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Transform Your Home with Marie Soliman’s Top DIY Tips

Transform Your Home with Marie Soliman's Top DIY Tips
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Words Marie Soliman

Award-winning interior designer, Marie Soliman, and founder of Bergman Interiors shares eight smart, affordable DIY tips that can transform your home with a sleek and timeless look. From clever use of space to adding statement pieces of furniture and artwork, Marie’s tips are inspiring – and, most importantly, easy for readers to do.

SUSPENDED LIGHTING

Using pendant light or wall brackets is an excellent way to create dramatic spaces with indirect light. It’s also a cool way to create a clean fresh look, leaving bedside and coffee tables uncluttered and clear. All you need is your light of choice and a long cable to fix it to the wall without the need for an electrician or wall damage.

PANELLING

I love the Ralph Lauren “white”, it adds a very clean look to any room. Affordable beading can also be added to create a stunning yet very affordable modern French-chic panelling. Beads are extremely cheap and can be fixed to the wall with a very thing pin or with an adhesive.

LAYERS

Don’t be scared to have some fun with layers and textures. Try a variety of textures and materials in your bedroom; wool with cotton, a sheepskin rug in winter, linens in summer with hint of rough grass mats. The key is to follow a colour palette, for example whites, blacks and greys. Use these as a basis for a mix of patterns and textures to achieve the coveted Skandi look. H&M, French connection and Trouva offer huge ranges of very stylish and excellent quality pieces for an affordable price.

STATEMENT FURNITURE

Instead of cluttering up space with furniture all over the place, create corners of different seating. This works regardless of how big or small your space is. Choose your sofa and don’t buy big ones, mid-range is always good idea especially in London’s homes. Then, mix it with one lounge seat or even a swing. Swings can be fixed to the ceiling or simply free standing. The free standing varieties work well as they can be moved around accordingly. 

DETAILING

It’s the little details which make a house a home. Anthropology offers a gorgeous range of playful detailing, such as Tiebacks and ornaments. They make you connect with your surrounding and suggest you have a story to tell. Detailing will also add a good energy to flow in your house. A lively plant, such as Fig trees or olive trees, for example will instantly lift to the whole vibe. 

A bottle of water and candles are great accessories too. Always do you research before you buy anything and take time before you buy. Think what story you want to tell and only surround yourself with things that you love. Quality is better than quantity however not all the pieces have to be expensive. Invest in a good sofa and a good light and then have a smart pick of art and detail pieces around.

PARTITIONING

This could be one of the smartest decisions you make in the home. Rather than building walls, knock them down and put in soft partitioning. This could be perforated panels, curtains with locks or playful mirror shapes. Partitioning allows privacy but also allows you to maximise the spaces when needed.

INVEST IN ART

Art is the focal point – the “lipstick” – that adds life to your wall and has a massive impact in any house. Using neutral fabrics will never go wrong in furniture; blend neutrals with different texture and add a punch of colour with your art.

Whether you opt for blues, lively emerald greens or nude tones, go for big pieces. They look amazing above fireplaces or behind you main sofa. The bigger you go the more compliments you will get. Big art or big lighting units compliment the space and actually make it look bigger. 

WINDOW TREATMENT

Make use of your windows for playful detailing. Decorative curtains, curtain clips and a leading edge stitched around the curtain are all affordable ways to create a chic glamorous look.bergmaninteriors.com

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