Decorating Tips

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Home Decorating Tips

Whether you are brightening a single room or redecorating an entire home, you are facing the same challenges interior decorators address every day. Today’s marketplace provides so many options for the consumer that settling on just the right choice can be daunting, and knowing that the selections you are making will be part of your home for years makes the process even more intimidating. Here are a few simple tips from professional decorators that should make your decorating project easy, enjoyable and satisfying.

Start at the beginning

Every room has a focal point -- an architectural feature, a favorite piece of furniture, or a special view. Make that special point the centerpiece of the room, and decorate around it. It can suggest the color palette for the room, the style of the furnishings, and the mood the room will project.

Let it flow

The colors and styles of one room should flow into adjoining spaces naturally. This does not mean that every space in your home should look the same, but you want to avoid the "showroom" sense where every room is separate unto itself. If you choose a mossy green carpet for your dining room, you may want to use that same green as an accessory color n the adjoining kitchen. If a bedroom is decorated in vivid blues, those tones should be reflected in the bathroom as well.

Mix, don’t match

Use varying shades of colors and avoid attempting to make exact matches in flooring, walls, window treatments and upholstery. A room where everything is the same color can have a rigid, sterile appearance. Furthermore, perfect matches are almost impossible because of the variations in surfaces, textures and lighting. By using lighter and darker shades of the same color in a room, you create depth, variation and definition in the room.

Watch the scale

The proportions of the room should suggest the proportions of the furnishings being placed in it. Large rooms can handle large furnishing; smaller rooms need lighter, less bulky items. One oversized piece in a small room may create interest and focus, but too much will create a sense of crowding. Likewise, a large room without substantial elements in its design will feel cold and incomplete.

Lead with your strong suit

Highlight those items that you love in a room -- the light, the view, the special accessory. Your ultimate goal is to create a space that you enjoy, so incorporate those things that please you most. Likewise, hide those things which you don’t like but can’t change. Cover an unattractive floor with beautiful carpeting, or cover an unattractive window with a fabulous window treatment.

Steal

Not the furnishings, but ideas. Collect photos, manufacturers’ brochures and magazine pages that have room elements that you like and keep them together in a folder or scrapbook, and refer to them regularly. This will assist you in visualizing the entire room, lead you towards the styles and colors you most enjoy, and help you avoid those impulse purchases that often come with a good dose of regret.

Pack a bag

Keep samples of fabrics, carpeting, tile, wallpaper and paint that you are using in your plan, and carry it with you. Then, when you come across something too good to pass up, you will be able to immediately determine if it will fit into your room plan.

Take your time

Finding just the right area rug, light fixture, or wallpaper can seem overwhelming, especially with the incredible variety of options available on the market. Never make a purchase just to be "done with it." If you find yourself edging towards frustration, step away the project for a few days, and return to it when you are fresh and motivated. Selections made in frustration are usually disappointing, even more so if you spend years living with a choice you regret.