10 Decorating Secrets for the Busy Home
Truth Bomb: Rome wasn't built in a day and CREATING a home takes time.
I get it. You’re busy.
Decorating and designing your home has not been a priority. Are you tired of wasting money buying things that do not work for your space.
Are you buying for the thrill of a great deal but not buying what you like.
Are you being bombarded by influencers on social media telling you that you need to jump on the latest trend bandwagon.
I’m here to tell you to STOP!
I’m going to share 10 Decorating Steps to help you decorate your home.
The Plan: When it comes to decorating the one thing you should remember is that it is a process, not a race! So everything you’ve been taught that has you running to the store and furnishing your home in one fell swoop, stop that! Even us professional designers have plan when creating designs for our clients so why should you tackle your space any differently?
I know! As a society, we are raised to want instant gratification and with the excitement of a new home, of course, you’re in a hurry for it to look good but that is where the mistakes start to happen and you can quickly end up spending money on items that are either not your style or that you hate so before you do a single thing be sure to create a plan for your home.
Create a mood board. Canva or picmonkey are free apps and are easy to use. Compile a list of images of the items you are considering for your space and place them onto a mood board. This will give you a visual presentation of how those items look together.
The Color: Before you begin the buying process you should decide on a color palette for your entire home. It may seem daunting to have to come up with three to four colors that you like enough to layer throughout your home but trust me it will make things a piece of cake down the road plus this is truly the number one area where I believe people go wrong.
If there was one tip I could give that would literally make or break a design it is this one… Control the color, control the design… Before you get the urge to reach for something that’s outside of your designated color palette, you’ll ask yourself, “Does it work?”! If you need help choosing colors for your home you can check out my Paint Consultation Package where together we will create a whole home color palette for you.
Investment Pieces: When choosing furniture for your new home or an update it is important to invest in pieces that will truly stand the test of time vs trendy items like that time everyone and their momma had that red sofa.
Imagine the last piece of furniture you bought, okay now how long before you were absolutely sick of it and ready for another? I’m guessing within three to five years you were ready for a change and that usually happens when the color of the furniture piece is so bold or bright that it only works one way which makes us tire of the entire decor scheme quickly.
Choosing to invest in classic neutral pieces instead will not only keep you happy longer but you will save money in the long run because you aren’t replacing it as often. Trust me, it will stand up better to the rigours of a busy home as well.
Textiles: Textiles such as curtains, pillows, and rugs are so important to a well-styled home, think of textiles as the jewelry of your home, without them things just look dull. When choosing which options to go with there are several things to keep in mind, the first is the feeling you want to create in the space. This is the fun part to me because you can really do anything here and it can totally change the vibe of the space.
The second thing to keep in mind is the patterns you use in your home, you want to mix and match pattern sizes in things such as throw pillows. So if you have one really busy throw pillow you’re going to use one with a larger print and one solid color mixed with it so all of your attention doesn’t go directly to the busy pillow.
The third thing you want to pay attention to is the texture of the pieces you chose. Using different textures will help to give your home a more lived-in look vs an “everything was just bought” kind of look.
Remember pattern, color and texture are your friends in a busy home.
Artwork: Picking the artwork you want to display in your home can be tricky and often people really don’t put enough thought into the pieces they bring into their home.
The best way to start is to ask yourself if you want your home to look original or do you want it to look generic? Take the time to search for quality pieces of artwork and don’t just go picking all willy nilly either, instead choose pieces that really speak to you in some way and of course that also fit into your designated color palette.
Places like Minted or even your very own photos from that special vacation are perfect for adding artwork to your home.
I encourage you to use personal photos too. Those are the pieces that will mean something to you and therefore you will have created a personal feeling in your home.
Lighting: When most people think of lighting they think of a lamp or overhead lighting such as a chandelier but when it comes to design, lighting plays an important role in the overall feel of your home.
Layering several different types of lighting throughout your home is key for any good design, layering three different types of lighting is a good rule of thumb for any space so, for example, you may have recessed lighting, a chandelier and table lamps which creates an ambient space where you can do almost anything.
Also, the lighting is one place you can have fun with for instance adding a fun sputnik chandelier in an otherwise neutral space to give it that extra pop. And for heaven’s sakes replace those builder basic boob lights!!!
Accessories: Small decorative items make a huge impact on the space but when overdone they can also take a design from good to bad very quickly. So when choosing smaller pieces for your home be sure to consider the style, color, and surrounding items before you purchase a piece. I like to envision where I’ll use it, what will be around it and how they will look together.
A major thing to pay attention too is color, I’m not going to bring a bright red accessory into my light and airy home no matter how much I like it. This is also a time that you can have fun mixing finishes such as matte black and brass or silver and black just play with combinations until it looks good. Even homes with younger children, accessorize out of reach of those tiny fingers.
Natural Elements: Often this is one element that is extremely overlooked but can seriously up the style factor of your home, bringing in natural elements such as wood tones will give your home that layered look we all crave. Natural elements can mean anything you would find in nature such as wood, live plants etc. Natural elements are a main stay in my signature classic coastal look. You can read more about that here.
Greenery: Sometimes when you finish a space it just feels like something is missing and most of the time that something is greenery. Whether you use living plants or faux each space needs its own dose of greenery if not multiple pieces.
Personal Touches: One thing that it seems design has shied away from lately is something personal. Yes, your home can still look great but without items that mean something to you personally its hard for a space to truly feel like home.
Now obviously don’t get carried away because you don’t want your home to look like a museum of things past but bringing in an item or two such as a tchotchke that you picked up while on vacation or a vase that your grandmother gave you will bring meaning to the room.
Something I like to concentrate on when I’m decorating is feeling…
When you set out designing a room you are creating an experience, a feeling if you will. So the question you should ask yourself is how do you want this space to feel and what combination of pieces envoke that feeling.
In our home, I love it to have a light and airy but lived in feel so I bring in lots of natural tones and mix in a few touches of blues paying attention to layering in different textures to create that cozy vibe. Overall I love that it feels clean and crisp but also lived in and casual, so before you start decorating be sure to sit down and go over what type of feeling you want your home to have. This is something I ask all my clients during the initial consultation.
Most of all remember this entire journey is a process and it will take time to evolve so being patient is key. These 10 steps are my formula when creating spaces for clients to ensure they end up with a well decorated home.
xo,
