Furnish & Fettle Interior Design

04/06/2026

Your room doesn’t need to be bigger… it just needs these 5 changes.

One of the most common things we hear is:
“How can I make this room feel bigger?”

The good news? Most of the time, the answer isn’t knocking down walls or spending a fortune.

Here are 5 things we regularly do as interior designers to make a space feel larger:

1. Stop buying small furniture

This surprises people.
Lots of small pieces can actually make a room feel busier and more cramped.
A well-sized sofa and fewer, larger pieces often make a room feel calmer and more spacious.

2. Pull furniture away from the walls

It sounds backwards, but pushing everything to the edges can actually make a room feel smaller.
Giving key pieces a little breathing room creates better flow and makes the layout feel more intentional.

3. Create a clear focal point

When your eye doesn’t know where to land, a room can feel cluttered.
Artwork, a fireplace, statement lighting or even a beautiful view can instantly make a room feel more organised.

4. Layer your lighting

One ceiling light isn’t enough.
Table lamps, floor lamps and wall lights create depth, soften shadows and make a room feel bigger, especially in the evenings.

5. Use colour more cleverly

The more your eye can travel around a room uninterrupted, the larger it feels.
Repeating colours and tones throughout a space helps create flow and visual calm.

Making a room feel bigger isn’t about having less in it, it’s about arranging it better.

Like this post if you’d like to see more home interior tips.

03/06/2026

02/06/2026

Awkward layouts aren’t usually the problem…

Long narrow rooms.
Too many doors.
Strange corners.

Open-plan spaces that feel a bit disconnected.
We see it all the time.
And most rooms don’t actually need completely rethinking.

A few things we’d try first:

– pull furniture away from the walls
– use rugs to create invisible zones
– soften hard lines with curves
– create one focal point
– stop trying to fill every corner

Because awkward rooms don’t usually need more furniture.
They just need a little more thought behind them.

Do you have a space that feels a bit awkward?

interiordesign

31/05/2026

The one thing we’d remove from your home right now…

No… not colour.
Not pattern.
And definitely not cushions
It’s visual heaviness.

As the days get lighter, people naturally start noticing when a room feels a little weighed down.

Usually because of:

– accessories competing for attention
– heavy throws no longer being used
– styling pieces that feel too dominant
– cushions that multiplied over time (it happens!)
– furniture or pieces that don’t really serve a purpose anymore

One thing we do constantly in the studio is… edit.

Because creating calm is often less about adding more…
…and more about giving the right things room to breathe.

Looking for more easy interior tips?
Comment GUIDE and we’ll send you the link to our Free Guide.

northyorkshire interiordesign

28/05/2026

Your room might not be too small…

Most rooms don’t actually need more space, they just need a few things to work a bit differently.

Things we always look at first to make the most out of a space:

– Pull furniture slightly away from the walls
– Use fewer pieces with better scale
– Layer lighting instead of relying on one ceiling light
– Hang curtains higher and wider
– Repeat colours instead of introducing lots of new ones
– Leave some breathing room

Because rooms that feel spacious aren’t always the biggest ones!

Follow along for more tips on your next room refresh.

interiordesign

26/05/2026

The sentence we always hear halfway through every project…

“I’m so glad we’re not doing this ourselves.”

We hear some version of this in almost every project because this is normally when clients realise how many tiny decisions are happening in the background of their project:

– a flooring sample suddenly pulling pink in daylight
– changing a fabric because it works alone but not together
– one brass finish being warmer than another
– deliveries and installers all needing to happen in the right order

None of them feel huge individually.

But together, they quickly become hundreds of tiny decisions people never realise exist.

Because it’s rarely the big exciting decisions that feel stressful - it’s all the little ones nobody warns you about.

The homes that feel and look effortless usually had a lot of effort happening behind the scenes first.

Save this if you’re planning your own renovation.

24/05/2026

Dark walls don’t make a room feel smaller when you balance them properly…

In this space, the darker panelling and ceiling create depth, drama and that cocooning feeling around the seating area…

But the softer neutral walls at the other end of the room stop everything feeling too heavy or enclosed.

That contrast is what makes the whole scheme work.

Then the quieter layers soften it even further:

– velvet upholstery
– warm brass details
– patterned accent chairs
– soft lighting
– and lots of texture throughout

Nothing here feels flat because every element is helping balance the next one.

This is why darker interiors don’t have to feel intimidating.

When they’re layered properly, they can feel calm, elegant and incredibly inviting.

Follow along for more inspiration.

21/05/2026

Not because it’s perfect.

But because it feels calm when life feels busy, comfortable at the end of a long day and thoughtfully put together in a way that just… works.

The homes people love the most are rarely the trendiest.
They’re the ones that feel personal, layered, comfortable and easy to live in.

The lighting feels soft in the evening.
The seating actually invites you to sit down.
The colours flow naturally from room to room.
And nothing feels overly forced or “for show”.

That’s usually the difference.
A well-designed home doesn’t just look beautiful in photos, it supports your everyday life.

✨ If you’d love your home to feel calmer, more cohesive and beautifully put together, download our free guide - comment GUIDE and we’ll send it straight to you.

19/05/2026

Your cushions might be the reason your living room still doesn’t feel finished…

Cushions are often treated as the very last thing to think about - as a finishing touch.

But in reality they can make or break a room!

Done well, they add softness, depth and personality.

Done badly… they can make even a beautiful room feel flat or slightly “off”.

A few things we always think about when styling cushions:

• Mixing sizes - not just patterns
Too many small cushions can feel stiff and overly styled. Larger cushions instantly make a sofa feel softer and more relaxed.

• Texture matters just as much as colour
Linen, velvet, embroidery, woven fabrics… texture is what stops a neutral scheme feeling one-dimensional.

• Not everything needs to match
The best cushions usually relate through tone or warmth - not because they’re all identical.

• They should connect the room together
We often use cushions to pick up colours from artwork, curtains or rugs so the whole space feels cohesive.

• Comfort matters
A cushion should actually feel nice to lean into. The filling makes just as much difference as the fabric. A high-quality feather inner gives cushions that relaxed, softer look designers love while still feeling comfortable to lean into.

The best rooms don’t just look good… they feel inviting and comfortable to live in too.

Save this for your next living room refresh.

14/05/2026

This is what a bedroom feels like when every detail works together…

This bedroom was designed to feel calm, soft and easy to switch off in at the end of the day.

Nothing too overdone or trendy but effective laying that makes the whole room feel warm and comfortable despite being a small space.

A few things that we focussed on in this bedroom:

- A large upholstered headboard to make the room feel more grounded

- Soft lighting instead of relying on one main ceiling light

- Different textures layered together so the neutral tones still feel interesting

- A cosy armchair corner that utilises the space and makes the room feel more relaxed and lived in

- Subtle wallpaper behind the bed to add depth without overpowering the space

It’s often the small details that completely change how a room feels.

Comment or DM the word Discovery to book a call with us to see how we can help you with your next project.