Trying to make your home look coordinated and put together can be a daunting task. I love redecorating (much to my husbands dismay) but it can get expensive and sometimes be an overwhelming task. I am by no means a decorating expert, but I have stumbled upon a kind of plan that works for me and I thought I’d share. Here are a few tips I use to make the process more fun and less stressful.
Pick a THEME: This doesn’t have to be a “theme” in the traditional sense, it could be a feeling or a style you like. Here is an example. I wanted my bedroom to feel airy and restful. I imagined a cottage on a beach feel. That is the “theme” I picked for my bedroom. Not “beachy” in the sense of sea shells and lighthouses, just a “feeling” of cottage beach house. Once I had the “theme” in my mind, I asked myself “does this fit with that theme?” for each thing I brought in. In my room, I choose white furniture, pale blue walls and soft white and blue plain bedding. I looked for accessories that had a cottage/shabby feel. Vintage lamps, an antique bench and my latest addition…a vintage cain back chair painted white.
Maybe your “theme” could be “earthy” where you use earth tone colours and pick natural textures like seagrass, linen, wicker or woods. Maybe you the like “hotel chic” feel. When I first started decorating, I thought I had to fall into a category like Modern, Contemporary, Country or Traditional, but I soon learnt that decorating by themes was much easier for me to wrap my head around.
Pick a COLOUR SCHEME: I have this 3, 5, 7 rule when decorating. It just makes it more fool proof for me. I place accessories, artwork and furniture in groups of 3,5 or 7. I also try to follow this when choosing colours. I always pick an accent colour first! I like red a lot, so red or burgundy is often my go-to accent colour choice. I then base the other colours on what coordinates with my accent colour, using no more than 5 colours total (I’m not good enough to pull off 7)! Light beige, dark beige, brown, green and burgundy are the colours of my living and dining room. Black and white don’t really count because you should have a little of both in each room…they are like freebies!
Once your 5 colours are picked, it’s easy to find pillows, curtains and artwork that tie all the colours together. In my bedroom I have 3 colours. Light blue, dark blue and apple green. The apple green is my accent, so I can always find things that will coordinate when out shopping.
Have a FOCAL POINT: Every room should have a focal point. In bedrooms, the focal point is almost always the bed. An easy way to draw attention to your focal point is to make the focal wall symmetrical. In a bedroom, the bed should be the first thing you see when you walk into the room. Centre the bed on the wall and place side tables and lamps on either side. Place artwork or a large headboard in the middle to draw the eye up. If a window is your focal point, use curtains and blinds to draw the eye up.
I use symmetry in every room, just because again, it is fool proof. I put a lamp on either side of my couch, a chair on either side of the fireplace, a candle on either side of my dresser…you get the idea. Using symmetry is an easy way to ensure your focal point and your entire room looks balanced.
I like a little OLD JUNK: My home does not look like a magazine spread and I like it that way. I like having things in each room that have a story behind them. A chandelier from a thrift store, an old chair from my grandmothers house, a dresser I found on the side of the road. A couple coats of paint and a little elbow grease can make anything look nice and match your existing decor. Having something old or that you fixed up is both a conversation piece and something to be proud of in your room. It’s the items that have memories that make your house a home.
I’d love to hear your decorating secrets! I’m always on the lookout for a new and inexpensive project so send me pictures and stories of your spaces or things you’ve fixed up.