Today I want to share my steps on How To Decorate Any Room In Your Home! These steps have changed the way I look at decorating and completely banished the wallet-draining process of shopping on a whim and turned it into a well thought out, easily executed plan.
When I first began decorating our home I screwed up more times than I can count and wasted more money than I would like to admit but that is totally a thing of the past. I believe by following these simple steps, you too can have the well-decorated home you have always wanted. Plus I am including a free printable Signature Design Style Notebook to help you along the way!
Before implementing these steps I would spend countless hours shopping because in my mind I could do it all in one fell swoop. This almost always resulted in a room that either didn’t feel complete or was filled with things I absolutely hated within a week, I knew there had to be a better way. These steps are so easy and will help you avoid making the same mistakes that I did.
5 Steps To Decorating Any Room In Your Home
Determine Your Design Style: This is huge guys, especially since I was decorating our home for over a year in the wrong style! Yes, I thought I loved Shabby Chic decor but I had never tried to dig deeper and pinpoint WHAT I loved about the style. So I want you to really think about what your style is and how you want that implemented in your home. How do you want to feel when you walk through the door every day?
Usually, the first thing I do is head to Pinterest and start searching for inspirational images of whichever room I will be decorating. Once I have at least 10 images saved I like to go back and really study those images to pinpoint what speaks to me and any traits the images have in common. There will almost always be at least one commonality between them. If there are multiple commonalities try to narrow it down to the four that speak to you the most.
Is it color or maybe mixed metals? Funky light fixtures or maybe lots of gold accents. Are they light and bright or maybe they are bold and full of pattern? Once you have these things pinpointed take your worksheet and write them down in the commonalities section of your notebook.
Once you have the commonalities listed in the first section move to the second section and think about what three words you would use if you had to describe your style but keep in mind whatever you write down here will need to carry over to the rest of your home. You can mix styles but you want your home to feel cohesive. In order to do that you will want to carry the same styles and colors throughout your home.
Having three to four main colors to use in your home narrows your options and makes shopping and those decisions you thought were impossible a total piece of cake.
Let’s say your painting your living room light gray and you’re going with a light and airy vibe, you would also use those same colors in your bedroom to make the style flow from room to room. No, each room doesn’t need to look the same and you can mix it up a little but overall you should use the same color palette in each space. I like to go with three main and an accent color. Write those down on section two of your worksheet.
Clear The Space: Now that the style and colors are determined, I like to clear the entire space. You can use this time to rid the space of all clutter and also get rid of anything that doesn’t match your design style. That does not mean every single thing should go, keep anything you could still use in the space, you may need to change it up a bit for it to work.
For example, when we decided to redo our master bedroom I knew that I could keep our current night stands and dresser since I would be lightening the walls and purchasing a much lighter bed. If at some point I decide that will no longer work I could always change them up with a little bit of paint and new hardware. Do you have items you could use in your new space? Write those down in the things I already own section along with any changes in the changes to be made section.
Mood Board: This step is probably the most important thing I do for each space. It completely takes the guesswork out of the entire process while also revealing if the things you have chosen will work well together. Don’t be upset if you put things together and they don’t look the way you thought, this is a trial use this time to play with different looks and items.
Take all of the main pieces you will be using such as rug, lamps, bed, curtains, furniture, accessories and arrange them the best you can. There are loads of options for creating a mood board, you can even do this with the most basic Microsoft word document by simply copy and pasting your products into the document.
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Shopping List: Create a final shopping list of every item you will use in the space. Make the list detailed with color choice, size and each store you plan to purchase your items on the last page of your notebook. You can also add any notes or things to remember in the bottom section of the page. Use this list every time you shop for your space and mark things off as you go.
Once you do this you will be shocked at how fast the process goes and how much easier it is to stay focused. You won’t be tempted to buy things that may be cute but don’t fit into your plan, which in turn will save money.
Execute The Plan: This is where all of your hard work and planning will start coming together. Piece by piece begin layering the items from your shopping list and any DIY projects you may have done. You may need to go back to your mood board at some point during this process for a little visual reminder.
Always remember when decorating any space you want to layer in different textures and varying heights with your accessories. This will make the entire room come to life. Mix old and new pieces so your space doesn’t look totally store-bought and fresh flowers always do wonders for any space. Give yourself a huge pat on the back and enjoy the amazing space you created!
If this is your first visit thank you so much for stopping by and to all of the new friends we have gained over last several week’s thank you for becoming a part of our little family, I hope you enjoy following along as we go through the journey that is our crazy life and we look forward to getting to know each and every one of you!
Get your free Signature Design Style Notebook below! This notebook will help you to determine your design style and keep all of your ideas in order while designing any room in your home. You can copy the sheets so you will have a set for each room. Following these steps has helped me so much and I hope you all get the same wonderful results that I have.
Ashley – I LOVE this post! I was the same way, buying tons of things for my home when I was out just because I liked them in the moment but as soon as I got them home and put them “where I had visioned they would go” I didn’t like it and ended up with tons of items I hated months later and kept hidden and didn’t use them. I can tell you have a knack for decorating girl and I can’t wait to see all you do, and your bedroom reveal!
Thank you so much Holly! Isn’t it horrible! I have been thinking about all of the things I’ve purchased in the past and it’s almost sickening. I have wasted so much time and money doing things the wrong way. I have closets full of decor that I will never use and have came to the conclusion that I’d like to sell almost all of the things I bought in my crazed state 😆 If I had done it right the first time I wouldn’t be starting over three years later but hey you live and learn right? And that reveal oh my goodness girl, all of the bed forces are working against me, it’s honestly been exhausting trying to find what we want but I’m not giving up yet! Thank you again for your sweet comments!
Ashley, great post! Love your process for design! It is so easy to end up with a room that you aren’t happy with without a process- I’ve definitely been there 🙂 I know that Signature Design Style Notebook is going to be awesome! And I can’t wait to see your Master Bedroom- I know it was so disappointing when the bed didn’t work out, but you will definitely find something even better 🙂
Thank you so much Beth 😊!I hope you get some good use out of the notebook and oh my goodness I know I measured everything before and did all of the right things but sometimes things just don’t work out the way we planned right? I have been so bummed out because not only did I spend two weeks looking for the first bed but I’ve spent the last four days searching every furniture store I could possibly think of in person and online and right when I was about to give up, I’m pretty sure I found it… Finally! Cross your fingers this one works.