When you looked at our home decoration images, you would think we all live in a constantly sun-kissed and desaturated world — of course, the original #nofilter pictures in our camera rolls tell a different story.
But the filters we choose can do more than reveal our desire to live a Southern California life. They can also show us a lot about our personal style and help us create the kind of surroundings we want to be enveloped in.
Here are three ways you can bring the look of an Instagram filter into your home.
Desaturated Colors
If you love putting the Brannan filter on your photos for its metallic tint, then desaturation (basically lessening the intensity by adding black, grey, and white) is something you really dig.
To make this look from your feed to your room, start by picking colors that have grey undertones for your walls, like sage green or slate blue. It’s a great way to get a desaturated base. Then layer the room with similar tones in your large pieces, like a dove gray sofa and navy rug to continue the look around the room. For this modern design aesthetic, keep tones similar, without stark contrast, so the feeling is unified and muted.
Warm Lighting
Lighting is always the biggest element in a photo, and it’s also the most important element in home design. Why? Because good lighting — like the warm, sun-kissed glow from the Valencia filter — creates a mood and can also make us look our best. We can get that same glow in our homes.
To make this look from your feed to your room, start by carefully choosing your lightbulbs. Adding Edison bulbs is a great way to get that warm yellow light. On the other hand, you should avoid LED and fluorescent bulbs, which cast a harsher white glare. You can also use lampshades that have a tan or yellow tint instead of pure white, which will also help bring that golden color into your home. And most importantly: Add dimmers to all of your fixtures and keep them around halfway. It’s a great way to have sexy and flattering lighting that will make the filter come to life.
High Contrast
If you love that intense feeling that the Lo-Fi filter creates by intensifying unique colors and want to re-create it in your home, you’ll want a bold decor style to do the same thing.
To make this look from your feed to your room, start with a strong design plan. Like your walls being a bold color. It doesn’t mean that your room can’t coordinate, but you need that pop or star in the room that screams a little personality. Painting a dresser a high gloss red or choosing a bold bedding pattern while keeping the other pieces in the room fairly muted will make the room pop without feeling like a kid’s playroom.
Filters on our photos are great, but making your home camera-ready even without a filter is the key to making a space a #star.
