After buying a home for the very first time, new homeowners often face a different challenge: decorating.
For many people, decorating an empty home may seem a little bit overwhelming, given the amount of choices as well as the time and resources it can require. But it doesn’t have to be difficult – decorating your new home can be a fun experience as well, and it’s something that will make your house more comfortable and inviting, perfect for starting a new life in a new place.
Below, we offer six excellent suggestions on how you can start decorating your new home:
The process starts in your old home
What you do in your previous home before you move has a huge impact on your new home. You can make things a lot easier if you get rid of about half of your old stuff – old, bulky furniture, outdated electronics, broken appliances, and other random things that are no longer usable.
It’s time to start fresh by taking only the things that you feel will be a good fit in your new home. Donate all of your old possessions to charity, hold a garage sale, or sell some of your items online.
Set a budget
The key to successfully decorating a new home is knowing how much you can spend. Keep in mind that you don’t need to decorate the entire house all at once. If you have a tight budget, you can start with the room where you’ll be spending most of your time, like the bedroom. That way, you’ll have a nice, comfortable room to stay in as you’re dealing with the rest of the house.
Select a color scheme
There are several approaches when it comes to selecting an ideal color scheme for rooms: it can be anchored on the flooring, based on a single focal point like a painting or a piece of furniture, or simply based on whatever colors you prefer to use.
Choose neutral colors for investment pieces, such as dining tables, sofas, and other large pieces of furniture, and apply your color scheme on accent pieces like pillows, curtains, and other décor. This will make it easy for you to switch to a new color scheme in the future, in case you want to create a new look.
Size it up
List down the different measurements of elements such as windows, doorways, and ceiling height before you go shopping. This will give you a better picture of how a piece of furniture will look like when placed in a room, as furniture tends to look smaller when it’s in a large showroom with high ceilings.
Combine the old with the new
Not everything in your new home has to be new. Drop by an antique store, or if you have a tight budget, look for flea markets, auctions, or garage sales.
Mixing in vintage pieces of furniture or décor is a great way to add more personality to any space, and will prevent your living space from looking like a furniture showroom.
Relax and just have fun
Your first home won’t necessarily be your last home, so do yourself a favor and don’t put too much weight on every design decision. Sure, foundation pieces deserve a little more thought, as you’ll likely be using them in your next home. But for small items like lamps, tablecloths, and throw pillows? Don’t stress yourself out too much and just have fun choosing what looks best in your home.
