The Domino Effect of Design: What to Choose First (and Why It Matters)

People often ask where to start when decorating a room. Should you pick your paint first? Find a sofa you love? Choose curtains before flooring? The short answer is no, not necessarily.

The slightly longer answer is that interiors work a bit like dominoes – one decision knocks into the next. Get the first one right and everything else tends to fall neatly into place. Get it wrong and, well, you’ll be repainting within the year.

The secret is knowing which elements are hardest to change and which ones will politely adapt to others. Here’s how I’d tackle it – and yes, I’ve learned a few of these the hard way.

Start with the things that don’t move

Your floors, windows, and any built-in features are your starting point. They set the tone for everything that follows because they’re expensive, permanent, and very annoying to redo. The floor, in particular, has a huge impact. Its undertone – whether it leans warm or cool, light or dark – dictates what will sit comfortably above it.

If you’re renovating, get this layer right before you start falling for fabrics or wall colours. Otherwise, you’ll spend the next decade trying to make that slightly yellow oak behave.

Then move on to the big investments

Sofas, dining tables, and beds come next. They’re the backbone of your home – the pieces that quietly hold everything together – and they should earn their keep for years. Go for shapes and materials you won’t tire of too quickly.

Add personality through art or cushions rather than upholstery you’ll regret by Christmas. (Or ignore that completely and buy the bold blue sofa anyway – I did, eight years ago, and I still love it.)

It’s also worth thinking practically: how much light does the room get, what kind of wear will it face, and will Diesel be allowed on it (no, is the answer, by the way).

Let textiles tie things together

Once your main pieces are sorted, fabrics can work their magic. Curtains, rugs, cushions – they’re what make a space feel finished and intentional. But they should respond to what’s already there, not dictate it.

A rug can unite a room beautifully, but it’s rarely a good first purchase. I’ve been there – fallen for a patterned one and then spent months finding a sofa that doesn’t clash or completely disappear against it. Learn from my mistake.

Paint and wallpaper (but not always in that order)

Here’s where most people get tripped up. Paint feels like the natural place to begin – it’s accessible, it’s fast, and it’s the thing you can actually do on a Saturday afternoon. But it’s also the easiest to change and the most flexible in terms of matching.

So don’t start with paint. Choose it last, when you already know what else you’re working with. There are literally thousands of paint shades. You will find one that works.

The exception is wallpaper. If you’re utterly set on a certain design, commit early. It’s far easier to find a paint colour that works with your wallpaper than to fall in love with a wallpaper that happens to match ‘Greige Number 5’.

Art can lead the way

While art usually comes near the end, a special piece can just as easily set the tone for an entire home. If you already own a painting or print that you love, let it guide your colour palette from the start.

Pick up one or two tones from it in your furniture or soft furnishings, and use it as a visual anchor.

Some of my favourite rooms began with a single artwork – one that everything else quietly takes its cue from. It’s proof that design order isn’t fixed, just thoughtful.

Lighting and hardware are the mood setters

When the main palette and pieces are locked in, you can start refining. Lighting and hardware are what bring atmosphere and polish. They can push a scheme one way or another – warm brass softens, black sharpens, chrome modernises.

Think of them as punctuation marks that change the rhythm of a room.

Art and styling are the finale – unless they aren’t

Most of the time, art and décor are the finishing touches that make a space feel lived in and personal. They don’t create the structure – they celebrate it.

But if you happen to have a show-stopping artwork or heirloom piece, then by all means start there and let everything else follow. It’s your home, not a formula.

It’s a bit like setting the table. You wouldn’t start with the flowers and then realise you’ve got nowhere to put the plates – unless the flowers are the reason for the dinner in the first place.

The moral of the story

Designing a room isn’t about a strict order, it’s about smart sequencing. Start with what’s fixed, invest in what lasts, layer with textiles, finalise your colours, and then bring in the personality pieces that make it yours.

Think of it as setting off a row of dominoes – with fewer regrets, less repainting, and far more satisfaction when everything falls beautifully into place.