Decorating

Don't Take the Safe Route when Decorating

June 1, 2017

Decorating any room can be a very daunting proposition. While such things as flooring, window treatments and furniture can be a major expense, that's no reason to take the safe route and resign yourself to rooms filled with various shades of beige.

To decorate with complete confidence in your choices, we've put together some helpful tips that will let you avoid most decorating mistakes while turning a room in your house into a showplace.

Begin by using something special for starters. Every room needs a focal point or a theme. Start with something you absolutely love, whether it's an heirloom rug, a favorite piece of Mexican art or even a tea set your grandmother gave to you. From this, all the other answers will start coming to you quickly. And yes, designing smartly can be as easy as finding a single color, pattern or prized possession to build around.

Gather your options next. Don't pick your tile or carpeting without looking at your choices of furniture, paint colors and window treatments as well. They should be considered all together, not separately. You'll rue the day that you picked out carpet over the weekend, only to find it was a shade or two off from the perfect sofa you found a month later.

Live with your choices. If possible, borrow samples and live with them day and night. Colors and textures change with the lighting of a room and while you may love a color in the daylight, it may not be so lovely in the glare of interior lighting after the sun sets.

Color is free – Use it! Paint is a cheap way to redecorate a room. But you may be surprised that good wallpaper is just as cost effective and easy to apply. In fact, you can usually paper a room in a day that would take two or three days to prep and paint. And wallpaper is great at hiding the blemishes that require a lot of spackling and sanding if you were to paint instead.

Each room needs a focus – a single item. It could a fireplace, a unique piece of furniture, a stunning sofa, etc. Don't give into temptation and confuse the eye with too many things to look at.

Don't be a slave to fashion. That fluorescent orange beanbag chair may look tempting, but don't decorate per the latest fads. Your home will end up looking just as dated as your clothes become a year from now. Stick to the classics – woods, rich fabrics, stone and natural materials – and you'll never be sorry.

Following these simple and easy instructions will turn any room into an elegant work of art. Let your imagination create the picture and get the right people and the right materials to complete your masterpiece.

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