Decorating in your new home or giving your current home a makeover is an exciting undertaking. You get to establish a new look or reinvent your favorite rooms. Figuring out how to go about finding your new décor pieces can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many choices; and, you like all kinds of different aesthetics; plus, you have to find a way to stay within your budget. So, you need a plan to help guide you through the process to achieve your interior design goals. Check out these simple guidelines to help you on your way.
Know what you want.
Before you start actively shopping and buying browse some design ideas to narrow down your shopping list. Create an idea book using Pinterest or just by saving images to a folder on your computer. Determine what on color scheme, or schemes, and themes you want to focus. Window shop online to get a general idea of the art and furniture pieces you want to look for, and their price range. Put together ideas for knick-knacks, vases, and boxes to carry your décor scheme through your bookshelves and accent pieces. When you know what you want you're ready to set your budget.
Shop within your means.
Knowing the limitations of your budget can save you a lot of grief and buyer's remorse when shopping. You may want a new Eames chair, but it's just not within your means. Shop around online and see if there are comparable chairs at a lower price. If not, you know you'll need to consider other pieces. Setting your budget helps you determine what stores to avoid. Don't bother shopping at a place you can't afford. Know if you need to purchase at discount stores and estate sales or if you can splurge for luxury interior décor shops. Determine what you can spend on each article or types of pieces. Set aside an amount for furniture, wall art, and small accessories. Then decide what kinds of pieces you absolutely want or need, and what you can forgo if you can't find the right piece within your budget. You might want a new sofa and accent chair, but the couch you have is still in good condition and will fit with the décor changes you're trying to implement so that you can focus your search on a new chair instead.
Bring your partner or a friend.
Shopping can start out fun but can become stressful when it comes down to making the purchasing decisions. You might begin second-guessing yourself or get distracted by something new at the store that doesn't match the plan you created. Bring someone with you who knows you well and ask them to be your advisor. Share your design goals and shopping list with them so they can help you stay focused on the items you truly want. Ask them to help you say yes and just go for it when you see something you like that fits your budget and to help you say "no" before you put something in the cart that's outside the plan.
Once you outline your goals, you're ready to go shopping. Take a few days or weekends to look around. Take your time and don't try to purchase everything on the same day and try out different kinds of shops and estate sales to find unique pieces for your home.
If you're moving into a new home and saving enough money for all updated décor is something you want to do, express this budgetary requirement to your real estate agent. Working together they will be able to help you find a home that allows for a bit of room in your budget set aside for interior design.
The entryway to your home is probably quite small, but you can make the most of your space by pinning down what you really need there. Below, you’ll find some items that you should try and keep around the entry of your home for both design appeal and organization purposes.
When guests come to visit, it’s welcoming for you to be able to offer them a place to hang their coats, rather than throwing them into a bedroom or on a chair. You can place coatracks on a wall for easy hanging, giving everyone open access to their coats when they need them. You can even place a coat rack along a stairway hall. This way everything from coats to bags to hats will all be in one place.
Having a weather-resistant rug available in the entryway of your home can help to keep dirt and grime off of the floor.
Every entryway needs some type of storage for items like extra coats, shoes, umbrellas, even bags. You can use an inexpensive shelving system or go as fancy as using a dresser or armoire.
It’s important to have some kind of seating near the entryway of your home. This way, you’ll have a place to sit down and put on shoes. Seating will also help make the entryway more comfortable. Make sure that the seating allows for a casual feel to add to the warmth of the welcome.
Using flowers and plants in the entryway of your home gives guests that welcoming pop of color that will brighten their day. It’s one of the first things that guests will see when they walk up to the front door of your home, so you’ll want to make a good first impression. Shoot for year-round plants that don’t require a lot of maintenance and can be kept up easily no matter what the season.
Once you enter your home in the evening hours, one of the first things you want to do is turn on a light. This is one of the best features for your home to have safety and security when you enter and exit the house. You can choose any kind of light fixture that you want to accent your home in order to bring out the beauty. The only requirement is that you should make sure a light switch is always within an arm’s reach.
The most important thing that you can do for your entryway is to make it your own. You can add any kind of accents and features that you choose. The entryway is the first impression that people will get of your home, so make it count!
There are many benefits to living in a simple and minimal environment. Lack of clutter helps us focus and boosts our mood. Have you ever sat down at your desk at work or in your home office and felt like you just couldn't get any work done and started tidying up instead? It might be a good idea to listen to that impulse and make your work environment a more productive place. In this article we're going to give you some tips for making your home office a distraction-free, minimal sanctuary. At the same time, these tips will be low cost--minimalism and frugality go hand in hand after all.
By placing a mirror on the wall in almost any room in your home, you can change a mildly decorated space into a classic masterpiece. Placement of the hung mirror is critical. Keep in mind the reflection that you see when gazing into a mirror should be soothing to the eye. For instance, the reflection may be that of a fancy lamp, piece of artwork or a glamorous chandelier. What you don’t want to do is hang a mirror so that it reflects the pile of clutter on the kitchen counter that you are trying to hide.
Hanging a mirror on the wall in the dining room is the most popular decorating trick. Once the mirror is hung, you will know why. The mirror will create the illusion of space and light. This is by far, the most popular spot for a mirror to be hung or rested against the wall.
Be careful hanging a mirror in a busy room. This can cause a reverse effect on your decorating plan. Placement is important and the reflection is even more so. If your room is busy with lots of furniture and artwork, you may not need the mirror. What you want the mirror to do, in essence, is make the room bigger. So the room will look as if the wall is not even there. Remember, enhancing a wall with one mirror, can change the feel of a room, open the space up and change the mood of all who enter, so get decorating.
Candles can make a home look inviting, cozy and warm. They can also give a glow to many people’s skin tones. Candles come in many sizes, shapes and scents. Burning of candles during a showing can make the home feel warm and inviting making the buyer feel relaxed and calm. Try to pick out colors like maroon (cinnamon) orange (pumpkin) these scents are soothing and relaxing scents and will help make the potential sellers feel like home. The placing of the candles is very important. The best places to put them are in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen table, window sills, and fireplace mantel.
If you have a fireplace, lighting a fire is a sure way to give that room a warm and welcoming feeling. Everybody loves a fireplace and your buyers will too.
Bake something delicious smelling. The Real Estate experts swear by the just baked smell when showing a home. It makes your potential buyers feel right at home. Things like Apple pie; chocolate chip cookies or fresh baked bread all will create that warm and inviting feeling.
Family photos in the home make your home feel like a house full of love. Potential buyers who see photos of a family having fun, and enjoying life in their home will create a sense of a home that has a lot of memories and love.
Bottom line, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere can help you sell your home.
