12 Easy Steps to Decorate a Room You’ll Love Living In
I’ve often said that your home is the backdrop to the movie of your life, or something like that. And with any good movie, there is equally good or better set design. So today, I’d like to share 12 easy steps to decorate a room you’ll love living in.
Visualizing how you live your life
If you are a movie fan at all, then you know about Nancy Meyers. She creates those movies we all love, where the homes are almost like a main character. When you watch one of her movies, you understand the people quickly because you see where and how they are living.
The homes are full of personal style, and you immediately have a sense to depth of character as you watch the story unfold.
Favorite Nancy Meyers Movies to Watch
Time to visualize your life. What do your rooms say about you? Is it the right message you want to convey? Are you living with things that serve your current needs in your life? If not, then it’s time to rethink your design plan.
Getting inspired to decorate a room you’ll love living in
Let’s start with something important. There is a big difference between being inspired by something you see versus copying it.
You will be creating a room that you and your family will love living in. You will not be copying anything you may have seen because, frankly, you have no idea where the point of view came from.
Even though you may love the look of the latest Pottery Barn catalog, those ready-made designs are meant for inspiration, not real life. After all, it is a full furniture catalog, and most people have curated items over time.
I’m betting most of what you have has been purchased through the years instead of from one store in a weekend.
Find your room mood
When looking for ideas for home design, search social media or Pinterest and create a mood board. A mood board is just as it sounds, all about the MOOD. You will not be looking at specific color schemes, or furniture pieces yet. Just focus on the vibe.
It is always a better idea to look at the overall look and mood of the space, even if you think “I love this room except for that table.” Pin to your Pinterest board or save as many as you can in a folder on Instagram, so you can evaluate and begin making some decorating decisions that will serve you best.
Don’t worry, I will be here through the whole thing, cheering you on with truth bombs you need to consider. You can learn to be your own interior designer. After all, you know you best, and truly knowing what their client wants is the biggest hurdle for many industry professionals.
What your room says about you
After you have gathered all your interior design ideas, here comes your first truth bomb. You are going to look hard at your rooms you have, and determine, what these rooms reveal about you. Write it down, and use adjectives. You can do this for an unlimited number of rooms, but to make things simple, let’s focus room by room.
Now look at some of your inspiration. How far off are your adjectives? Be realistic in what you are looking yet. Yes, you can look at a million dollar room and implement different points into your own smaller space. However, we also want to be realistic about what things you can do NOW.
Let’s find the best way to make your current space more comfortable and a space you will love to come home to. We can talk about creating your dream home a bit later.
12 Easy Steps to Decorate a Room You’ll Love
Let’s look at those 12 easy steps to decorate a room you’ll love living in. Once you review these steps, think deeply about them. Later, you can go room by room creating that space you’ll feel comfortable in, and love for a very long time .
Define your needs and desires
This is our first step into a better reality. Let’s start in the main living room, then move room to room. Take a look around, and write down the things that you really need to have happen in the space.
This should be the realistic needs for who lives there, and how you need to use the space. Also consider the location that your house is in.
After you have considered your needs, make a list of the things you may desire and why. The why will give you better results later in your design process. It can determine the reason that you want something and if it is really necessary.
Take inventory of what you have and love
Now look at what you have that you love. Why do you love it? Is it the most comfortable or comforting? Maybe it is an heirloom that brings meaning.
Establish the items that you know you want to keep, and possibly get more of. Also consider, is there an item that you really love but that is currently hidden or out of use? Maybe you thought it wasn’t right for the space.
It might be time to reevaluate some of these items and bring them back for consideration. Just focus on the things that really bring your heart joy, for whatever reason.
Be realistic
Consider where you are in life, and what you can realistically do or spend. Is there no budget? Then tweaking, cleaning, bartering, and DIYing will be your focus. Whether you have $100-$5,000, look at the items that you have that can be used or reimagined, then make a plan for the budget.
It is always smart to buy the best quality you can, and many times, this may be best purchasing vintage items. They are made better than today’s ready-made items, and many times can end up being the wise investment piece in the room.
Prioritize spending
Always work on building, what will be, your foundation pieces. You will also want to look out for that special focal point piece that can be your jumping-off point for your overall design.
This could be an area rug, a small or large piece of art, or even a wallpaper or fabric. Find that one amazing piece and go from there. As opportunities arise, new items can be added over time.
Think outside the box
Don’t get caught up in what you think people expect. A room will become most like you when you think outside the box. You are focusing on your family’s needs and desires, not anyone else’s expectations.
If embarking on a renovation project, fix those items that don’t make sense, but keep some charm. You never know what crazy things people have done to “fix” things in a house. If they don’t make sense to you, then change them. Make it make sense. Living with good function will always be worth the price.
Don’t follow a trend but a feeling
If you remember nothing else of what I say, please remember this. I’ll say it a bit louder for those in the back. IT IS TIME TO STOP FOLLOWING TRENDS. Doing so will not ever give you a room that shows your true personal style.
It also can be costly, because trends change quickly and often. I can guarantee that there are millions of people everywhere wanting to repaint their entire gray and white houses.
Instead of following the latest trend, encourage a specific feeling that you have felt when seeing a room you loved and translate it to what your current needs are. Our needs change over time in our homes. We may want a different style of table, or need to switch up a furniture layout to accommodate what is currently happening in our lives. Kids don’t stay little for long, families living in the space grow or become smaller, and certain square footage may need to just become a different sort of room.
The good news will be, if you haven’t followed trends and stayed true to what you love, it will be much easier to tweak your rooms in the future.
Have an image of what your room can become
Look back at those inspiration pics you’ve saved. Categorize them into rooms, and study them. Do you see a common thread? Is there a certain flooring you are loving, or colors that speak to you. Find the things that are consistent in your inspo rooms and take note.
Now think about your rooms. How are they used? What can they become? Consider similarities or changes that need to take place, then reimagine a different look and function for a room that is needed.
It is always a good idea to use your space how you want to! A dining room DOES NOT have to be for eating. Get rid of or store the table for later, and create a space that is needed RIGHT NOW. The home decor police will not be knocking on your door to check your floor plan to see if you are using it as a home office or an empty room for the kids to jump around in.
At the end of the current period in your life, you can always change furniture back or create a whole new space for your needs.
Consider everyone who lives there
Decorating a room you’ll love to live in means everyone. This also means that kid items should not overtake the entire house, because adults live there too.
Do you live with four giant dogs that need space as well? A room everyone will love means a space where all can come together and feel less hustle, exist in peace, along with enjoying a homey feeling. Toys do not need to overrun a house, just as much as Mom’s 47 throw pillows from Home Goods do not need to keep anyone off the furniture everywhere.
Create consistency with color
If you have mis-matched furniture and it feels too much like a hodge podge of items, consider unifying some things color. Whether it be dining chairs, end tables, or big pieces, you can create consistency (if that is your desire) with color.
When decorating a room, look at the entire space and how items speak to each other. And always remember, that just because you saw someone with an amazing room you admire and you know the paint color they used, does not mean it will look good in your house. Color changes dramatically depending upon the light around it. What looks great in one space, may not work in another.
Color defines the mood
The most budget friendly way to make a big statement or change is with paint. Especially if you can DIY. For the price of a few gallons of wall paint, you can create a whole new mood. Color has power that way. Furniture paint can also make a big difference in updating old furniture and making it more of what you want.
A cohesive color palette
If your rooms are open to one another, or if you have a smaller home, it is best for your color palette to stay cohesive. Flowing from room to room, colors can ebb and flow into more dominant here, or in the background there. Small spaces will be less jumbled visually if you have considered them as a whole.
If you have a room that is far away from the flow of the house, feel free to have a little fun with color or change the palette. This concept works great in a primary bedroom or a home office or studio space.
Function first
When you are making your notes of what you love, what is needed, and so on, stop and think of one thing. Function. How things work in your home will be the difference between ease of living and a bit of chaos.
It is always a priority to create spaces that work for all the activities your family enjoys, and allows them to be easily cleaned. Imagine a guest walking up the driveway and you have exactly one minute to do a quick sweep to make things more presentable. Good function and design can be made presentable again very quickly!
Which brings us to one of the most important steps…
Remove and hide the clutter
If you have zero budget, and still want to feel like you need a ‘new’ space, it’s time to purge. Removing items that no longer serve you or your family will be the best part of reimagining a space.
Donate excess, reorganize items, and only allow the items you use DAILY to be in those ‘hot real estate’ areas. If you haven’t touched it in years, or even dusted it, chances are it can go.
In addition, even when you have the budget, make room for those new features to shine. Remove the clutter, assess what you really need, get rid of what isn’t working, and clean things up.
Look around at any of the inspiration photos that you have saved. Do any of them have clutter? No they don’t. It is well hidden or eliminated. Living without the chaos of excess will be the main step to creating a room you love to live in!
Utilize free decorating
When decorating a room, always start with the tasks that don’t require money. Clean up, dejunk, and remove items that no longer work. Then you can see the space and get to making it feel fresh.
Switch it up
Grab a buddy and move the furniture around. Experiment with different layouts, and see what gives you the feeling and vibe that you desire. Playing with items is like moving pieces around on board games. You may end up having to go back where you were, but chances are, moving things around will get you where you ultimately want to go.
Create a flow
Make sure that if you move furniture around, that it provides the proper flow that you are needing. If some furniture is too big for the room, consider switching items up from other rooms. Would the couch in the living room fit better in the family room, with the chairs in the basement? Shop your own house before anything else.
See the room as a whole
When reimagining a space, view the room as a whole. Don’t just think about changing the couch. Try to imagine the entire space and what it needs. If you are having difficulty envisioning something different, invite a friend or relative over whose style you admire.
With fresh eyes, you may be able to see how the whole space looks and share ideas of the things you need and want. But just a word of caution…staying true to yourself is really understanding what you love and want to live with. Figure this out before asking for anyone else’s advice.
Create a mood with lighting
When you style a room, always take into consideration your lighting. Your room receives different light all throughout the day. You should have multiple levels of lighting, such as; overhead LED lighting (cans), softer table lamps, brighter floor lamps, and sconce lighting.
Along with natural light, each will play a part at different times of the day and for a variety of tasks. Additionally, lighting is such a great place to really focus on your personal style and providing that special design moment. Consider how this works into your thoughts and ideas. It should never be an afterthought, but a well-considered plan based on your needs for the room.
Take your time and enjoy the process
Decorating a room you’ll love to live in takes some time. It is about moving things around when they don’t feel right to adding accessories as needed. Taking your time with a space allows you to really live with it, know what your needs and desires are, and making things happen as you find items you love.
Even if you must pull together a space quickly, never buy “sets” of furniture. It may seem like the easy way, but when matching every piece of furniture, it will remove that curated look that is so pleasing to any space. Even with less time, you can make smart choices that create a style that is truly you. It is always better to live without items temporarily, then settle for something that isn’t right.
A room you’ll love
Taking the time to rethink your spaces, and thoughtfully consider these steps, will take you closer to creating those movie worthy rooms we all love! After all, even if it isn’t a blockbuster, the movie of your life should have the set design that offers you, the character, a wonderful place to live.
If you’d like to get inspired about more stuff for your home, let’s hang out more. Follow along on these platforms. Check back next week for more design tips for that next level step.
Tell me in the comments what your favorite room is and why. I’d love to hear about your space!
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Thanks! I always enjoy finding weird or unique lamps.
Great post! I love the lamp by the way!