If you've ever been immersed in decorating your home you've likely come to the realization that "decorating" is way harder than you thought. It's time consuming, confusing, and there are wayyy too many decisions. But I'm going to let you in on a secret, designing your home becomes uncomplicated when you have a path. Finding your path does take some time and patience, but it will save you so much frustration, time, and money for your future self.
So what does it mean to find your "path"? It means three things: 1. You Know Your Style 2. You Have a Set Budget & 3. You Have An Action Plan. So let's dive in...
1. YOU KNOW YOUR STYLE
This part of finding your path often takes the most time. You can jumpstart the process by taking my Style Quiz (subscribe if you haven't already to receive the link to my quiz). After taking the quiz go to my linked Pinterest board and sift through. This quiz isn't foolproof & may have guided you to the wrong style, but it is likely close to what you are.
Create a whole new board on Pinterest for your home. Start pinning pictures of rooms that you LOVE. Set aside 20 minutes for a pinning session-- just enough to keep you excited but not too long for discouragement to take over.
Then walk away.
Come back in a few days and look over your images. Our end goal is that they have a cohesive style or theme. At this stage, they probably don't. Pinterest is awesome, but it can easily become a distraction, because it has an unending amount of beautiful rooms. You have to be able to decipher what is done well & beautifully versus what is truly your style (what you want to live with day to day and year to year).
Below is what my Dream Living Room Pinterest board looks like. There is definitely a cohesive style. It is Eclectic but with very Traditional architecture. Antique pieces of furniture are mixed with modern accents. There are a lot of creams and whites with a pop of dark wood and pinks. Each room has a sense of whimsy but yet feels formal.
Assess your Pinterest board and ask yourself what you are drawn to by answering these questions below:
1. Is the furniture ornate or simple? (Purpose: a sense of your overall style; Traditional Vs. Contemporary. If there is a mix then it's likely Eclectic)
2. Are the rooms generally a warmer or cool tone? If they are white, are they whites more of a gray undertone or brown undertone? (Purpose: a sense of overall style; Usually cooler tones lean on the Contemporary side, whereas warmer tones are a bit more Traditional)
3. In general, are the rooms formal or casual? (Purpose: a sense of overall genre; Glam is much more formal than, say, Industrial)
4. What types of fabric are present? Cottons, Linens, Silk, Tapestry, Fur, Embroidery, Velvet, Flannel, Wool, Knits? (Purpose: deciphering the nuance in style; cottons & linens have a coastal and casual feel, velvet and silk are formal, knits and wool are warm naturals that are often seen in cottage styles)
5. What metals are used? Brass/Gold, Black, Bronze, Silver & are they matte, brushed, or polished? (Purpose: deciphering the nuance in style; Black matte is contemporary, polished metals are usually more Traditional, brushed bronze is a casual Traditional.)
6. What is are the wood tones and patterns? Are they dark or light? Do they have a red, orange, or gray undertone? And are they rough or more smooth? (Purpose: deciphering the nuance in style; Red/Orange undertone wood is usually more Traditional, Rough wood is typically more casual.)
Once you have answered these questions, delete pins that don't fit within your parameters and then start pinning again. Don't get frustrated by the process, it may take time. Keep refining your board until you are overjoyed with each picture.
If you like, you can even name your style. My name is Eclectic French Whimsy. Eclectic is the general style and French is the genre. Whimsy is the extra 10% that makes it "Jorgi"... the dashes of pink, fur throws, and gold bow mirrors.
2. SETTING YOUR BUDGET
The best way to set a realistic budget is to create a Google or Excel sheet. You can download and use these templates. I like to use a range budget which gives you a more realistic goal. The templates have a minimum and maximum column. Look online at stores you shop to fill in the templates. Now you have a goal. It may be more than what you currently have so you can decide to purchase piece by piece (after doing step 3 of Having an Action Plan) or decide to save and purchase all at once. Or you may be surprised that you can have your dream room for less than you imagined!
3. HAVE AN ACTION PLAN
Whatever your budget is, you need to create a vision board which pivots on your design timeline. Decide when you want to purchase all the items; is it now, in the future, or is it piece by piece (some now and some later)? If you are planning on purchasing everything now (or within a few months) your vision board will be much more concrete. If it is to purchase a year or more from now, then you will have a real design, but some furniture might go out of stock by the time you purchase. You will have to spend time recreating parts of your vision board if you are waiting to purchase. But it is still useful to create one now if you are planning ahead for the future.
Here's how I create a Vision Board (view my video below):
1. Start a Powerpoint slide. Open a new slide and name it "(Room Type) Vision Board". Copy & paste a few of your inspiration images onto the first slide. Add a second page for your actual vision board.
2. Copy & paste furniture into the slide. Some websites won't allow you to copy & paste (Target for example) so you will have screenshot the item. If you have a Microsoft device, then use the "Snipping" app to paste onto your slide. After pasting it onto the board, you can erase the background. On Powerpoint, click the image, click "Picture Format" on the top bar and then hit "Remove Background". Make sure you hyperlink the image so that you can trace it back to where you can purchase it. Hyperlinking in Powerpoint is simple, all your do is click the image, hit "Insert" on the top bar, then "Action" and then copy the link into "Hyperlink to: URL".
3. Take pictures while shopping in person and upload to Powerpoint to verify. Some people have a hard time shopping online, so you can shop in person. Before buying anything big make sure it goes well with your board. Snap a picture with your phone, email it to yourself, download it off your email, and then insert it into your Vision Board.
4. Purchase samples to verify. If you are planning on purchasing furniture over the internet, try to get as many sample fabrics as possible. Most high end stores will allow you to purchase samples for a small fee. Target, IKEA, and other stores with a similar price range don't typically have samples but they do have amazing return policies.
5. Check the dimensions of all the furniture. First make sure that the lengths and widths fit in your room. The simplest way to do this is to measure it out and put down blue painters tape as an outline. Next check the heights of the furniture. It's incredibly important to check all of the heights of your sofa & chairs. The height from the floor to the top of the seat, the arm rest heights, and the back heights all need to be verified. Another important height are your side tables next to the seating or bed. You want to make sure that items resting on your tables are easy to reach from your sofa and/or bed. Read this blog for the best size rugs and this blog for curtains sizes.
6. Revise your design until you are thrilled with the outcome. The first draft of your vision board will likely not be the best version. If something feels or looks "off", even if you can't explain it, then it is off. Switch things out. Go back to your inspiration images if you feel stuck.
Watch me create a living room vision board from start to finish:
Best of luck! If this still feels overwhelming and a bit too time consuming, then contact me. We can chat about ways I can help make your dream home a reality!
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