How to Finish a Room Like an Interior Designer
- May 20
- 3 min read
Throughout our work at LN Studio, finishing a space is less about adding and more about refining. It’s about how materials meet, how proportions are considered, and how visual weight is balanced across the room. These are the details that create cohesion, and the difference between a space that just looks styled and one that actually feels complete.
Below are five principles we consistently return to in our work, and how they quietly shape the outcome of a room, so you can think like a designer, too.
1. Material Transitions: Where Surfaces Meet Matters
One of the most overlooked aspects of interior design is how materials transition from one surface to another. It’s not just what materials are used, but how they terminate, align, and connect. Poor transitions create visual interruption, while thoughtful ones create calm.
At LNS Project 36, for example, continuing wood panelling across key architectural planes helps unify the space. The eye doesn’t stop and restart, it moves continuously, which creates a sense of ease and intentionality. These transitions rarely go noticed when they’re well executed, and that’s the point!
At Project 27 (which we’ll be shooting soon!), we did this quite a bit with flooring and finishes. Either multiple tile variations in one space that needed clear boundaries and space to breathe, or the same hardwood floor in a different pattern to define spaces and zones. It’s an extra step that takes the design to a whole new level.
2. Proportion: Getting the Scale Right Changes Everything
Proportion is often the silent success (or failure) of a room. Furniture that is slightly too large, artwork hung too high, or lighting that feels undersized can all disrupt the sense of balance in a space.
Good design is constantly adjusting scale: how high a chair sits against a wall, how deep a bench feels in relation to a room, or how large an artwork should be relative to its surroundings.
These decisions are subtle, but they determine whether a room feels resolved or slightly “off.” To be sure about your scale, play around with items you already have in your space. Even if not the perfect fit for that area, it helps you envision a piece of that size in place, that you can use to guide any purchase decisions. And that spot you promised you’d revisit? This is your nudge to get back to it.
3. Negative Space: Knowing What to Leave Empty
Not every surface needs to be filled. In fact, restraint is often what makes a space feel sophisticated. Negative space allows the eye to rest. It gives importance to the objects that are present and prevents visual noise from building up.
In family-focused spaces such as Project 30, this becomes especially important. The presence of colourful artwork in the kids areas, for example, is balanced intentionally within the room so it feels meaningful rather than overwhelming. The surrounding space is just as considered as the artwork itself, through accessories pulling out colours within the art consider accent colours and ensure they’re carried throughout rooms that can be seen at once, not just confined to one room itself.
4. Tonal Layering: Building Depth Through Colour and Texture
Rooms feel flat when everything sits on the same visual plane. Tonal layering is what brings depth, using variations of colour, warmth, and texture to create subtle contrast without disruption.
In the front sitting room at Project 30, warm beige upholstery on the bench was selected not as a standalone feature, but as part of a broader tonal conversation within the space. It connects to surrounding materials, softens architectural lines, and grounds the room without drawing unnecessary attention in order to not compete with the bold tile and millwork colour. It feels like part of the bench itself. This kind of layering is what makes a space feel collected rather than assembled.
When material transitions are considered, proportions are balanced, negative space is respected, tones are layered, and details are aligned, a room stops feeling incomplete. That is the difference between decorating a space and finishing it like an interior designer.
Do you have a room that you need help putting the finishing touches on? We’re available for one-off consultations designed to help you in real-time problems solve your space. And we’d love to meet.
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