10 Top Interior Designers Share Their Home Upgrade Secrets

(Design Brad Ford, Photo Scott Frances / Otto Archive)

Interior design can be both intimidating and confusing, hence the proliferation of sites like Decorist and Homepolish, that match consumers with remote and affordable interior designers, and Modsy, that allow people to visualize their decorated space, and purchase what they like. For those who'd like to learn about interior design the classic way, there's a new book out: Interior Design Master Class: 100 Lessons from America’s Finest Designers on the Art of Decoration (Rizzoli). Here, our ten favorite interiors and the advice that each decorator followed to achieve it.

Above all: respect craftsmanship.

For Brad Ford, handmade pieces have an undeniable energy invested in them. Natural materials—wood, clay, leather, wool, or plant fibers—will make warm and approachable interiors. Especially in large cities, natural textures are needed even more. Unlike mass-produced goods, artisanal pieces add a layer of soul and simple luxury. You may not be able to afford the $24,000 credenza above, but a handmade vintage piece would fit the bill.

Get inspired by your favorite things.

Stephen Shadley often draws inspiration from movies—from the vibrant and unexpected colors in The Grand Budapest Hotel to the enviable open floor plan and perfect kitchen in Something's Gotta Give. While his clients include actual movie stars, like Jennifer Aniston and Diane Keaton, you can follow his lead by using your favorite films and shows for inspiration in your own home. What color schemes, fabrics, items speak to you? For some, vintage details like the "California" sign in Diane Keaton's home, above, adds just the right amount of rustic charm.

Don't force a design onto a space.

As with all of their projects, partners Daniel Sachs and Kevin Lindores focused on how to create a sense of place in the Bowery loft of artists Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Whether it's painting baseboards and crown moldings the same light color as the walls to create a blank canvas for art, or covering the ceiling of a narrow and dimly lit entryway to make the following space appear lighter, try to work with your space rather than fight it.

Solve problems with creative thinking.

Interior designers like Celeste Cooper are also adept problem solvers—they can fit a home office, media room, and guest room in the smallest of spaces and hide the most extensive home entertainment systems. In the apartment above, high gloss ceiling and a reflective floor helped extend light through the apartment.

Worry less about the couch, more about the artwork.

"Terrific art can do as much as architecture to make a space; similarly, bad art in an otherwise beautiful space can cause it all to come horribly crashing down," says Martha Angus. Start collecting art, but above all else, avoid fads. It's better to have amazing art with simple furniture rather than the other way around.

Let your room's layout bring people together.

Windsor Smith thinks interior designers like herself need to encourage intimacy, stillness and human interaction in today's era of electronics and interruptions. Consider moving pieces of furniture or the focal point of a room. In Smith's own house, that meant moving a Ping-Pong table in front of the mantel. In another home, she pulled the grand piano to the room's center.

Let the architecture determine the decor.

S. Russell Groves, the founder of his eponymous firm Groves & Co., writes about integration in his chapter. Even if you've never heard of (let alone can pronounce) gesamtwerk (a German word meaning a complete work of art and architecture), his advice is sound: consider using a single architect-interior designer as opposed to two separate firms. Frank Lloyd Wright designed everything from the structure and layout to the faucets and fabrics of the Robie House in Chicago.

Do what you need to do to give your place great light.

Victoria Hagan has always been fascinated by light and considers it an interior designer's job to advance light's power in a client's home. While we don't all have as much natural light as this exceptional New York City townhouse, there are ways to make a space feel brighter. Painting a floor black or using dark accents can trick the eye into thinking that the rest of the room is light. Remember to use a variety of lighting (ceiling, table, and floor) and keep window treatments sheer or white.

Stop yourself from buying into trends.

Alan Wanzenberg considers modernity a way to look at the world that prevents homes from looking dated or boring. Before purchasing furniture or a rug, choosing a paint color or piece of art, think: Will this stand the test of time? And, will you want to live with this five years from now? Ten?

Look for luxury—at every price.

Tom Scheerer argues that luxury need not mean rare or expensive when it comes to furnishings and finishes. Rough fabrics like mohair and linen can be just as luxurious as silk and satin. Hand-made items, like an alpaca blanket, or exotic items picked up on travels give an aura of luxury that items from larger stores will never have.

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