Sometimes decorating can be confusing, it can be hard to know what elements to use in a space in order to end up with a look you love. So to make it easy today I’m breaking it down with 9 Decorating Must Haves For A Well Styled Home!
For most of my adult life, I have been obsessed with all things decorating, I love nothing more than to walk into a well designed clean space and knowing that its filled with items that were chosen over a period of time to create a look that I love.
Getting to this point hasn’t always been easy, in fact, I have made more mistakes than I can count and I still screw up sometimes but not nearly as often as I used to.
Over the years I have used these must have essentials as a reference point to determine if a room is “finished”. Having these elements memorized makes it so easy for me to breeze through any space with confidence and know that the end result will be a curated well-balanced space filled with items that truly embody my style.
Once you practice these principles it will become second nature to you as well and decorating won’t seem nearly as complicated as it once was.
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9 Decorating Must Haves
- Neutral Foundation: To ensure that you end up with a look that will last a lifetime starting with a neutral foundation is key. Making sure that your large purchases are neutral is also one of the biggest money savings tips I can offer you because it makes any updates or changes so easy and who really wants to constantly replace their sofa/bed everytime they are ready for a change?
- Mixed Patterns: Learning to mix patterns is a great way to add interest in a space and is always one of the top things on my list. Wheather I choose to do my mixing in pillows, drapery or even accent chairs I know the space will be anything but boring.
- Insider Tip: When mixing pillows its always good to choose patterns in varying scales, think solid, small pattern and large pattern.
- Layered Lighting: This is a surefire way to make any space feel inviting and cozy. Most homes come standard with an overhead light and adding recessed lighting and multiple lamps or other lighting options is key. It will instantly give your home that lived in look.
- Texture: Of all the things, texture is probably the most important in my opinion. A space without layers of texture feels unfinished but adding in baskets, chunky throws and using items with varying textures will quickly fix that problem. If you find yourself standing with your head tilted trying to decide whats wrong with the space try adding in more textures and see what a difference it makes, you may be surprised.
- Hints Of Black: Over the years I think so many of us have shied away from black due to the all-white everything train but adding in touches of black is the fastest way to ground any space. Also if I’m being honest I have totally neglected the color in our home for years and the past few months I have been looking for ways to add black back into our decor.
- Natural Wood Tones: Adding shades of natural wood tones in any space is a must! If you aren’t careful in things like white kitchens, for example, it can quickly start to look washed out but add in touches of wood elements throughout and it will create those layers that every room needs. Think wooden pots, wood bead garland, cutting boards, vent hoods, beams, mantels or natural wood doors.
- Greenery: Take a look at some of your favorite rooms, I can bet that each one has some form of greenery. We need it to not only to finish off the space but to add interest and texture. Adding some succulents or a cool faux fiddle leaf fig tree are great ways to up your greenery game even for those of us that have the dreaded black thumb… No joke, I have killed every single succulent that I have brought home but there are ways around that with all of the amazing faux options out there these days.
- Books: This one somehow gets skipped a lot and I seriously cannot stress enough how integral books are to the entire decorating process. Honestly, I use books every single time I decorate and having a good selection to choose from is key for me. My go-to choice is typically decorating books and I use them all over from stacking them on a bookshelf to using them for added height to a lamp. You can shop my favorites below or hit up the local goodwill for some cheap options.
- Get Personal: Last but not least you need to add in a few personal items but make sure they blend well with your style because grandmas old traditional china cabinet may not look good with your new mid-century modern dining room style. Incorporate things like family photos or prized finds from your latest trip will instantly make the space your own. In our latest project, we did this by adding a black and white gallery wall filled with family photos above the sofa and I couldn’t be more in love with it.
I’ve linked some of my Favorite items below!
When decorating try to take your time because honestly, it is not something that can be rushed if you want amazing results being extra careful about your choices is so important. If you’d like more decorating tips you can check out the following posts below.
Decorating Tips: The Things That Nobodys Tells You
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Great tips Ashley! I always forget about texture, and I’m so glad that you mentioned it. Also, adding in touches of black- you’re right that we’ve gotten away from it, but it always does make a room look instantly elevated. I need to remember this more!
Thank you so much, Beth, you’re so sweet! I tend to forget about texture as well and usually when I feel like a room is missing something texture is what it ends up being. Black is something I am going to make it a point to start adding back in I think its so important to ground a space but often neglected.
Love this list! I’m at a point in my home now where I’m going back through my rooms and trying to add in more lamps. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Ginger! I am sure your home looks amazing, going back and adding things in is always the fun part for me.
Love your post ! You’ve given me some great ideas on how adding texture to a space , particularly an entryway table can make all the difference. Can u tell me where you purchased your beads?
Peggy thank you so much, you are so sweet! I actually made that particular one, but here are some that are similar *Affiliate https://rstyle.me/n/cxv6wrcch8p.