10 Decorating Secrets You’ll Wish You’d Known Sooner

At times it seems as if decorating is some magical formula that designers keep locked up tight in a vault in France, even for the most creative souls the thought of all of those decisions can quickly add pressure and weigh on one’s mind but it really doesn’t have to be that way.

After many years of decorating and going through numerous stages of the decorating journey, I’ve come to realize that there a handful of decorating secrets that when applied by even the greenest of decorators can be used to create a well-styled home each and every time!

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I used to believe that I didn’t have a creative bone in my body but after looking back and really thinking about what I was exposed to as a child I remembered that my grandmother had in fact built and decorated her own home way back when and it was such a beauty that the local high school would bring their Home Economics class to tour it.

So maybe it wasn’t completely learned behavior but I know for a fact that it can be. So if you’ve just moved into your first home or if you have finally got up the courage to decorate your own home then take heart my friend because you can totally do this!!!

10 Decorating Secrets

1.The Plan: When it comes to decorating the one thing you should remember is that it is a process, not a race! So everything you’ve been taught that has you running to the store and furnishing your home in one fell swoop, stop that!

As a society, we are raised to want instant gratification and with the excitement of a new home, of course, you’re in a hurry for it to look good but that is where the mistakes start to happen and you can quickly end up spending money on items that are either not your style or that you hate so before you do a single thing be sure to create a plan for your home.

2.  The Color: Before you begin the buying process you should decide on a color palette for your entire home. It may seem daunting to have to come up with three to four colors that you like enough to layer throughout your home but trust me it will make things a piece of cake down the road plus this is truly the number one area where I believe people go wrong.

If there was one tip I could give that would literally make or break a design it is this one… Control the color, control the design… That is something I made up to remind myself everytime I get the urge to reach for something that’s outside of my designated color palette and it works! If you need help choosing colors for your home you can check out my post here to walk you through it.

3. Investment Pieces: When choosing furniture for your new home or an update it is important to invest in pieces that will truly stand the test of time vs trendy items like that time everyone and their momma had a red sofa.

Imagine the last piece of furniture you bought, okay now how long before you were absolutely sick of it and ready for another? I’m guessing within three to five years you were ready for a change and that usually happens when the color of the furniture piece is so bold or bright that it only works one way which makes us tire of the entire decor scheme quickly.

Choosing to invest in classic neutral pieces instead will not only keep you happy longer but you will save money in the long run because you aren’t replacing it as often.

4. Textiles: Textiles such as curtains, pillows, and rugs are so important to a well-styled home, think of textiles as the jewelry of your home,  without them things just look dull. When choosing which options to go with there are several things to keep in mind, the first is the feeling you want to create in the space. For example, if I was going for a classic laid back feel I might choose a shag rug paired with linen curtains and mix and match vintage pillow covers on the sofa. This is the fun part to me because you can really do anything here and it can totally change the vibe of the space.

The second thing to keep in mind is the patterns you use in your home, you want to mix and match pattern sizes in things such as throw pillows. So if I have one really busy throw pillow I’m going to use one with a larger print and one solid color mixed with it so all of my attention doesn’t go directly to the busy pillow.

The third thing you want to pay attention to is the texture of the pieces you chose. Using different textures will help to give your home a more lived-in look vs an “everything was just bought” kind of look.

5. Artwork: Picking the artwork you want to display in your home can be tricky and often people really don’t put enough thought into the pieces they bring into their home.

The best way to start is to ask yourself if you want your home to look original or do you want it to look generic? Take the time to search for quality pieces of artwork and don’t just go picking all willy nilly either, instead choose pieces that really speak to you in some way and of course that also fit into your designated color palette.

Places like Minted or even your very own photos from that special vacation are perfect for adding artwork to your home.

We’ve used personal photos several times such as our living room grid style gallery wall and the camel print that my sister took while in Israel… Both of those pieces mean something to me and have created a personal feeling in our home.

6. Lighting: When most people think of lighting they think of a lamp or overhead lighting such as a chandelier but when it comes to design lighting plays an important role in the overall feel of your home.

Layering several different types of lighting throughout your home is key for any good design, layering three different types of lighting is a good rule of thumb for any space so, for example, you may have recessed lighting, a chandelier and table lamps which creates an ambient space where you can do almost anything.

Also, the lighting is one place you can have fun with for instance adding a fun sputnik chandelier in an otherwise neutral space to give it that extra pop.

7. Accessories: Small decorative items make a huge impact on the space but when overdone they can also take a design from good to bad very quickly.  So when choosing smaller pieces for your home be sure to consider the style, color, and surrounding items before you purchase a piece. I like to envision where I’ll use it, what will be around it and how they will look together.

A major thing to pay attention too is color, I’m not going to bring a bright red accessory into my light and airy home no matter how much I like it. This is also a time that you can have fun mixing finishes such as matte black and brass or silver and black just play with combinations until it looks good.

8. Natural Elements: Often this is one element that is extremely overlooked but can seriously up the style factor of your home, bringing in natural elements such as wood tones will give your home that layered look we all crave. Natural elements can mean anything you would find in nature such as wood, live plants etc.

9. Greenery: Sometimes when you finish a space it just feels like something is missing and most of the time that something is greenery. Whether you use living plants or faux each space needs its own dose of greenery if not multiple pieces.

10. Personal Touches: One thing that it seems design has shyed away from lately is something personal. Yes, your home can still look great but without items that mean something to you personally its hard for a space to truly feel like home.

Now obviously don’t get carried away because you don’t want your home to look like a museum of things past but bringing in an item or two such as a tchotchke that you picked up while on vacation or a vase that your grandmother gave you will bring meaning to the room.

Something I like to concentrate on when I’m decorating is feeling… When you set out designing a room you are creating an experience, a feeling if you will. So the question you should ask yourself is how do you want this space to feel and what combination of pieces envoke that feeling.

In our home, I love it to have a light and bright but lived in feel so I bring in lots of whites and mix in a few blues with pops of leather to give it a masculine touch because let’s face it light and bright can quickly turn into pastel feminine if you’re not careful. I’ve also been slowly adding more black throughout the design to give it more of a modern farmhouse feel and overall I love that it feels clean and crisp but also lived in and casual, so before you start decorating be sure to sit down and go over what type of feeling you want your home to have.

Most of all remember this entire journey is a process and it will most likely take a while to evolve so being patient is key. I hope you found the inspiration you needed to finally feel confident about decorating in your own home!