Use a Decorating File to Stay Organized

Without a doubt decorating a single room or your entire house is a lot of fun. However, it can also easily become overwhelming trying to keep track of all the details and make sure that everything coordinates. That's where a decorating file can help. By keeping all the details of your project in one place you will have all the information you need right at your fingertips - no digging for where you placed something or guessing whether something will match.

Just what is a decorating file? Essentially it is a notebook where you keep any important information about your decorating project including paint chips, carpet and fabric samples, window measurements, room measurements, floor layout plans and anything else that you need to make your project go smoothly.

To start your own decorating file, pick up an expanding file and a notebook. An expanding file with tab dividers that you can label is perfect so that you can easily sort the different aspects of your project and find them in a hurry.

As you begin decorating record everything that you do in your notebook and then file it in an appropriate section in your file. For instance, if you paint the walls in your room, attach paint chips to a page in your notebook and jot down the color name of the paint. Then, file that page in a section of your expanding file labeled "paint".

Now, when you go to shop for furniture, fabric or window treatments you can just grab your expanding file and go. You'll have your paint chips on hand with you so you can tell right away whether a fabric color will match or clash.

Not only that, but if you need to touch up your paint years from now you'll still have the name of the paint you used and a paint chip with all the relevant information on it so you can easily get matching paint mixed at your loca store.

Include anything and everything in your decorating file - if you think you might need to reference it later, add it to your notebook. Try putting in carpet and fabric samples, a sheet of paper with a sketch of the floor in your room and the measurements of each wall written on it, window measurements and anything else that may be useful in your decorating project.

If you want you can also include a section for inspiration in your file in case you get stumped during your project. Clip out pictures of rooms that you love from decorating magazines and stick them in the inspiration section. When you can't figure out what to do with an awkward corner of your room or need some guidance on how best to place your couch, dig through your inspiration file for ideas.

Creating a decorating file doesn't take a lot of time, but it can make your home decoration projects go much more smoothly.