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Published on April 23, 2025

TRENDS

Decor Tips by Daniel Corbin | Le grand chantier RONA

Designer Daniel Corbin, an expert-judge on the reality TV series Le grand chantier RONA, shares his top tips for bringing interior design and home decor projects to life—no matter your level of experience.

Daniel Corbin
d-cor.com
A designer with more than 25 years of experience, Daniel Corbin founded the architecture and design firm D-Cor in 1999. He is an excellent communicator and popularizer, and he loves to share his passion for design and home decor by contributing to his clients’ projects or appearing on television shows.

Design and Decorate your Home

Interior design and home decor are about more than just aesthetics. By focusing on the functionality and style of a home, we can create spaces that reflect our image and are pleasant to live in.
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What are your recommendations for getting an interior design or decorating project off to a good start?

Starting an interior design or decor project can be daunting, but planning and long-term vision are key.

To bring a great design to life, it’s essential to take the time to ask yourself the right questions before getting started. What are my needs? Is there anything I absolutely want? Or that I absolutely don’t want? What is the basic architectural style of my home? What styles and trends do I prefer? What is my budget? Do I have any constraints?

The answers to these questions will guide you in your choices and help you create a decor that reflects your image and meets your needs.
Teenagers Bedroom

What new décor trends are your favourites?

Right now, I’m really into slow decorating. It’s the anti-trend trend, in a way. Instead of going with what’s in style, we’re decorating based on how we feel, our tastes, and what inspires us. We’re also taking the time to find the furniture and accessories we really love. This trend is moving away from traditional interior design trends.
Listening to ourselves is always going to deliver the best results. Slow decorating lets us create a space that feels like a genuine reflection of who we are. There’s also an Asian-inspired trend I’m loving. It embraces the idea that our belongings age with us, and that we shouldn’t get rid of them. Instead, we should take care of them, repair them, and keep them instead of rushing to replace them.
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What design trends are here to stay?

It’s pretty clear that anything organic is here to stay. People are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, so all things sustainable—whatever can’t be thrown out shortly after purchasing it—that, too, isn’t going anywhere. We’re also seeing a lot more wall treatments with faux finishes, like faux concrete, for example. Mouldings and wall panels are also having a moment. Wall design is extremely popular right now and will stand the test of time. Architectural design is taking up more space, pushing simple décor into the back of our minds. These days, we’re going beyond hanging frames to transform our walls.
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What are the best materials and textures for creating a calming space?

All natural materials have a calming effect. Think: cotton, linen, wood, stone. These are the materials we should be using as much as possible and keeping them as close to their natural state as can be. Untreated and unstained natural wood can really complement the décor. Don’t forget about lighting, either! The right lighting plays a key role in creating a soothing, cozy atmosphere for relaxing. Always go for lighting that’s under 3000 Kelvin. Be sure to choose soft paint colours, too. Blues, beiges, and greys (or “greiges”) are known having a comforting quality. Ideally, keep it simple and go for clean lines. If the room is overly cluttered, it won’t have the same peaceful energy as a minimalist space.

We noticed that you like to combine styles to create a decor with personality. What are your golden rules for successfully combining styles?

It’s simple: consistency, balance, and repetition.
  • Consistency means sticking to two styles that are different but complementary, and applying this combination to more than one room.
  • Balance means choosing a primary style and a secondary style, then decorating according to a ratio of around 70/30. For example, you could create a room with a rustic look and incorporate Scandinavian accents. Or you could add a touch of retro to a resolutely contemporary decor, blurring codes and energizing the room. These two mixtures of seemingly “opposite” styles stand the test of time and produce a truly harmonious result.
  • Repetition means using an element (e.g., colour, material, shape, texture) multiple times within the same room, but also from one room to another.
Team Blue’s Dining Room
Red Team’s Limewash
Red Team’s desk area

Do you have any home decorating pitfalls to share with us? Things that should be avoided?

I’d tend to say that, especially when you’re on a budget, it’s best to avoid projects and furniture that are too bold. Instead, opt for a more timeless look; you can then play around with paint and decor items to refresh the room without spending a fortune.

Another common pitfall is renovating each room individually, without taking the rest of the house into account. It’s essential to look at a home as a whole and make choices that ensure consistency and unity. That’s not to say that all rooms must be identical; simply think about repeating elements from one room to another to create a harmonious, well-thought-out whole.

How do you choose the right accessories to give a room a new lease of life?

A trick that always works but that we don’t always think of is playing with volume. Take an average living room, for example. Wall space is mostly filled up: you’ve got the doorway, the TV, some décor, maybe a bookshelf. But decor doesn’t have to be relegated to wall space. Playing with volume can mean many things, like hanging a bouquet of decorative branches above the coffee table, for instance. It can also mean bringing in natural elements into the room, like piling a few logs in the corner. Not only are these details unexpected but they can add a warm touch.
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