12 Helpful Tips to Put First-Time Decorators at Ease
Our step-by-step decorating guide can help you confidently put together a home look you'll love
Fred Albert
14 January 2018
Houzz Contributor. Fred has written about architecture and design for many Web sites and magazines, including Houzz, Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful and Style 1900.
Houzz Contributor. Fred has written about architecture and design for many Web sites... More
Few things in life are as daunting as decorating your first home. With so many options available and so many decisions to make, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. Many of us just retreat into the familiar or the expected, leaving a trail of disappointment in our wake.
That condition isn’t limited to the young. These days it’s not unusual for people to find themselves starting over in middle age, with the ending of a relationship or a move precipitated by a new job.
Whether you’re starting out or starting over, these steps can help you navigate the difficult process of decorating a home for the first time.
That condition isn’t limited to the young. These days it’s not unusual for people to find themselves starting over in middle age, with the ending of a relationship or a move precipitated by a new job.
Whether you’re starting out or starting over, these steps can help you navigate the difficult process of decorating a home for the first time.
1. Decide what you like
A lot of people don’t know what decorating styles they like. It’s not that they don’t have opinions –they just don’t know how to articulate their preferences.
The easiest way to figure out what appeals to you is by looking at photos of other homes. And at the risk of sounding self-serving, the easiest way to do that is by perusing the photos on Houzz. Save your favourite ones in an ideabook. You can also scour design books or clip pictures from magazines. After you’ve collected at least a dozen images, sit down and compare them. What are the common denominators, in terms of colour, furniture style, pattern and density of objects in the room?
Find your decorating style
A lot of people don’t know what decorating styles they like. It’s not that they don’t have opinions –they just don’t know how to articulate their preferences.
The easiest way to figure out what appeals to you is by looking at photos of other homes. And at the risk of sounding self-serving, the easiest way to do that is by perusing the photos on Houzz. Save your favourite ones in an ideabook. You can also scour design books or clip pictures from magazines. After you’ve collected at least a dozen images, sit down and compare them. What are the common denominators, in terms of colour, furniture style, pattern and density of objects in the room?
Find your decorating style
2. Create a budget
Figure out how much you can spend. If you can’t afford to decorate the whole place at once, pick the room where you spend most of your time and make that your priority. That way when the rest of your home is in a state of upheaval, you’ll have at least one finished place to which you can retreat.
Figure out how much you can spend. If you can’t afford to decorate the whole place at once, pick the room where you spend most of your time and make that your priority. That way when the rest of your home is in a state of upheaval, you’ll have at least one finished place to which you can retreat.
3. Sketch out a floor plan
I know this sounds like a drag, and something a schoolteacher would advise you to do. (“Make sure you prepare a floor plan before you start your assignment.”) But the Internet has made this step truly fun. You’ll find free floor plan programmes online. My personal favourite is the room planner offered by Jordan’s Furniture in Boston. It is relatively easy to use, is flexible, offers a good selection of furniture templates and doesn’t limit you to proprietary furniture brands.
If you want to see how your floor plan translates to real life, put those moving boxes to use and ‘build’ furniture out of them, or make footprints of each piece out of newspaper, towels or blankets.
How to sketch your floor plan using Houzz
I know this sounds like a drag, and something a schoolteacher would advise you to do. (“Make sure you prepare a floor plan before you start your assignment.”) But the Internet has made this step truly fun. You’ll find free floor plan programmes online. My personal favourite is the room planner offered by Jordan’s Furniture in Boston. It is relatively easy to use, is flexible, offers a good selection of furniture templates and doesn’t limit you to proprietary furniture brands.
If you want to see how your floor plan translates to real life, put those moving boxes to use and ‘build’ furniture out of them, or make footprints of each piece out of newspaper, towels or blankets.
How to sketch your floor plan using Houzz
4. Pick a colour palette
Some people say you should pull your colour palette from the flooring. Others recommend starting with a piece of art. I suggest starting with the item you’re most in love with. If that’s a rug, pull the colour palette from that. If it’s an artwork you own or an outfit you adore, let that dictate the decor. If you’re madly in love with the colour yellow, start there.
Once you have your palette established, let the rest of the decor spring from that. Use neutral colours for investment pieces, like the sofa and dining table, and put the colour in paint or accent pieces like pillows, lamps and art. That way you can change the colour palette if you feel like it without spending a lot of money.
8 ways to add colour to your home without paint
Some people say you should pull your colour palette from the flooring. Others recommend starting with a piece of art. I suggest starting with the item you’re most in love with. If that’s a rug, pull the colour palette from that. If it’s an artwork you own or an outfit you adore, let that dictate the decor. If you’re madly in love with the colour yellow, start there.
Once you have your palette established, let the rest of the decor spring from that. Use neutral colours for investment pieces, like the sofa and dining table, and put the colour in paint or accent pieces like pillows, lamps and art. That way you can change the colour palette if you feel like it without spending a lot of money.
8 ways to add colour to your home without paint
5. Paint
Please paint. It’s the cheapest way to personalise a space, and it will give you the most bang for your buck. Even if you prefer white, find a wonderful white that lends atmosphere.
If you’re reluctant to paint the whole place, just paint an accent wall. If you’re afraid of committing to a bold hue, choose an in-between colour.
Please paint. It’s the cheapest way to personalise a space, and it will give you the most bang for your buck. Even if you prefer white, find a wonderful white that lends atmosphere.
If you’re reluctant to paint the whole place, just paint an accent wall. If you’re afraid of committing to a bold hue, choose an in-between colour.
6. Invest in the right furniture pieces
A sofa is going to stay with you for a long time, so get a good one. Even if you think you’ll have it just temporarily, it’ll end up moving from the living room to the study/family room. So don’t skimp. The same holds true for a dining table.
I also think it’s worth investing in one good, super comfortable reading chair. Choose neutral upholstery, like white, taupe or grey, for your investment pieces.
A sofa is going to stay with you for a long time, so get a good one. Even if you think you’ll have it just temporarily, it’ll end up moving from the living room to the study/family room. So don’t skimp. The same holds true for a dining table.
I also think it’s worth investing in one good, super comfortable reading chair. Choose neutral upholstery, like white, taupe or grey, for your investment pieces.
7. Measure everything
Measure your space before you go shopping (as well as the doorways, stairs and lift openings leading to your domicile), and bring those measurements when you shop.
Furniture will look smaller in a showroom with 6-metre ceilings than it will look in your living room. And don’t buy matching sets of furniture, unless you want your home to look like the sales floor at a furniture store.
Measure your space before you go shopping (as well as the doorways, stairs and lift openings leading to your domicile), and bring those measurements when you shop.
Furniture will look smaller in a showroom with 6-metre ceilings than it will look in your living room. And don’t buy matching sets of furniture, unless you want your home to look like the sales floor at a furniture store.
8. Where to skimp
If you need to cut costs, do it with accessories: Look for mirrors, pillows and lamps at department or discount stores. The dirty little secret of decorating is that if you mix in a few cheap things among the more expensive items, no one will notice.
If you need to cut costs, do it with accessories: Look for mirrors, pillows and lamps at department or discount stores. The dirty little secret of decorating is that if you mix in a few cheap things among the more expensive items, no one will notice.
9. Include something old with your something new
Don’t buy everything new. Go to an antiques store, or if you can’t afford that, visit garage sales, flea markets or auctions, and pick up a few accessories that don’t look like you bought them off the shelf at the import store.
Pieces with history give a room personality and depth, and are what distinguish a home from a furniture showroom.
Don’t buy everything new. Go to an antiques store, or if you can’t afford that, visit garage sales, flea markets or auctions, and pick up a few accessories that don’t look like you bought them off the shelf at the import store.
Pieces with history give a room personality and depth, and are what distinguish a home from a furniture showroom.
10. Consider ‘temporary’ furniture
Lots of experts advise against buying ‘temporary’ furniture. Well, I’m here to tell you that I don’t necessarily subscribe to that theory.
It can take a long time to find just the right pieces for a home. And nobody likes camping out for six to 12 months, waiting for the perfect item to show up.
If you don’t have family members you can borrow pieces from, and the satisfaction of having something filling that spot outweighs the cost of it, then go right ahead and buy it.
Garage sales are a great place to find filler pieces, as is Ikea (the source of this chandelier). I just paid $100 for a dining table and two chairs from the Swedish behemoth. Are they the best I could afford? Will they last forever? No and no. But they give something to sit in and dine at until I find the exact pieces I want. Afterward, I can give them to charity and not feel like I’ve sacrificed much.
Lots of experts advise against buying ‘temporary’ furniture. Well, I’m here to tell you that I don’t necessarily subscribe to that theory.
It can take a long time to find just the right pieces for a home. And nobody likes camping out for six to 12 months, waiting for the perfect item to show up.
If you don’t have family members you can borrow pieces from, and the satisfaction of having something filling that spot outweighs the cost of it, then go right ahead and buy it.
Garage sales are a great place to find filler pieces, as is Ikea (the source of this chandelier). I just paid $100 for a dining table and two chairs from the Swedish behemoth. Are they the best I could afford? Will they last forever? No and no. But they give something to sit in and dine at until I find the exact pieces I want. Afterward, I can give them to charity and not feel like I’ve sacrificed much.
11. Hire a pro
If you’re still unsure about all of this, you can always seek the services of a decorator or interior designer.
If you can’t afford a soup-to-nuts decorating job, then just ask for an hourly consultation. The designer will help you clarify your style, steer you toward the right furnishings and assist in the development of a long-term plan.
If you’re still unsure about all of this, you can always seek the services of a decorator or interior designer.
If you can’t afford a soup-to-nuts decorating job, then just ask for an hourly consultation. The designer will help you clarify your style, steer you toward the right furnishings and assist in the development of a long-term plan.
12. Chill
Your first home probably will not be your last home. So don’t feel like you’ll be living with every decision for the rest of your life. Sure, it makes sense financially and environmentally to acquire foundation pieces that will transition from your first home to your second, third and fourth. But that cushion is going to be around for only a few years. Same with those sheets and towels, and that table lamp. So have fun.
TELL US
What did you do right/wrong decorating for the first time? Share in the Comments below.
MORE
World of Design: Discoveries of 10 First-Time Homeowners
Your first home probably will not be your last home. So don’t feel like you’ll be living with every decision for the rest of your life. Sure, it makes sense financially and environmentally to acquire foundation pieces that will transition from your first home to your second, third and fourth. But that cushion is going to be around for only a few years. Same with those sheets and towels, and that table lamp. So have fun.
TELL US
What did you do right/wrong decorating for the first time? Share in the Comments below.
MORE
World of Design: Discoveries of 10 First-Time Homeowners
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Excellent article...
ad amazing photos...
thanks for sharing this useful article...
we are planning to construct a new house for sure I'll sure use these ideas...
FYI JB