Decorating 101: How to Start a Decorating Project
Before you grab that first paint chip, figure out your needs, your decorating style and what to get rid of
Fred Albert
May 12, 2019
Houzz Contributor. Fred has written about architecture and design for many Web sites and magazines, including Houzz, Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful and Style 1900.
Houzz Contributor. Fred has written about architecture and design for many Web sites... More
Congratulations. You’ve decided to decorate your home. Now what?
Whether you’re furnishing your first place or redoing the house you’ve owned for decades, decorating can be a challenging task, filled with costly decisions whose outcomes could haunt you for years. How do you figure out what style is right for you? Should you tackle the job yourself or hire a pro? How much should you spend? And what steps can you take to ensure you’ll be happy with the results?
In this series I’ll take you through the entire decorating process, from initial inspirations to final floor plans. We’ll talk about choosing colors, shopping for furniture, arranging furniture, where you should scrimp and where you should spend.
But before you do any of that, look around you.
Whether you’re furnishing your first place or redoing the house you’ve owned for decades, decorating can be a challenging task, filled with costly decisions whose outcomes could haunt you for years. How do you figure out what style is right for you? Should you tackle the job yourself or hire a pro? How much should you spend? And what steps can you take to ensure you’ll be happy with the results?
In this series I’ll take you through the entire decorating process, from initial inspirations to final floor plans. We’ll talk about choosing colors, shopping for furniture, arranging furniture, where you should scrimp and where you should spend.
But before you do any of that, look around you.
Take a Critical Look at Your Current Home
What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Are your feelings prompted by the aesthetics of the decor? The comfort? The fabrics? The colors?
Learn from that. Repeat the things you like, and don’t repeat the things you don’t like just because they’re familiar to you.
Find an interior designer on Houzz
What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Are your feelings prompted by the aesthetics of the decor? The comfort? The fabrics? The colors?
Learn from that. Repeat the things you like, and don’t repeat the things you don’t like just because they’re familiar to you.
Find an interior designer on Houzz
Write Your List for Santa
Create a wish list — your Santa Claus list. Write down everything you would like to do if money were no object. Then figure out which things you can do, which things you can’t do, which things have to be done now and which things can wait.
“If you don’t have that master list, it’s hard to prioritize,” says interior designer Amy Luff of Viva Luxe Studios in Bristol, Virginia.
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Create a wish list — your Santa Claus list. Write down everything you would like to do if money were no object. Then figure out which things you can do, which things you can’t do, which things have to be done now and which things can wait.
“If you don’t have that master list, it’s hard to prioritize,” says interior designer Amy Luff of Viva Luxe Studios in Bristol, Virginia.
Search for a desk chair
Collect Photos
Start collecting pictures of rooms you like. Even if you’re going to hire an interior designer, this will help him or her get a sense of your taste.
Naturally, Houzz is a great place to begin, as you’ll have more than 15 million pictures at your fingertips. You can save everything into one ideabook or make individual ideabooks for each room or each aspect of the design (wall colors, furnishings, fireplaces etc.).
Don’t try to do this in one sitting — give yourself a few weeks or months to compile your photos, as your tastes might evolve during the course of the exercise. Something that appealed to you on Day 1 might seem trite by Day 23.
How to Create and Use Ideabooks
Start collecting pictures of rooms you like. Even if you’re going to hire an interior designer, this will help him or her get a sense of your taste.
Naturally, Houzz is a great place to begin, as you’ll have more than 15 million pictures at your fingertips. You can save everything into one ideabook or make individual ideabooks for each room or each aspect of the design (wall colors, furnishings, fireplaces etc.).
Don’t try to do this in one sitting — give yourself a few weeks or months to compile your photos, as your tastes might evolve during the course of the exercise. Something that appealed to you on Day 1 might seem trite by Day 23.
How to Create and Use Ideabooks
Get Your Better Half Involved
For many couples there’s often one person who’s more interested in decorating than the other. The other person might say, “Do whatever you want.”
Do not do whatever you want. Because as soon as you start buying things, Mr. or Ms. No Opinion will suddenly have an opinion. So make him or her spend some time with you at the very beginning just looking at pictures of interiors. “Spend an hour or two on the computer and look at some things together and talk about them,” says interior designer Alana Homesley of Woodland Hills, California. As you review each room, ask your partner, “What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it?”
Alternatively, you can each collect images independently, then sit down and compare what you’ve chosen. This way your initial selections won’t be swayed by the other person. As you review your selections together, your differences and similarities will immediately become apparent.
For many couples there’s often one person who’s more interested in decorating than the other. The other person might say, “Do whatever you want.”
Do not do whatever you want. Because as soon as you start buying things, Mr. or Ms. No Opinion will suddenly have an opinion. So make him or her spend some time with you at the very beginning just looking at pictures of interiors. “Spend an hour or two on the computer and look at some things together and talk about them,” says interior designer Alana Homesley of Woodland Hills, California. As you review each room, ask your partner, “What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it?”
Alternatively, you can each collect images independently, then sit down and compare what you’ve chosen. This way your initial selections won’t be swayed by the other person. As you review your selections together, your differences and similarities will immediately become apparent.
“I Don’t Know What I Like”
Many people find it difficult to articulate what they want. Don’t let that bother you. Those photos you’ve collected can convey that information for you. Look at the characteristics that pop up again and again: the style of furnishings, the color palettes, the patterns, the materials, the quantity of furniture in each room. Let those characteristics guide you.
Most people have a basic comfort level, Homesley says. They know what kinds of rooms they like to be in and what kinds they don’t like to be in. Although it’s good to venture outside your comfort zone every now and then, it’s unlikely that you’ll enjoy living in a minimalist contemporary space if your natural predilection is for farmhouse style. So trust your instincts.
Many people find it difficult to articulate what they want. Don’t let that bother you. Those photos you’ve collected can convey that information for you. Look at the characteristics that pop up again and again: the style of furnishings, the color palettes, the patterns, the materials, the quantity of furniture in each room. Let those characteristics guide you.
Most people have a basic comfort level, Homesley says. They know what kinds of rooms they like to be in and what kinds they don’t like to be in. Although it’s good to venture outside your comfort zone every now and then, it’s unlikely that you’ll enjoy living in a minimalist contemporary space if your natural predilection is for farmhouse style. So trust your instincts.
Take Another Look Around
Now that you’ve started to zero in on the look you want your interior to have, make a list of all your significant pieces and figure out which items should stay and which should go.
Keep in mind that if you love a piece of upholstered furniture but hate its fabric, it can be reupholstered. Wood pieces can be painted or stained. Objects can be repurposed. And if there’s an inherited piece that has great sentimental value but you can’t stand to look at it — well, life’s too short to live with things you don’t love.
Now that you’ve started to zero in on the look you want your interior to have, make a list of all your significant pieces and figure out which items should stay and which should go.
Keep in mind that if you love a piece of upholstered furniture but hate its fabric, it can be reupholstered. Wood pieces can be painted or stained. Objects can be repurposed. And if there’s an inherited piece that has great sentimental value but you can’t stand to look at it — well, life’s too short to live with things you don’t love.
All at Once or in Stages?
If you have the budget to do everything at once, by all means go for it. If you want everything done at once but can’t afford that now, save your money and do it all at once later.
If you can’t afford to do it all at once and don’t care if everything is done at the same time, then you’ll be better off doing the project in phases. Complete one room before moving on to the next one, rather than doing a little bit in one room and a little bit in another.
“Living in a half-finished space isn’t going to make most people happy,” says Homesley. “I think it’s better to wait and do your project in phases.”
The living room is a good place to start, as it will leave you with something you can be proud of and can share with friends — a good launching point for the other work ahead.
More on Houzz
7 Major Decorating Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Decorating Master Class: 10 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Look for an interior designer
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If you have the budget to do everything at once, by all means go for it. If you want everything done at once but can’t afford that now, save your money and do it all at once later.
If you can’t afford to do it all at once and don’t care if everything is done at the same time, then you’ll be better off doing the project in phases. Complete one room before moving on to the next one, rather than doing a little bit in one room and a little bit in another.
“Living in a half-finished space isn’t going to make most people happy,” says Homesley. “I think it’s better to wait and do your project in phases.”
The living room is a good place to start, as it will leave you with something you can be proud of and can share with friends — a good launching point for the other work ahead.
More on Houzz
7 Major Decorating Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Decorating Master Class: 10 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Look for an interior designer
Browse sofas
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I am in a rental flat which makes things a bit harder. We need to redo kitchen sinks which are stained and chipped white enamel which is. It so difficult but just needs to be done
Then there is the sun room. I just sold the owners old furniture after they gave permission and I am on the 8 th floor with an amazing view facing west hence the sun room and have the most beautiful sunsets every night never the same. So I just do not know how to furnish the room which is a very odd size and does not have one wall - really. It has a sliding glass door to the lounge and a massive sliding glass door to the outside with a railing no balcony and the third wall is a pocket door to our bedroom. The fourth wall is built in cupboards. Very useful. Thank you all for your advice. I have been saving pictures to Houzz and will go through them and edit. We know we want a small table and two chairs so we can eat and watch the view and maybe two loungers or a double one if it can fit. Seems I will have to get in a designer to work out the best use of the space. Sounds like I will be going window shopping in the next two weeks to get ideas of what is out there and maybe get a better idea.
What are the dimensions and what is your climate? The big question would be how do you envision using the room? Being it's beyond your bedroom, do you feel comfortable entertaining in it? Is there a time of day that you want to use it more than other times? Evening glasses of wine? office? Reading--(couch or recliner?) crafting? Extra storage? A work area could double as eating space and entertaining. In my room, I plan to have kitchen cabinets back-to-back with a formica slate top, which will be on castors so that it can be moved as usage dictates: I plan to be using it for all of the above. Breakfast /dinner nook-- (patio type furniture or formal dining chairs?) Exercise equipment or place to do yoga/exercise? Flooring stays or goes? Area rugs? Once you list all the ways you want to use the space and the seasons you can be in it, I think a lot of your decisions will fall into place. I found that I needed to build my room from the floor up and that helped me with each next decision, but if you're renting, you probably don't want to do a thorough remodel. An area rug of your choosing might be a starting point, though. Do you want it to coordinate with the bedroom space/ other rooms or will it be more independent? Are you a plant person? What are your dreams and can you make some of them work in this space?...I wish I could..._____? For me, I always wanted a sauna (which I can disassemble and move, should I ever want to) so that was a big place to start for me. The room was planned around that. Do a search on houzz and Pinterest using terms that will get you what you want: balcony, sunroom, rooms with a view, or whatever you want this room to fulfill and then save and sort like you plan to do. Just keep asking what else do I want this room to accomplish? Most of all, have fun and keep a flexible thought process. Good luck; post pics if you can!
As a designer myself, when dealing with a client with a spouse, I usually prefer to have both individuals contributing their opinion and ideas to the project from the very beginning. This way I ensure there is no constant back and forth once the project is underway, which might delay the expected completion time of the project and lead to more costs, and possibly a strain in the relationship between them as a couple, as well as on our working relationship.