popular, says Mitchell, because it makes a room cozier and can serve as its own art. Mitchell installed Gracie wallpaper in one client's home with a Chinoiserie pattern – a European interpretation of Chinese motifs – in this case, a tobacco color background and painted depictions of trees and flowers in white.
"I'm not hanging any art in the room because the wallpaper is art," he said. Rowland agrees about wallpaper but warns that you'll love it much more if you don't have to hang it yourself. "My installer and I joke about how many marriages we've saved by installing wallpaper for clients.
" Wood and natural fibers are also making a comeback, say area designers. They provide a sense of security and warmth, connecting people with the natural world. They are particularly useful in rooms that connect the inside to the outside, like a sunroom or dining room that opens to a porch.
"A wooden ceiling was meant to be the showstopper on the covered porch of this project we recently completed," said Molster. "The rich hue of the cedar creates an intimate mood and elevates the room from a secondary space to a central hang-out location." Every office cubicle in the world is a testament to the human need to personalize space, but interior design as we currently envision it harkens to the ancient Greeks, who festooned their homes with objects and high-value furnishings.
Of course, humans have been decorating our living spaces for all of our 200,000 years on this planet, as evidenced by cave paintings and rock collections. The concept of "interior design" took a bit longer to formulate, coined in 1913 by the mother of the industry, Elsie De Wolfe. Americans spent $40.
7 billion on gussying up their homes and business spaces in 2020, providing jobs for more than 60,000 interior designers. A nationwide survey by Houzz found that the average home renovation cost $24,000 and focused on the bathroom and kitchen. This is not an exact analogy with interior design because renovations often involve construction, while a room makeover could require little more than a change in lighting, hardware, a piece of furniture, and a few throw pillows.
But every reno requires some new design. In the Charleston area, the "golden handcuffs" of rising home prices and a return to interest rate normalcy have prevented many local homeowners from selling their homes. They are "stuck" with their low mortgage payments and increased home value, leaving many of them to use their equity on updates to the living space instead.
That, along with the proliferation of home improvement TV shows, has been a boon to the industry—and the indoor aesthetic everywhere. Design Do's and Don'ts To maximize your own indoor aesthetic, here are some do's and don'ts courtesy of area experts. Do: Start with one room and complete it before moving on to the next, especially if you're doing it yourself, says Cathy Rowland.
Don't: Use fake plants in your house, says Michael Mitchell. "No one wants to see your dirty, dusty plastic Ficus tree." Real plants bring life and natural beauty to a home.
Do: Take advantage of natural light, says Ashley Acra, a designer with Keller Williams Realty. Even the most beautiful lighting fixture can't quite recreate the majesty of the sun. Don't: Buy cheap because it's fast, says Stephanie Molster.
You will have to live with whatever you buy for way longer than the glow of saving will last. Do: Invest in nice lighting, says Mitchell. "Cheaping out on lighting is like wearing costume jewelry with a Versace dress.
" Don't : Skimp on the details because you want to get the project done, says Molster. "When you get to the end of a project, whether a new build or a smaller renovation, it's tempting to be overtaken by decision fatigue. But don't pass on the perfect hardware because the lead time is longer or custom lampshades because you've become resigned to the plain white ones.
Those final details are what make a project special." Gone are the days when parents wrapped their formal living room furniture in plastic and warned the kids to stay out. Today, there is widespread recognition that a home is a house that is lived in.
That is Michael Mitchell's philosophy. "Make sure the rooms feel approachable, that you should be there and not that you shouldn't. I had a client who said their living and dining rooms were for looking.
I want you to enjoy. There's no point in having a beautiful room if you can't enjoy it," he said. Ashley Acra said people are taking advantage of the notion of function and form in symbiosis in their designs.
"We're seeing a fantastic turn to function and form by way of washable area rugs and easily detachable drapes. It's making the home feel beautiful and functional, where in the past, you had to choose one or the other," she said. And don't forget to make it your kind of beautiful.
"You need to go with things you love. Don't talk yourself into an aesthetic if it's not livable for you," said Rowland..
