Design Techniques for the Design Challenged

1. Choose a color scheme. There are several different ways to do this. Start by gathering color palettes from paint stores, magazine and other picture clippings of what might appeal to you, remembering when you were at the apartments, your neighbors, a friend's, or the doctors office you remember something special about the furniture there.

If a person is working with a budget, try building the color scheme around the furniture that already exits. Once a person gets the hang of these techniques it will be easy to switch later. For example, try borrowing a throw pillow. Even though its just one small pillow, it has the ability to change the look of the living room completely.

Does it enhance anything? Is the throw pillow seemingly to be the nicest object in the room? Are there any colors in it that looks good with what other things in the house like blankets, pillows, rugs, etc...? Now imagine what it would like to change the color or just add drapes of the same colors? Imagine the colors switched. How does it look now?

2. Once the colors to be used are determined, find the focus of the room. Let's pick the couch as an example. Add a throw pillow of a different color to the ones already there. Try putting a small blanket over the back of it with and without the throw pillows. The possibilities are endless.

3. Add and spread stuff so it compliments the room itself. Don't put a hot pink pillow on the couch if nothing else is hot pink and don't even do it if there's a hot pink clock on the wall. Take it down if doesn't match anything else. If hot pink is your color of choice, then stick with the theme. A forest green and deep purple will not go well with a hot pink anything.

4. Don't be afraid to be creative when it comes to accessorizing. It may take some time and playing with different things here or there to really find what works best for the space that is being changed. Sheets, pillows, lap blankets, embroidered doilies, table clothes, trinkets, photos, frames, and lamp stands are all fun to experiment with. They also come with the added bonus of being easy to find at common places like garage sales and second hand stores.

5. It's OK to tear it down and start over again or change the room often. Once the room is finished and its no longer enjoyed...start over! Its OK. This article officially gives permission to any person wishing to be creative within the approved bounds of their rental or mortgage agreement when it comes to decorating the living quarters. Just as life evolves, so should a living space to reflect it.

6. Try to be classy and polished. For some that means steel and black everything. Others it means just keeping the dust off their stuff, the living room picked up, and the throw pillows arranged perfectly. Whatever classy and polished is to you, strive for it. If you know of someone you that you have always admired for how they keep their home, ask them about how they did their decorating. They will be happy to tell you, especially if they did it themselves.

Happy decorating!