How to Decorate a Room

For some of us, decorating is a snap. It just sort of flows. I'm that kind of person. I put things where I want them in my house, and people tell me "Wow! That looks great!" And I wonder how "that" happened. I've spent the last few years paying attention to how I decorate my home, from where I place things in my home, to what I buy for my home, and here are the secrets of my success.

An easy way to start is with finding something you love. It can be something you already have, or a new purchase you make. Just make sure it's an item that you are crazy about. You will be sure to like the room if you start with such an item. You will be basing the room around it. It can be a piece of furniture, or a rug, or a quilt on a bed (even if you have no bed for it yet). It can be a picture, a vase, a knick-knack. Whatever it is, it will have style, perhaps color, perhaps a theme, that will help you build a room.

To pick your room's color, either pick a color from your initial object (like your favorite color in the pattern of a sofa or rug), or, if there isn't any color involved in your object (say, it's a bed and it's only color is oak), pick a color you are always drawn to. Watch out on this second tip, though, because if you are always drawn to, say, green, and you use this tip in every room, your whole house may have a green interior. Be creative, but be expressive. Choose colors you really love. Use lighter shades for rooms that don't get a lot of sunlight or look small. Use bold colors in areas you want to be dramatic and fun-loving.

The next step is to find things in your home that go well with your starter item. This is a great money-saving tip and a really good way to practice bringing pieces together before you buy things that you later decide don't really go together. Spend a few weeks experimenting with different things from other rooms in your house. Nothing is set in stone. Try things out for a few days and see how it feels. My best guide is asking myself "Do I love it?" If I'm not really pleased with how something looks in my home, I move it. I work with objects and furniture until I find the place I really love for it.

When shopping, I don't buy things for my home unless I happen upon something that will look great in a specific room in my home. I think that's a good key to decorating, because it keeps you from spending money you might regret later on. If there's a specific room you want to find, say, a picture for, window shop for pictures but don't get in a rush. Pay attention, as you look around, to things that you truly feel will look great somewhere in your home, like some artwork for your dining room even though you weren't aiming to cover the walls in your dining room until later down the road. You will be much happier with a purchase for a different room that you love and can use than you will be with an object you picked because you have a space you want to fill in the room you're currently decorating. This makes the things in your home much more personal to you. They have meaning to you because they felt from the beginning like they belonged in your home. Later, something else will catch your eye that will go perfect in the room that you want it for.

Following these tips may mean that it takes a while to really get the room finished. But it means you will love it, and it will probably have cost you less money. Another good money-saving idea is to shop at flea markets and antique stores. People often donate or sell things to these businesses simply because the items aren't their style. But they may be your style. Especially since the used, distressed look is key in quite a few decorating styles. And you can usually find unique knick-knacks and other accent pieces at these places. Also remember that curtains and drapes are easy to make out of snazzy sheets. Save the money on window treatments for specialty blinds or accentuating curtain rods, which help make a room look smartly done.

Finally, live in your room. If you continue to feel something could be better about it, you will figure out what it is as you make personal use of the space. Think creatively about how to arrange the furniture and try out all of the possibilities until something clicks with you. And if you have no taste at all, find a friend whose home you admire and get him or her involved.