Thursday, May 05, 2016
The Interiorista: Where to Start?
Decorating your home is an exciting task. Choosing from paint colors, furniture arrangements to accessories can be so much fun, but all the options, all the decisions to make can leave us feeling overwhelmed. This is why I think it's so important to have a plan!
I'd like to suggest to you some steps to help you in your decision process.
1. Select what room of the house you would like to work on. The decision is up to you! You can choose the room of the house you spend more time in or the one you hardly use to have less distractions. Whatever room you decide, I'd like to encourage you to focus on that particular space and develop a detailed plan. Restrain from trying to decorate several rooms at the time. Narrowing your efforts to a specific room will allow you to get more focused, finish the room quicker, and obtain better results. I know! It's hard to be patient!
2. Develop a budget. Sit down with your spouse and discuss how much money you would like to put into enhancing the room. You don't need to spend a lot of money to improve a room. If your budget is limited, recycle your old stuff, use garage sales or discounted stores, and embrace DIY projects.
3. Define your decorating style. In the next posts, I'll expand on this subject but in the meantime, I'd like to ask you to start collecting decorated rooms that jump out at you in magazines or books (House Beautiful, Decor, Country Living, Better Homes, etc), creating Pinterest boards or folders in Houzz. This will help you define what you like.
4. Select your color palette. The colors you use in the room not only will pinpoint your decorating style but also will set a particular mood for the room. Start thinking about what colors you feel drawn to and what type of atmosphere you would like to create in the room. A relax and inviting mood, a vibrating and fun space, an elegant and sophisticated room or a casual and trendy one. I will elaborate more about this later.
5. Sketch out a floor plan. The way you place the furniture in the room will have a big impact in the overall feeling of the space. When furniture pieces are not well located, the room can feel cramped, confusing and even tiring. We will talk about different furniture layouts and the importance of measuring and respecting traffic lines.
6. Create a mood board. A decorating board is a tool that will allow you to visualize all the elements of your design together. Is is easy to fall in love with items at the store and the realize when you get home that they don't go with the room. Using mood boards will help you stay on target and maintain the harmony in your decorating plan.
7. Paint. Once your decorating plan is settled, you can start painting. You could do it yourself or hire a pro. I'd like to suggest that you paint first thing before you start purchasing furniture or accessories, so you have more room and your stuff doesn't get damaged.
8. Have fun shopping, recycling and making. In future posts I'll be sharing with you some tips to help you recycle your old furniture pieces and give them a new flare. Also where to buy decorating items for less and where to find tutorials for your DIY projects. I'm a fan of decorating on a budget but without losing quality. The items in your design should be durable and made of good materials, so you don't have to invest money again in a short period of time.
9. Add finishing touches. The last part of your design will be adding accessories. Pillows, throw blankets, baskets, lamps, pictures, etc. will make your room look put together, have personality and add visual interest. Don't underestimate the power in the little details!
10. Hire a professional. I believe in you! I think you can totally decorate your home, but if your life is crazy busy or if you are a 100% sure your creative juices are dried, I'd like to advise you to hire a professional. Houzz.com will point you to the designers and decorators in your area. You could also use websites like heavenly.com who offer online decorating services. I'm also happy to help! Designers and decorators will charge an average of $50 to 200 an hour depending of expertise, reputation and location.
I hope you find this post helpful. Release the decorator in you and have fun! I'd love to get your feedback!
Angelica
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