Kari Whitman, a celebrity interior designer and television personality who has styled the homes of Hollywood giants such as Jessica Alba, Kristin Bell, and Antonio Banderas, channels nature into her beautiful designs.
"The other day I was eating oysters and I found the inner shell beautiful," she said, explaining that its multicolored sheen inspired the amazing centerpiece above.
According to Whitman, "You should at least get 10 years out of a design. Your house should be timeless, and art will definitely do that for you."
She kept this in mind when decorating Spanish actor Antonio Banderas' home, placing a timeless black-and-white photograph above the fireplace that tied together the room's color scheme.
"To be able to bring the outside in and the inside out, it's like the yin and the yang [of styling]," Whitman said. "It's really important for every house."
If you don't have an apartment with outdoor space, Whitman suggests bringing natural elements inside the house, like indoor plants.
"A really common mistake people make is when they think they can only get a bright room by painting it a bright white," said Adam Rolston of Incorporated Architecture & Design, who designed Meryl Streep's home with design partner Drew Stuart.
The trick is to keep the overall palate of the room light. Rolston also suggests using mirrors to maximize brightness. Antique mirrors, like the ones pictured above, are great for adding light but minimizing glare.
"Sofas are really not all that interesting," said Rolston, who suggests investing in unique chairs instead. "You want your chairs to be more sculptural and have more personality," he explained.
In Stuart and Rolston's Carnegie Hill project, they put money into the lounge chairs rather than investing in an expensive sofa.
If you're not looking to commit to a full-on renovation, you can easily revive parts of your home by using wallpaper.
Stuart and Rolston used a colorful, leaf-patterned wallpaper to coat three sides of this home's study. "It's called color blocking, and it creates this really cozy niche," Stuart said.
For Rolston and Stuart one of the biggest struggles of decorating a home is space, especially in New York City.
To overcome this obstacle, Stuart stresses multi-functionality, claiming that the trick is simply to "use rooms smartly."
For example, Stuart and Rolston love using expandable round tables in dining rooms. "You can set it up just for four when it's just the family at home, so you save space," said Stuart. "But you can also put the leaves in and expand it when you have a dinner party for 10."
Another trick to make small rooms seem larger is statement furniture.
"The key to small spaces is really doing a good job with editing," said Jeff Andrews, who has worked on the homes of Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Ryan Seacrest.
"You need to pare it down to things that you like looking at" he explained, saying that larger pieces of furniture will often do the trick.
He also advises not to cramp up a small room with too many different colors.
"Just go with varying textures and little bits of print to make it really cohesive and feel larger," he said. "Stay away from the proverbial pop of color. I think it doesn't work, especially in a small space."
Contrary to popular belief, black can add contrast and dimension to a room if done right.
"Any room that needs a little bit of dimension just needs little touches of black, whether it is curtain rods or picture frames, or maybe a certain table or lamp," said Andrews.
Above, Andrews used a black chandelier, two statement lamps, and a black frame to create a layered effect.
"A lot of times people think that ceilings have to be white, but they don't," Andrews said. "They're another design opportunity, kind of like an interesting rug, for you to bring drama to a room."
A wallpapered ceiling adds a subtle yet interesting element to rooms, and Andrews uses this trick in a lot of his projects, like the one above.
Unless it's a decorative light fixture, shy away from overhead lighting.
Andrews suggests mixing table and floor lamp with wall sconces to maximize light in a dramatic way.
"You can change the vibe of a room just by dimming the lighting," he adds.
The timeless trick of adding mirrors to a small room to make it appear larger gets a modern spin in Andrews' Tahoe project, above.
The three angled mirrors he hung high above the room make it seem brighter, but also add dimension. "It also adds an interesting aerial view of the room you otherwise wouldn't get," he said.
All four designers agreed that going for a timeless look is key.
"Choose iconic designs and pieces that are recognizable," said Andrews. "Have a good blend of styles to make it interesting. Things that are more contemporary, a couple things that are vintage, and maybe something meaningful like a family heirloom."
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