We moved a couple of years ago from our first home. Moving is always an overwhelming experience. But, I realized that we needed more things for the new house to fill the space. Being the impatient person that I am it was hard for me not to buy stuff just to fill a spot. I realized that decorating, like styling outfits, is a journey. I also realized that I love to decorate. My love of fashion and art definitely flows over into home decor. My challenge with home decor is that I can easily find things I love, but I am not sure where to put them or how they go together. Sometimes, it helps to call a professional. However, professional decorators are not always in everyone's budget so I wanted to post some practical tips and advice that I have learned along the way in my journey dealing with decorators and decorating on my own.
Thinking about hiring a decorator? Be sure to ask lots of questions before you hire them. Find out how they bill, what their personal style is like, ask to see pictures of previous jobs and ask for references. If you need furniture and art you may want to hire a decorator who does not bill hourly, but will take a commission on what you purchase. If they work on commission ask what companies/furniture lines they work with to buy their products. Ask questions about time frames, shipping and installation prices. I also suggest that you price compare quality and customer service, which you can easily do online. If they will not be up front with you, then move on and try to find someone you feel that you can trust. There is no secret sauce and they should not try to hide anything from you considering in this day and age everything can be found on the internet. The reason for hiring a decorator is for their sense of style, arrangement ideas and customer service so you do not have to deal with finding/placing pieces or managing shipping and delivery.
If you already have lots of stuff to fill your space, then you will likely want a decorator who works on an hourly basis or a flat fee. These decorators simply take what you already have and re-arrange or refurbish your pieces and add a few new accessories.
What do you do if a decorator is not in the budget? Ask yourself what your style is and how you can bring that to your home. You must also think about functionality and the other people living in the home. Versatility is good, but you still need the rooms to flow together. This part is where I seem to struggle. I love different styles. I love Mid-Century Modern, Bohemian and a little French Country. I may never officially be "done" decorating because it really is a journey, but I hope my house reflects a little bit of my personal style.
In the following I am linking some fun decor websites and tips. I hope you find these helpful!
Decide from the beginning if you want to have neutral walls and floors and add color with decor/accents or if you want colorful walls and flooring and to keep your furniture and accents neutral. I personally love to have a neutral palette and throw in bold colors or mixed prints. I love anything animal print. You can even mix animal prints if it is done properly like a local design shop has done in this picture.
If you are more conservative, but still want to look modern you can keep everything neutral and add in tones of gold or silver to give your look a little pop like this example from ZGallerie.
For wall decor you can explore wallpaper options or pictures/art. Spoonflower and Thibaut are a couple of my favorite wallpaper resources. I have not used it so I cannot attest to quality, but I recently noticed that Target has started carrying some super cute peel and stick wallpaper options.
Now that you have your general decor idea covered you will need to pick out main furniture pieces, along with accent pieces and artwork. In my opinion, you can take basic/simple furniture pieces and use accents to totally change the vibe! You can find anything on Amazon! I started searching and discovered that you can buy fabric by the yard on Amazon. Drapes and pillows really make a difference. Check out all the awesome velvet fabrics here. Amazon is also a great resource for coffee table books. I'm a sucker for a fun coffee table book.
Need custom pillows? Etsy is another great source and often cheaper than retail or buying fabric from a fabric store.
As for art, I like to have a few nice pieces from local artists and mix those with pieces that have a personal meaning to my family. When traveling, I like to buy a cool print as a souvenir and then have it framed.
In conclusion, some decorators will say there are certain decorating rules such as placement of pictures/artwork on the walls. Never walk into a room to see the back of a chair or piece of furniture. Always decorate in accents with odd numbers. Always try to focus on symmetry of the room. While these are all good rules to follow, it is your home so do what makes you happy and feel comfortable.
I will leave you with some additional websites to browse if you are looking for furniture and accents. Most of these I have used for one thing or another and had good results, but I recommend you read the reviews and return policies before purchase. Thanks for reading and please feel free to share your tips or ideas in the comments section!
www.jossandmain.com
www.onekingslane.com
www.joybird.com
www.overstock.com
www.houzz.com
www.highfashionhome.com
www.shadesoflight.com
www.shopcandelabra.com
https://www.target.com/c/home-decor/-/N-5xtub
www.birchlane.com
www.rugsusa.com
www.ballarddesigns.com
www.grandinroad.com
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