Decorating 101: Overcoming the Anxiety of Decorating Your Home

As an interior designer, I often meet people who believe they have "no sense of design." Decorating their home is an overwhelming task that they dread and avoid. While it is true that design and decorating come more naturally to some, many people have more of a design sense than they think.

And following some basic steps can help almost anyone begin to revitalize the spaces in their home:

Start small

Don't try to redecorate, rearrange, or renovate your entire house all at once. Pick a room to start with and focus on it. Perhaps it is the room that is used the most in your house like the family room, kitchen, or living room. Or maybe it is a room that has special importance to you such as a craft/sewing room or master bedroom. Whatever it is, pick it and stick with it!

Determine the room’s purpose

Think about what the purpose of the room is, and ask yourself some questions… What is the room currently used for? Is this what you want it to be used for? What do you need to add or remove in the room to meet its purpose? As you make decisions in decorating for the room, remember its purpose and make sure that the items you bring in (or leave in) meet that purpose.

Establish a building block

Find an item is meaningful, unique, or special because of where it comes from or how it reflects who you are and what your style is. The item could be a painting, sculpture, rug, lamp, piece of furniture, pillow, or a vase. It might come from another area of the house or it might be something brand new that you spotted in a home décor store. Whatever it is, use it as an inspiration for "building" the rest of the room by pulling from its colors, material, shape, and style.

Pare down and de-clutter

Having too many pieces of furniture and decorative items creates a cluttered look that prevents the proper use of space and diminishes the appearance of the room. Which furniture pieces do not serve a purpose in the room? Are there items that are blocking the traffic flow through the room? Are decorative items taking up space that could be better used for other purposes? Remove these items! Put everyday items that have no decorative qualities (and usually appear as clutter) in drawers or baskets.

Determine the room's focal point

A focal point is the area of the room that the eye is drawn toward upon entering. It can be a fireplace, a window with a view, a special piece of furniture or artwork, the television, or even the item you chose as your building block. Once you have determined the focal point, arrange furnishings around it or in relation to it. Use this focal point’s color and style to determine whether other items in the room should remain or be removed.

Use color to create a unified space

In general, using too many dominating colors in a room creates an overwhelmingly busy, disheveled look. (There are exceptions to this, but as we have all heard, you need to follow a rule first before you can break it!!) Choose neutral colors (such as greys, beiges, browns, tans, and whites) for your larger, more dominant items such as sofas, sectionals, and walls. Then pick two or three coordinating colors to create accents throughout the room. These accent colors can be carried throughout the room through the use of pillows and throws, rugs, window treatments, tabletop décor items, and wall art or paintings.

Get interior design advice tailored to your specific needs

While some interior designer firms focus only on large projects and major renovations, others, like me, specialize in design that is tailored specifically to a client’s individual needs and budget no matter what the size - whether it is a small project that involves something as simple (yet amazingly effective) as rearranging furniture and décor, or a more complex project that involves structural changes, replacing countertops and flooring, and purchasing new furniture.

If you would like assistance with a decorating or renovation project, I would love to help. Give me a call or send me an email me so we can discuss what your goals are. My contact information is below:

Cell: 336.254.3115 / Email: mhinteriors2017@gmail.com /

Website: https://mhinteriors.design