Have you moved into a new home, or want to spruce up a few of your rooms? While some people come alive planning rooms, trying the sofa out against various walls and in various corners and selecting colour schemes, others can think of nothing worse than walking round furniture stores and home decorating shops trying to decide what they should do.
If decorating isn't your thing, we, at Thompson Brothers Furniture, have some tips for decorating beginners that should make the process easy for you. We're also available to help you pick the fabrics, finishes, and furniture pieces which will make your house a home.
Before you decorate, its a good idea to ask yourself some questions about the use of the room, your favourite colours, styles, and the natural light that comes into the room. This list of questions should help you make some key decisions before you decorate any room in your home.
1. How will I use this room?
Its a "no brainer" that a bedroom will need a bed, a chair, and a lamp. But will you choose a beautiful armoire to be a second focal point for the room or do you need to reserve a major space for your exercise machine?
Will your dining room be used for formal entertaining or will it become the home office?
If you're working on a family room, will you have a large entertainment area or will the room be filled with a pool table?
2. Will I use this room every day or just occasionally?
The answer to this question will help you decide how much to spend on your decorating project, what colours to use, and what pieces of furniture you'll need. If you're working on a guest room that will be slept in once a month, you'll spend much less than on a master bedroom that you'll use every day. And a guest room can be a space to experiment with bold colour, new design, and luxury items. But a master bedroom should be done in a soothing, familiar colour and include practical and useful furniture.
3. What is my favourite colour and how can I use some of it in this room?
It's obvious that if your favorite color is turquoise, you probably can't paint your family room or teen boy's room turquoise. But you can find ways to bring that favourite colour into almost any room in your home. Use towels, flowers, paintings with turquoise, or cording trims to bring that colour to the room. Start with an accent piece that's multi-coloured, including your favourite colour. You'll be surprised how that stand-out favourite colour becomes the focal point, even if the room is plain beige!
4. Does my room get enough natural light?
If your room has dark corners or shaded light all day, you might want to select colours to brighten up the space even on the darkest of days. Or you'll need to look for ways to add artificial light with decorative lamps, track lighting, or recessed lights. If the room gets direct sunlight throughout the day, you'll need to think about adding draperies or window blinds or shutters to control the light.
5. What furniture do I need and where should I put it?
Not all rules apply to every room you'll decorate but there are some tips about arranging furniture that work pretty well for any room. They're a good starting place.
Once you've got the answers to these questions worked out – here are some tips on how to pull it all together.
Love old ships? Theme your study using old nautical maps on the walls, and old navigation globes on the window sill. Matchstick boats in bottles, a water-worn-look desk and the right wallpaper will finish the look perfectly, and you'll love being in the new themed room. Do the same for childrens' bedrooms: boat rooms, princess rooms – whatever they love, bring it to life for them in their room. Well, who wouldn't want to sleep in a racing car bed?
Here's a Helpful Tip: When thinking about interior design, try and see your house as a totality rather than trying to decorate each room with unique themes and colours. Try to have a common style or theme running throughout all your rooms. You can unify your rooms by creating a colour scheme. For example, why not pick maybe three or four colours and use them in a variety of ways and in slightly different shades throughout the house?
Always make sure your room has a focal point or one main striking feature. This could be anything from a fireplace to a bay window. Your focal point should draw attention and have a lasting impression However, those who do not have a natural focal point such as a fireplace can create one themselves. A piece of striking art, an ornament or a feature wall will do the trick.
If you love bold wallpapers but are too scared to give them a try, opt for one that you really love, and cover one statement wall in it. For example your could paper the wall behind your sofa in a bright poppy print – keeping the rest of the room white or off white, with white furnishings and red detailing throughout. It's both classy and distinctive.
The best decorating tips for beginners help you save space. Unless you have hundreds of hidden storage units, keeping your room minimalist can be difficult. You might start with a sofa and a TV, but you'll need somewhere to put the hoover, a cat bed, a coffee table, a plant, somewhere to put DVDs… Soon enough, it can feel that all that spare room you had is gone. Avoid this problem by being realistic about what needs to fit in each room, and use your space wisely.
You should also try and create an equal distribution of visual weight in a room. One way to do this is to create symmetrical balance. This style is normally found in traditional interiors; it gives the room a comfortable, neat and balanced setting.
For something a little different, try using radical symmetry. This is where the elements of a room are formatted around one central point or a feature. A spiral staircase for instance makes a stunning feature and is an excellent example of radial balance.
Collections can take a house from looking standard to looking perfect. Ever noticed how those homes in glossy decorating magazines have random selections of objects everywhere? Whether it's teacups, vases, clay objects or any other collectible display them all together in one place. Opt for different sizes and colors and display an odd number of objects for the best look: not only will it give your house a "Home & Gardens" look, but they are a great distraction too!
Looking to brighten up a room, make a room seem bigger or just create an impact? Collect some mirrors. Vintage styled mirrors in a variety of shapes can be displayed along either side of a room, opening it up to look bigger and adding plenty of extra light – and the artistic effect is simply stunning. You can also create the look with more contemporary designs. The trick is to opt for mirror designs that are similar but distinctive, to create a put-together but creative feel.
The latest kitchen trend? White kitchens. Everything is white and sterile, and while it looks very modern and classy in a showroom, it can look very plain in your house. Brighten rooms up without reaching for the paint by pairing plain colours with brights and neons. A bright yellow and white tablecloth in a white kitchen, for example, can bring it to life. It's easily changeable, too, so you can keep redesigning your kitchen for a really low cost.
Looking for things to display? Most people will instinctively look for photos and paintings to hang on the wall. That's not all you can have, though. Give your home a professional finish by opting for sculptural art and textures instead – like mirrored butterflies above your computer desk, adding a new feel to an otherwise boring wall. There are plenty of wire, metal and wooden designs you can choose from.
Need some wall storage? If you're opting for a stylish bookcase, consider going old-school with dark woods and heavy designs. For cases that hang on the wall, invest in some paint the same colour as the wall and paint the book case once you've hung it. Blending it in will make the room feel bigger, and make the objects on the case stand out even more.
Avoid the standard clusters of vases, flowers and ornaments and put that space to better use. For example, a striking contemporary table can be bought alive by creating a light display – invest in a few different lights, including positionable stage lights and lights that hang from the ceiling, and play around until you find a display and lighting setting that you love. It's a great way to show off a selection of great lampshades, and changing the colour of the bulbs can make the room feel seasonal.
Decorating can be complicated, especially if you've got contrasting ideas to the person you're living with, but it doesn't have to be challenging. Check out other peoples' homes for inspiration, invest in magazines aimed at the budget you are looking at, and try things out. These designing tips for beginners will transform your home in no time!