Design Advice

A design scheme has to bridge the gap between practicality and creating a relaxing but inspiring interior. It needs to be luxurious yet create a home where you, or more importantly, your tenant, can picture themselves living. Creating this look from scratch can be daunting. But there are plenty of design tips you can borrow from the professionals to make sure your rental apartment stands out.

Here, Mansi Mehra, Head of Design at In:Style Direct, shares her expertise to help you create a truly elegant interior.

Why design is important

If you've just bought a new rental property and it's sitting empty and unloved, that's exactly how a potential tenant will see it too. You have a property but you need to create a home.

Home staging - dress to sell or dress to let is the answer. But how do you go about it?

Creating your own design concept

First, imagine spending a day in your new apartment. Think about what type of furnishings and accessories would work well. Which colours would bring the interior to life? What type of lighting do you need?

• Contemporary style and clean lines appeal to most people. The look should be simple (but not minimalist) to keep the mood relaxed, without imposing any strong design ideas.
• Furnishings should be good quality and comfortable.
• Keep decor neutral but create a strong design theme with an accent colour.
• Invest in some attractive artwork to create an individual sense of style. This needn't cost the earth - bold, photographic prints are inexpensive but make a strong design statement.
• Soft furnishings create that all-important finishing touch. Choose styles and colours that are on trend and contrast well with your decor and furniture. Think beautiful cushions, a colourful throw or some luxurious bed linen.
• Interiors magazines are a great source of inspiration but if you're short on time, furnishing packs can do the job for you, combining contemporary style, practical furnishings and great value.

How can interior design help let my rental property more quickly?

Transforming a rental property into a spectacular living space will make sure it lets quickly, possibly for a higher rent. At In:Style Direct, most of the properties we furnish are let within a week. And if you need customised furnishing packages we can help with that too contact us for more details.