Home Decorating & Interior Design Tips: How To Reflect Your Personal Style

Decorating your home should be a creative expression of your personality and a way to improve your quality of life. Because no matter how much time you spend away, your home is your sanctuary. When we are away from the stresses of public life our homes provide a private space in which to rest, revive, entertain, be creative and otherwise define who we are, with what we do when we are away from prying eyes. So, something to consider while decorating is what really inspires you, to strive to be a more complete you. For example, Are you are home if you are spending more of your time looking for all the things you need to cook a meal, get dressed, pay bill, start a project etc than actually doing those things? Perhaps then, you need to focus on better storage solutions and organizational systems to maximize your free time. Or, if you have a stylish room filled with expensive objects that you can’t sit down in your challenge is to find furniture and decorative accessories that are both stylish and functional. When you think of what you need to make your home an impetus for making your life more relaxing, eclectic, focused and organized etc. or whatever your personal needs may be, rather than preconceived ideas of what a room should look like, decorating becomes less of a daunting chore and instead becomes a creative exercise. Your design schemes should always have a starting point but continue to evolve as your life evolves. Make your rooms not just a room but an inspirational starting point for self improvement and you can never go wrong. Nevertheless we have some helpful suggestions on how to start out, and design elements you may want to consider along your home decorating journey to creating YOUR ideal sanctuary.

Take the time you need to decide what makes you happy and find your own muse. A fabulous place to start is to purchase a good bunch of general and genre focused interior design, art and fashion magazines. Then start tearing out pictures of not only rooms, furniture and decorative home accessories but also artwork, clothing, and jewelry you really love. Or maybe you just love a pattern that’s on a shirt or a curtain, tear out that picture too. The important thing is to set out all of your pictures when you are done so you can see everything at once. Don’t overanalyze or worry about price (because very type of look can be recreated at least in feeling, even on a budget) and the design themes will come to you. Then keep those cut out images with you for at least a week and see how you feel about them at the end of that week. Another design inspiration shortcut is to look in your make-up bag or your closet and see what colors you use most and what looks good on you. They are the colors you should use in your room, even if they are just accents. After all, you must already be very fond of how they look surrounding you. Now, with your own design instincts intact, you can hopefully begin to decorate your dream interior. But we have 10 easy to follow suggestions below for you to keep in mind, for any room, in any style.

1) Take Measurements. This seems like an easy one but it is a step non-professional decorators often miss to their detriment. The dimensions for where the sofa would be placed is an obvious choice to take with you to the furniture shop, but how about the distance from the mantle to the ceiling for that oversized mirror you want, or that tiny hallway you want to place an accent rug in? Better to be safe than sorry.

2) Good Lighting Is Key. Sometimes having one big overhead centralized lighting source can be harsh and dull people’s features. One solution is to have several lamps around a room to diffuse the light and to create design interest. Or if you determined or required to have a centralized light source try a chandelier (they come in all styles and price ranges now) or creatively arranged track lighting. (avoid track lighting in a straight line because it’s a bit dated and not as flattering) The quickest fix is to invest in low wattage bulbs so the mood of the lighting is more romantic and soft.

3) Think About Texture. The best way to fall asleep and have nightmares in your newly decorated space is to create a space that is too uniform and clinical in nature. If you have all rustic weathered pieces your room it will look weathered and tired, if there are too many smooth shiny pieces a room can seem cold and sharp. Variety is the spice of life is a cliché to keep in mind so your room does not become a design cliché. If you have flat twill fabric sofas try pillows in a rich brocade, silk chenille or velvet so that the textures pop. The same goes for every other surface of your room. If you only have black and white photos framed the same way on your walls add a sconce or three dimensional piece of artwork to break up the monotony.

4) You Are Not A Catalog. Avoid buying matching sets especially if it involves more than two matching pieces because which items in pairs can make a room looked pulled together any more than that can be a bit “matchy-matchy.” It is much more stylish and personal to have furniture in the same design or color family and not something right off the furniture store floor. If you already have a matching set consider placing that fourth matching side table in a bedroom or office. Then it will look like you at least had room to room “design flow” in mind when you bought that big matching set.

5) Edit. Clutter does not necessarily indicate personality. Let’s say you love art deco antiques, but if you have 30 art deco pieces in one room not only can we not appreciate the individual beauty of the pieces and how they work in your room, one would feel they were in an antiques shop and possibly very cramped as well. Think about it like a fashion accessory, if you have a question about layering on too many bracelets you should probably wear less.

6) Make The Most Of Your Storage Spaces. Everyone needs more organized storage on hand but making the most of storage is especially important in small spaces. Using elegant open glass or curving bookshelves can not only hold books and storage but divide living areas in a non-claustrophobic and less rigid way. You can also choose a bed, ottoman, coffee table etc. that has hidden storage or use ceiling high shelves for a dramatic effect without intruding on your space. Just don’t forget the cute rolling ladder.

7) Use Color To Break Up Large Undefined Spaces. If you have a loft or lets say a “great room” that is your living room, your kid’s playroom and your office, paint your transitional walls different colors (even if it’s just an accent) to help delineate where the living room begins and the office ends and so on…Color can help each space to look pulled together in an unstuffy manner.

8) Your TV May Be Cute But Your Wires Are Tacky. One big modern design dilemma is what to do with all of our media? If there’s a million wires from your computer, TV, stereo, DVD etc. it can break up the natural harmony of your room and draw attention where it’s not wanted. Consider investing in a chic armoire or an entertainment unit that has a back to it, and a place to put your wires through. Or for a cheaper idea find a decorative box or chest and cut a whole in the back and “artistically” place it around your media items so the wires are not showing.

9) As Above, So Below (Your Floors Need Attention Too). Many people endlessly paint or decorate walls with not a thought to flooring. When decorating a room maybe consider sanding, staining, or even painting your floors if you can’t replace an old carpet or linoleum tiles, and they are in poor shape. There are also so many cheaper options out there for tile now and adhesive tiles give you an eco friendly way to install tile yourself right over your existing floor! Do you rent or are unable to change your floor for any other reason? Area rugs are then a quick fix of choice.

10) Reuse, Recycle Or Change A Room For Free. It’s always important to invest in a few new furniture or decorative items for your home every once in a while. But before you consider throwing something out because it’s dated or damaged imagine what a coat of vibrant paint could do to that old wooden dining room chair or ugly picture frame. Or reupholstering items or stuffing a cushion cost much less then buying a new sofa. If you have no money for artwork consider framing a beautiful textile piece, postcard image, or meaningful letter that inspires you. Most of all have fun and experiment; you are not bound to the design choices you make forever. May you rooms evolve with you not keep your creative spirit walled up inside.