Redesigning your entire home decor can be a scary but necessary part of life. No decor lasts forever, no matter how beautiful or modern, and every home tends to begin looking tired at some point. Even just a few changes to spruce up the home can make a huge difference and ensure the people who live in it fall in love with it all over again!
Below, you’ll find 12 things you should do before redesigning your entire home decor if this is something that you’ve been thinking about doing. By ensuring you take the below steps first, you’ll get it right and ensure your new decor lasts a long, long time. Read on to learn more!
- Create A Mood Board To Get Ideas
Start by creating a mood board to get ideas for your new decor style. If you haven’t really got a good idea of what you want to do with your decor yet, then this can help you. A mood board can be created online using a platform like Pinterest, or even by using magazines if you prefer to get creative in person.
By creating a mood board you’ll get an idea of the general feel you want to go for, as well as colors, textures, patterns, themes…the list goes on! You’ll be able to spot any repeating patterns in what you have used too, so you can see if there’s a particular style or element you want to include.
2. Figure Out What You Need For Your Lifestyle
Although you want a home that looks tremendous, you also want to figure out what you need for your lifestyle. You should think about layout before buying anything. What is going to be most practical for your living situation? What should you buy/get rid of to make sure that this new home decor stands the test of time and works well for your family? Make a list, and make sure you fulfill it to make your home as liveable and satisfying as possible upon completion of your project.
3. Consult An Expert
If you’re a little anxious about redecorating your home in its entirety, don’t hesitate to contact an expert. There are numerous experts who can help you to redesign your home in a way that really works. You could go with a painter/decorator to make sure your home is painted to perfection, for example, or even an architect if you want to add some interesting structural elements. Hiring professionals will be more than worth it in the long run. If you try to do it yourself or hire people who are simply not qualified or experienced enough, you could end up spending far more in the long run.
4. Come Up With A Budget
Knowing your budget is also super important before you get started. When would you like your project to be completed, and how much money can you dedicate to it? Knowing your numbers will mean you are able to divide money between different aspects, for example, an envelope for accessories, another for paint, another for furniture, etc.
5. Think About Whether You’re Planning On Selling Up In A Few Years
Seriously consider whether it’s likely you will sell up in a few years. You’ll want to keep up with property news to figure out if this is an option – if it is, you’ll need to bear this in mind as you decorate. You don’t want to do anything that will jeopardize the sale price, so nothing too ‘out there’ that will be difficult to change before house showings. If you do plan on making structural/architectural changes, make sure you know how much you stand to make when selling your home and figure out if it’s worth it. Remember, if these things are done poorly, you stand to lose money.
6. Get Rid Of Any Clutter
If you have clutter in your home, then you’re taking up valuable space that attractive, useful items could be taking up. Now is the time to tackle your clutter before you decorate so you can start with a blank canvas. Here are some pointers that should help you:
- Only keep something if it’s beautiful or useful
- If you haven’t used something in 6 months or more, you’re probably safe to get rid of it
- Get rid of duplicates
- Leave things you are emotionally attached to until last
- Get help from friends and family so you can look at your items objectively
Something else that may help you is watching Marie Kondo’s program on Netflix (she also has a book). You could pick up some useful tips and in no time you should find your home is perfectly organised and clutter free. Check out how I organized my closet using her method as well.
7. Pay Attention To Color Psychology
Color psychology will help you to pick suitable color schemes for each room. The psychology behind each color is worth paying attention to, or you might not get the desired effect you’re looking for in a room. Purple can be mysterious, but red can be energetic. If you use colors in the wrong room, you’ll end up regretting it.
8. Do Your Measurements
Whether you’re measuring for curtains or furniture, measure, measure, and measure again. Make sure you have 100% accurate measurements so that you can buy what you need without having to send things back. Getting your curtain measurements wrong can be extremely expensive, especially if you’re going for custom options. You don’t want to have your heart set on a piece of furniture either, only for it to arrive and it not fit in the room you wanted it in.
9. Incorporate Lighting
Always consider lighting in a new decor plan. You’ll need main lighting and then likely mood lighting to complete the look. In the kitchen, you’ll need to plan for task lighting, but you can afford to have more mood lighting in the living room.
10. Accessorize Last
The very last thing you should do is accessorize. You should have everything else sorted first. Your furniture, walls, and floors, should all be completed to perfection before you start bringing accessories in. Don’t be afraid to take your time, otherwise you can end up with pieces that don’t really suit your overall aesthetic and end up being more of a nuisance than something beautiful to enhance your home.
11. Allow Your Personality To Come Through
Whatever you do, don’t just allow your home to look like a show home, or something you pulled straight off Instagram. Allow your personality to come through! Show off your souvenirs. Show off things your kids have made you, and things you’ve made yourself. Make your hobbies known. You should want people to know that you live there!
12. Prepare To Buy Quality Items
Make sure you plan to buy quality items. You can get away with certain items that are cheaper, such as throws and cushions, but your curtains, furniture, and other main pieces should be high quality. You want these items to last; you don’t want to have to replace them every few years, or wear them down. Trying to save a quick buck often means spending even more than you intended in the long run. Of course you should think about expensive purchases carefully, but don’t be afraid to spend more if you really want something. You should even budget a fair amount for artwork that you really love, as beautiful artwork lasts forever!
How will you begin redesigning your entire home decor? Let us know below and thanks for reading!