Please note: this is a contributed post.
Maybe you’ve just moved into a new place and want to put your stamp on it, or perhaps your tired home decor is need of updating and you’re ready to refresh your home. Either way, decorating a property from scratch can take a lot of work and planning if you want to get it right. It’s not just a case of buying items, putting them together and hoping for the best. If you want your home to look coherent and aesthetically pleasing, you need to think ahead. Here are some of the ways you can go about making sure the result is as beautiful as possible.
Strip it Out
If you’ve just moved into a property then you’re already one step ahead. If you’re redecorating your home, it can be really helpful to work on one room at a time. Remove everything from the room you want to start with – furniture, throw rugs, curtains, artwork, etc. Move everything out so you can get a good look at the empty space. Now is the time to get rid of anything you don’t plan on keeping. If you have wall-to-wall carpet that you plan on keeping, now would be the perfect opportunity to have them cleaned. You can hire powerful carpet cleaners like the Rug Doctor cheaply, or you could have a company come in and clean them professionally.
Work Out the Color Palette
While the room is empty, it’s also a great time to paint the walls and trim (baseboards, door frames, crown molding). Make sure you cover your flooring to protect it from splashes, then paint the ceiling and any woodwork with a brilliant white gloss. Regardless of your style, taste and how you want the room to look, this will make sure everything looks clean and fresh. Even if the wood was painted not that long ago it’s worth doing it again as it does turn dull and a bit yellow after a year or so.
Your best bet would be choose a paint that offers anti-yellowing to keep it looking white and bright for as long as possible. You’ll also need to choose a color palette for the walls, if you want to keep things simple then go with a neutral. White, ivory or a very light grey will provide a simple, yet beautiful backdrop to any theme, furniture or decoration you choose. If you want to add a feature wall, a subtle neutral wallpaper would be a good choice or choose a pastel if you want to keep it soft. If you’re a fan of bold design, it’s often better to add color and interest using accessories on the floors and wall. Once you add bold or patterned colors to your decor, you’ll probably want to stick with simpler furniture, unless you’re trying to make a really bold statement.
Decide on the Theme
Before you start buying new furniture and accessories, it’s important to decide on an overall theme for each room, or for your entire home. This will help you to choose furniture and accessories that all work well together and make your rooms look cohesive. Will you go with a stark, trendy industrial theme, or do you love the look of girly and pretty shabby chic rooms? Maybe you want to base your rooms around nature, choosing natural materials and ‘bringing the outside in’ with lots of gorgeous plants.
You might have been inspired by your travels and love an African, Asian or other ethnic themed room. Either way, get an idea of the general overall direction you want to take. This will prevent you from buying random items that look nice on the shelves, but just don’t work together overall. In many cases, you can get many of the items you need based on a theme in a shop that specializes in this kind of decor. Take Deconovo for example, if you want a modern looking room then you could find most of the furniture and accessories you needed in this style from their shop.
Otherwise, if you’re purchasing from lots of different stores you can have a general idea of what kind of items you’re looking for which will match the room. When it comes to your main items of furniture, a good tip is to play it safe and go with simpler pieces. A black or brown classic leather sofa with white or wooden furniture will tie in seamlessly with most themes. From there you can add a less expensive statement chair to match your theme, or other statement pieces such as a special light fitting, rug, throw pillows, cushions or even decorative curtains.
This way, if you do decide to switch things up later down the line, you don’t have to buy everything again from scratch. Pictures and prints on the walls, ornaments and other bits and pieces can all make the place look homely while bringing the entire look together. For example, if you’ve gone with a natural theme, how about wicker pots with hanging plants, natural wood furniture and wooden floors and calico curtains? For an industrial theme, exposed brickwork and simplistic metal light fittings with filament bulbs look effective. Check out sites like Pinterest and flip through home magazines for ideas.
Consider the Costs
Decorating your home, or even a single room from scratch, can be expensive. To get the most for your money, you need to find smart ways to make savings and know where it’s worth spending a little more. When it comes to paint for example, if you choose a white or magnolia emulsion, this can be bought in large cans really cheaply meaning you can transform the room and change the color for next to nothing. Renting a carpet cleaner is cheaper than replacing the entire carpet, and accessories can be found cheaply to add to the overall finish.
To save money on furniture, instead of investing in a statement piece, why not try up-cycling? Find an old fashioned sideboard, coffee table or other unit that someone is giving away, or selling cheaply, and bring it back up to life using paint and new hardware. With items like your bed and sofa it’s always worth buying new and spending more money. A couple of designer or nice pieces will give your home a luxury feel, but with others you can find them cheaply and can finish the place without spending much if you’re on a smaller budget.
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