Sick of receiving cookie-cutter design briefs, that seem to come from the same mould factory as the other homeowners in your block?

Ever wonder how you can make your abode stand out from others; a place that totally screams you, and not someone else?

Well, here are seven inspiring ways you can do, to turn your home from cookie cutter to distinctive and make it stand out from the crowd!

1. Inject some curves

The easiest way to break out of the cookie-cutter mould is to stay away from straight lines and add curved elements to inject some edgy vibes.

These curved features will break the monotony of linear edges, pull your attention to a focal design point, or a design feature. In this way, they will make an interior feel less characterised by austerity.

Tip: Introduce curved edge elements to your abode through your furniture, furnishing, wall art, tiles, false ceilings and arched doorways.

2. Give the dated industrial look a fresh spin

At one point, everyone seems to be rocking the industrial style; from cafes, stores and residential homes. As a result, the industrial fuss-free, utilitarian look has become all too familiar.

Hence, it is high time to refresh this pared-back look by assimilating contemporary elements to add pops of fresh rejuvenating colours and introducing materials such as glass and mirrors, to soften the rough and unfinished industrial look.

Tip: Rewrite the fundamentals of the Industrial look by having your own interpretation and making own rules!

Make the industrial design uniquely yours by incorporating your love of hobbies, bright colors, non-industrial materials and even accessories.

3. Be imaginative and tap the inner child in you

As a creative, stylistic reflection of our unique personalities, let our favourite childhood cartoons continue to live with us literally!

Adopt a whimsical design around them by strategically incorporate feature walls to showcase these characters, clever lighting, furnishing and careful selection of colours to exude quirky fun and joy!

Tip: Not comfortable to go all out with your childhood cartoons? Do a pared down version by staying away from customizing fixtures and choose subtle colors to anchor the design theme around a specific cartoon character.

4. Go soothing with muted pastels

Muted pastels are incredibly flexible colours; they can be elegant and luxurious when combined with opulent materials such as marble.

They can also be minimalist chic when paired with light coloured bare wood and be soothing yet alluring when used together with neutral tones.

Tip: To prevent pastel colors from giving off too heavy nursery, delicate or feminine vibe, use splashes of pastel colors sparingly to create just the right amount of attention.

5. Be daring and go dark

Bring a designer edge into your home by daring to go dark. When done in the right balance, having dark designer elements completely shifts the mood and adds a dramatic theatre flair.

This helps to prevent white spaces from looking clinical and boring!

Contrary to popular belief, going dark is not equivalent to using black or grey hues only, be adventurous and dress up your interiors with your favourite colours!

Tip: Making a dark home design work require a delicate balancing of ambiance lighting, contrast, materials and texture to prevent the dark hues from being overbearing and gloomy.

Use lighter colored elements such as warm wood, bright accents and lighting strips to break up the monotony to achieve a dynamic, sophisticated appeal.

6. Create an extension of nature

Bringing nature indoors by incorporating a living wall, also known as a vertical garden wall, can dramatically enhance your home.

Using a green wall can make you feel close to the nature, right next to a living garden, with this stunning centre piece which will make quite a conversation starter for your guests!

Tip: Do you know that the lightest, thinnest green wall is only around 2 cm thick! If you are on a tight budget, consider interweaving the living walls with artificial ones to create an illusion of a much bigger and longer vertical garden!

7. Create an illusion of added height with unusual ceiling designs

Ceilings are usually left flat, unpainted and raw. In fact, only a few realize that by doing simple, subtle touches to this forgotten area, they can instantly elevate your home from “boring” to “wow”!

Tip: You can either keep the rest of the furnishing or interior design simple, so that the focal point is over the head.

Aside from that, you can blend the design elements from the wall and continue them upwards, to slowly bring the attention from eye level, and guide them up to the ceiling.

This article was first published in Renonation.