Your home is the place you retreat to every night. Your respite from the outside world. So, there’s every reason to put the time, money and effort into creating a space that works for your needs – and in which you (and anyone who happens to pass through) can really enjoy luxuriating. We asked the experts for their top tips for elevating a space, whether it’s a sprawling countryside estate or a minimal one-bed apartment in the city.

Think of your entrance space as a room in itself. “Add colour and texture – a dark entrance can be incredibly dramatic,” says New York-based interior designer Robert Passal. “Create interest with impactful large-scale art or a gallery wall, and introduce a touch of life. Flowers, plants or a large tree will add impact and warmth to your entrance. I am a big fan of flanking an entry door with a pair of trees.”

For Charlotte Rey and Duncan Campbell, founders of design consultancy Campbell-Rey, maximalism is the guiding principle. “Don’t be afraid of colour – more is more,” Campbell says. But if you’re apprehensive, the duo has a few go-to combinations to get you started: Rey favours eau de nil alongside burgundy, while Campbell recommends pairing olive green with powder blue and raspberry with yolk yellow.

“Sharp angles and jagged edges stimulate the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with fear, so choosing furniture and objects with rounded forms puts us closer to nature and makes us feel more settled,” says Matt Gibberd, founder of The Modern House and Inigo, and author of A Modern Way To Live.

“Items that are larger in scale have more impact,” Passal says. “Before choosing and placing accessories, take the time to study scale and proportion and what fits best in your space. That’s what helps create a comfortable home. I recommend varying the scale and heights when grouping objects. The largest accessories should be placed first and sparingly, with smaller ones filling in and adding balance where needed.

“You also need to leave some breathing room on your surfaces so that the objects can be seen,” Passal says. “Not every nook and cranny in a room needs to be filled with accessories.”

“I strongly believe in using lighter colours in lighter rooms (south-facing, larger windows, etc) and darker colours in rooms with less light,” says Alex Glover, founder of colour consultancy Alexander Austin James. “The lighter spaces will reflect light into the darker spaces – for example if you have a living room with lots of natural light and a hallway with minimal light next to it, this will brighten up the hallway even if those walls are in a darker hue.”

“When placing furniture in a space or objects on a mantelpiece, group them together in odd numbers rather than perfect grids,” Gibberd says. “If things are arranged asymmetrically, the eye is forced to move around them to fully absorb what it sees.”

One of the trickier aspects of decorating your home is finding artwork that’s unique, fits your personal taste and feels right for the space. Severine Lammoglia, the principal designer for Soho House, recommends taking the members’ club’s approach: “We work with a separate team of art specialists and they always advocate visiting graduate shows if you want to find the most contemporary work.”

“Antiques and reclaimed items in kitchens will really help to soften the harsh lines and clinical feeling that many kitchens have,” Buchanan says. “Bring in distressed warm wood in the form of chairs or side tables. Source old lights and lamps that have character and patination. Place art on the walls and try to have a table lamp light circuit to create a more intimate feeling. The same is true of a bathroom – don’t shy away from wood and fabrics in bathrooms, as it will make spending time in them so much more enjoyable.”

Don’t be tempted to opt for “doll-house furnishings” in small spaces, Passal says. “Use the largest furnishings that properly fit into the space.” Likewise, “large rugs will allow the space to visually feel larger. And hang drapes and window treatments as high as possible – from the ceiling line or just below the crown moulding.”

“The Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa once described the humble door handle as the ‘handshake of the building’,” Gibberd says. “We come into physical contact with our doors every day, so upgrading the knobs and knockers to something more ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing can have a deceptively positive effect.”

For interior designer Christian Bense, creating a cosy space is all about contrasts. “If you have a wooden coffee table, introduce a lacquered side table as a counterbalance in the same room. If you have a linen sofa, add velvet scatter cushions to play on the textures. If you have a traditional pendant, introduce some contemporary floor lamps to balance out the style. These yin-and-yang moments help to create a layered feel.”

An easy way to reinvigorate your space is to swap out the finishing touches every few months. Passal suggests adding in seasonal plants, but also changing cushions, throws and bedding. “Use lighter colours during the warmer seasons and darker colours in the cooler seasons,” he says. “Swap your wool rugs for sisal or flat weaves in summer and vary your dinnerware seasonally.”

“Introduce lighting at different levels in the room,” Lammoglia says. “Mix low-level lights such as table lamps and floor lamps with high-level lighting, such as pendants and chandeliers. At Soho House, we play with the light-fitting scale, varying small and very tall lamps as well as mixing different lighting materials including glass, metal and fabric shades to create a more eclectic look.

“The most common design blunder I come across is rooms that are overlit,” Passal says. “No one and no space looks good in lighting that’s too bright. Dimmers, whether wall and lamp or three-way bulbs (I recommend 30/70/100 watt), can transform a room.”

“Design and decorate your home office as you would any other room in your home,” Passal says. “If it is your own personal space, allow the room to represent you, your travels, family history, etc.” And if your WFH area is a shared space, then think vertically. “Take advantage of wall space with drop-down desks and wall-mounted storage spaces, which can hide a multitude of paperwork and sins.”

“A report in California showed that children are more productive, and even achieve better exam results, when they are able to work in a sunny space,” Gibberd says. “All of us would benefit from getting more natural light during the day – the simple act of placing your desk near a window can increase productivity and help regulate the circadian rhythm.”