It’s time we take the stress out of decorating your home. We know it can be overwhelming or even a little scary. If you know where to start when decorating your home, you will turn your house into your perfectly styled nest sooner than you think.
These tips can apply to both large and small home projects. Whether you’re just refreshing your decor to reflect the season or tackling an entire room renovation, it can be easier than you think.
And the same tips apply whether you’re decorating an indoor or outdoor space. Use these tips on any space you’re working on this summer.
MY 3 TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED WHEN DECORATING YOUR HOME
1/ UNDERSTAND YOUR STYLE
Nothing makes a decorating project more frustrating than not fully understanding what style you’re going for. It’s like making a cake without understanding what ingredients you need for the recipe or what the cake should look like in the end.
If you know me, you know I love shopping. At the same time, is there anything more annoying than running around from store to store and returning items because nothing looks right?!
If you don’t know your Design Style or even really have a good understanding of the various styles I’m here to help. I recently launched a free quiz to help you determine what’s your Interior Design Style. Hop on over to take the quiz.
I’ve broken it down into the 6 most common decorating styles:
1/ Hollywood Regency/Glam
2/ Coastal
3/ Modern Farmhouse
4/ Transitional
5/ Traditional
6/ Contemporary
Once you’ve done the quiz, we send you over a customized MOODBOARD. It includes rules for your style as well as must-have items and things to avoid. I told you I was going to make life easy for you. You’re welcome 🙂
Learning your style makes any decorating job as easy as following a recipe. You won’t be wasting anymore time running around from store to store.
2/ SPEND TIME ONLINE- BEFORE YOU SHOP IN STORES
Spending time looking at rooms and items online first will save you time and headaches. Everything you need is online, right at your fingertips!
Look at retailer sites, Houzz and my favourite, Pinterest (if you’re on Pinterest come say hello to me). This is the closest I get to feeling like a kid in a candy store. You can spend time browsing rooms or items that you love and figuring out what pieces you need to make your room complete. Really take your time to discover and hone your style.
Search for What Matters
Search by style, by room and by colour preferences and see what excites you. Maybe you thought you were a fan of traditional luxury but if you spend some time online you might find that it’s actually transitional that makes your heart sing. Or you’ve always been a green fan but now that you see so many blue rooms you’re feeling like a change is what is needed.
Sometimes the only issue is that we’ve been stuck in a style for so long that we don’t even realize there are other options out there that might suit us better at this stage in life.
And it might take only a series of tiny little tweaks and you’ll find that your space is exactly what makes your heart beat faster. And who could ask for more from a room than that!
3/ MAKE A LIST (AND STICK TO IT!)
It sounds so simple that it seems it shouldn’t be included in a list of designer tips but I rarely speak to a design client that utilizes a list when they’re shopping for their home. It’s strange because very few of us go to a grocery store without a list but so many of us do it when shopping for our homes.
Figure out exactly what pieces you need to shop for and write them down. Next, use your inspiration images to decipher textures, patterns and colours you like and write them down. You can even start a file on your phone with images that you love so you don’t forget when you’re shopping. ps.- Don’t forget to stick to your Design Style.
Avoid Impulse Shopping
You want to learn to avoid impulse buying just because a pillow is pretty. It might be pretty in isolation but does it work with the colour of your sofa? If not, you’ll be back at the store tomorrow and you may have missed out on the perfect pillow in the perfect colour and texture.
Items can look dull or uninteresting when they’re by themselves not in the context of your space. You always have to remember that it’s the end result with all the pieces coming together as a whole. That’s the magic of decorating!
If you’ve taken my quiz already make sure you either print off or save your moodboard on your phone. There are valuable tips and tricks on there and you are unlikely to remember all of it.
If you see something that you think isn’t quite right but you really like it, take a photo. When you get home you can look at the photo in your space and see whether it’s a quirky piece that adds some interest or just a total miss.
And that’s it. Those are my 3 very simple tips to get you started when decorating any space, easily. Just because they’re easy doesn’t mean they’re not important though.
Don’t be afraid to explore your preferences and possibly even change your style.
I assume you don’t have the same hair you had in high school so it’s ok to change your design style as well. Me included, News flash- I was a redhead in high school 🙂 We all change and evolve and design is the easiest (and most fun) place to switch it up.
Happy decorating!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed maybe it’s time to bring in a professional. I offer services ranging from paint consultations to full service interior design and I can help you create the home you’ve always dreamed of.
