Brian Neal Clark is a professional interior designer and a participant in our recent Project DI challenge. We challenged Brian to redo a room in his house solely with items purchased from Deseret Industries, and the results were pretty stellar. (Watch the challenge here.)

If you want to try a little Project DI of your own, here are Brian’s design tips! With these tricks up your sleeve, some patience, and a few trips to Deseret Industries, you can create a space that is beautiful, low-budget, and all your own!

1. Create a focal point.

When designing a room, create a focal point with the most interesting and important items. In a bedroom, the bed is the centerpiece of the space. It should welcome and invite you into the room. Keep your focal point in mind throughout the entire process.

2. Commit to a direction.

Once you find a few pieces that work well together, you can decide what direction you want to go with the room. Try to commit to a direction as soon as possible in the design process.

3. Use layers.

Layers help us create dimension, texture, and emotions, and they make a room feel well designed. Some people hang up wallpaper and put nothing in front of it because they love the wallpaper so much. However, putting a nicely dressed bookshelf in front of the wallpaper makes the wallpaper stand out more than it would on its own.

4. Use multiple sources of light.

Good lighting is vital. Never rely on just the overhead light. Add some bedside table lamps, wall sconces, standing lamps, or hanging lamps. In Brian’s Project DI room, there are five different light sources. And that’s just for a small bedroom.

5. Add plants (fake or real).

Every room should have something living (or that looks like it’s living). Brian added a fake bonsai to his Project DI room. (Check DI’s yard area for fake plants and silk flowers.)

6. When you’re at DI and see something you want, buy it right then.

It might be gone when you go back. If you end up buying something and it doesn’t work out in the space you had planned, try using it somewhere else. For example, Brian bought a basketball standard and then realized it didn’t fit with the room theme he’d decided on. Instead of putting it in that room, he used the basketball standard in his family room.

7. Hang pictures at eye level.

Many people hang their pictures too high. Wall art should be at eye level so you can more easily enjoy it.

8. Personalize the space.

Decorate with items you like and that mean something to you. Personalizing makes a room feel cozy and warm and gives you a sense of belonging. If everything you put in a room were new or had no personal association for you, the room might not feel like your space.

9. Upcycle.

Speaking of personalizing, painting or reupholstering an item from Deseret Industries is a great way to give it your own personal style.

10. Keep an edited eye.

Avoid putting too much stuff in the room. When a room gets too full or busy, it’s difficult to enjoy or live in the space. (Read Brian’s post “How to Edit a Room and Why You Would Want To” for more tips on preventing clutter.)

11. Don’t be afraid.

Redecorating a room using Deseret Industries is totally doable. Our Project DI participants had a blast shopping, decorating, and painting—and you can too!

Feeling inspired? We want to see how you use items from Deseret Industries in your home! Share using #ProjectDI!