Room design 3 ways

I know the feeling well of beginning with a new space. Exciting but also intimidating. So many things you could do, directions you could go. Where do you begin?

Here's three different frameworks for approaching the design of a room or home. I've used them all and often blended them. If you are stuck or struggling to start, it's amazing what can happen in a couple creative hours if you pick a method and just begin working.

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the zone based approach

Zone-based design starts by mapping how you're going to use different areas of a space.

You know that feeling when you walk into a room and just naturally know where to go? That's smart zoning at work.

Back in the 70s, when open floor plans started taking over, designers had to get creative about defining spaces without actual walls. I've fallen in love with this method because it's basically like being an architect with furniture instead of brick and mortar.

Begin by identifying key activities - working, relaxing, dining, music etc. - and create clear areas for each. You then build up natural boundaries or little "walls" between zones using furniture arrangement, rugs, lighting, large plants, or architectural elements, while ensuring nice smooth transitions and comfortable walkways.

One of my rules is you always want to be walking on a rug or bare floor with two feet, one on one off is a big no no. You can use rugs as either pathways or as the "zone." Positive and negative space.

The goal is to give each zone a distinct purpose while maintaining visual flow throughout the space. Think of it like creating "rooms within rooms," even in an open floor plan.

Assuming you were starting with a floor plan or empty space, a good way to do this is to designate an area's use by function & windows - then you just tape off all your walkways and build out your zones from there. In an ideal world, a 38" or more walkway is great.

the inside out method

Want something a little more formal and impressive?

You could describe the inside out method as "find the main thing and reinforce it" or "make a room more of what it already is."

You begin by establishing a central focal point in each room - like a fireplace, statement furniture piece, artwork, window - and then build the design outward in layers. The Inside-Out method originates in classical European interior design, particularly where grand focal elements like fireplaces or ornate mirrors really made statement .

See how everything is arranged around the fireplace, which is made even more of a central focal point by the painting stacked on top.

Each design decision radiates from the central anchor point. Like ripples on a pond.

via Crate & Barrel

the mood-first approach

"I don't know what I want, but I know it should feel like....."

The Mood-First approach emerged from the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800s, which emphasized emotion and organic harmony in design. It really caught on during Hollywood's Golden Age.

Brody Residence draft sketch - William Haines designer / Quincy Jones architect. Via @williamhainsla - Instagram

To apply the Mood-First approach, I would visit a few of your favorite places in hospitality and ask "how does this make me feel"?

If you'e favorite cocktail bar makes you feel "cozy, romantic & sophisticated," start to figure out how it's doing that.

Lobby Bar at the LaFayette Hotel, San Diego

Create a mood board that captures this feeling through colors, furniture, light fixtures, textures, art and materials. Pick a palette, maybe 5 things, that supports the mood. Dark wood, blush velvet, chrome hardware, orange accents, stone textures. Something like that.

Choose furniture and accessories that complete the emotional narrative, always checking back against your original mood board.

This is a really good way to make sure a new home gets designed in a cohesive manner. Start with your 5 things things that define the mood, and carry them all the way through into the details through the end of the project.