In my years of owning a home décor store, designing and writing this blog, I can honestly say that one of the major pitfalls the average person has when it comes to decorating their homes is a lack of confidence. As a designer, I not only have studied my craft but was fortunate enough to be blessed with a good sense of style and design which have been invaluable in my work. Even with all that going for me, I still follow a set of simple rules when it comes to designing for clients and myself. These are the rules you need to know to Decorate Your Home with Confidence!
You Need a Vision: You need to decide how you want the space to feel, look and function AND determine what you like and don’t like in design!
Easier said than done but this step is critical in creating a design for your home that will not only feel good but look good as well. This may require you to live in your home for a while and let it speak to you. What style do you want to create for your home and what colors feel right in your home? What elements do you want to play up and/or take the focus off of? Knowing how you want a space to look and feel is all part of the design plan and design vision.
You Need a Plan: How is the space being used or to be used? What items that you already own stay or go? What pieces of furniture do you want/need in the space?
Creating a plan not only in your head but on paper will help you embrace and execute your design plan in every detail. Draw the space as you envision it, tape off the floor where furniture pieces will go and move things around until the flow and layout feel right. You can read more of my tips on Space Planning here.
You Need a Starting Point: Now is not the time to go out and buy any and everything you like. You need to start with the pieces that will make the most impact in a room.
The best starting point for your design is the selection of the rug, larger art pieces and the sofa. Think of these as the foundation to your design.
Choose your area rug, large artwork and main furniture piece first…
then select the paint colors that will work with them. Rarely does it work to select a paint color first and then search for pieces to work with the color.
You Need to Evaluate: Once all the major pieces are in place and the walls are painted, take a step back and evaluate what you’ve done so far.
Change anything you don’t like, make adjustments to the floor plan and decide what other elements are needed to allow the space to meet your expectations. Simply put, if you don’t like something, change it.
You Need to Personalize: This is where the fun and magic happen. Personalizing your design plan is what will make it come to life and feel complete.
Add photos, textiles, books and accessories. Surround yourself with the things you love and the things that will allow you to relax and enjoy your home.
AND finally, You Need to Enjoy Your Home!
Make it a priority this year to spend time with friends and family in your home. Enjoy the comforts it provides and let is nourish your soul!
Developing a confident attitude when it comes to decorating your home is as simple as envisioning, planning, executing and putting your personal stamp on the look and feel!
If you need help creating a home you love, CONTACT ME to schedule your personal design consultation. If you live outside the Atlanta area my DOOR-TO-DOOR E-Design service is for you!
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Hi, Shelly, happy belated new year! This is such a great, informative post and I couldn’t agree more about personalizing being the magic part. 🙂 It’s also the most fun, I think. I hope you can make it to the showhouse so we can catch up. If not, let’s plan on lunch sometime afterwards. Hope to see you soon!