Is there a formula to creating great rooms? For most pros there is a ten step program that we follow rigorously to ensure brilliant spaces, room after room.

Step 1- Get to know your space

Understanding the room provides you with a solid foundation upon which you can build a decorating plan. Visit the room and note the light at various times of the day, especially during the hours you will eventually spend the most amount of time in this space. Note any important architectural features such as window height, location, fireplaces and mouldings, You also want to establish the room's views - exterior views that will be framed and featured within the window frame and interior views which will be features and focal points in the room. Take measurements of the room and develop a room footprint. Be sure to include any items that will affect the decorating such as heat vents and electrical outlets. Put all this information into your room file or decorating binder.

Step 2- Your style binder

If you don't have a room file or decorating binder, then you need to create it. It's a binder or file that will contain all your favourite clippings from magazines of rooms you would like to recreate for yourself; product brochures, fabric samples, paint swatches, your room's measurements and floor plan. Keep ample notes on your research from shopping trips and what it is about each photo that appeals to you and how the room relates to your space.

Step 3- The floor plan

Time to create a scaled drawing of the room's footprint. The floorplan will then be used to create a furniture plan. This will ensure that you have the correct proportional relationships between all the furniture pieces and large accessory items in the room. It is imperative that the furniture 'fit the space'. For example, if you are purchasing a wall unit then the wall unit will need to be large enough to cover 80-100 per cent of the wall space.

Step 4- Design layer by layer

A room is created layer by layer and each layer requires its due diligence. There are three distinctive layers to this stage: the floors, the walls and the ceiling. The floor will account for 50-65 per cent of all the items you put into the room, the walls will account for 15 to 25 per cent of all the items and the ceiling will account for 5-10 per cent (think crown mouldings, light fixtures, medallions, and paint).