TOP 10 BEST DECORATING TIPS
I love tips. Especially the best decorating tips! If you are like me, and you enjoy decorating your home but don’t have a degree in interior design you will love the professional advice I’m sharing with you today!
Don’t we love having a home that has our style and stamp on it along with a decorator look? It is a home decor enthusiast’s dream come true! I want my home to have a style all of its own.
One that looks and feels like me AND goes the extra mile to have a polished look that only a professional designer can bring!
Here are 10 decorating tips a professional decorator would give you about creating a home with an interior decorator’s look.
NUMBER ONE DECORATING TIP…CHOOSE A COLOR PALETTE YOU LOVE
It’s important to live in a home that has your “brand”. One that looks and feels like you! And choosing the right color palette for your home is probably the number one decorating tip!
Here are things to remember when choosing an over all color palette for you home…
- TIGHT COLOR PALETTE! That does not mean boring! It just means the colors you choose should work together. Being “tight” in layman’s terms means not using too many colors.
- The easiest way to keep a color scheme moving from one room to another is to paint your walls a neutral color and carry that color throughout your home. Light and neutral walls are very on-trend right now but they are also a long time classic! Going light automatically brightens up any room and creates a clean backdrop for home decor.
- Make sure to learn about primary, secondary, tertiary, and complimentary colors on the color wheel.
- If you love color, go for it! But neutral colors can be the easiest way to go when choosing color. And it’s easy to introduce another “pop” of color to your home!
KNOW YOUR DECORATING STYLE
I think this is one of the best decorating tips you will ever get!!!! Seriously!
Right up there with a great color palette is knowing your decorating style. Maybe not the style you have now, or maybe so! What I mean is you need to know what decor makes your heart sing! That’s your true decorating style! And it’s not always one style.
And your style is probably NOT one style but several amalgamated into one beautiful personal style!
Knowing your style will save you tons of headaches, time and lots of $$$!
You can take a fun and informative course to discover your personal decorating style and learn so much about decorating HERE.
To find out more about the course HOW TO KNOW YOUR DECORATING STYLE go HERE.
RETHINK WINDOW TREATMENTS
One big, big, big way to improve the look of a room is to get rid of outdated or heavy window treatments. Ornate fabric and trims and fussy styles are a thing of the past. Take them down. Less is actually best.
I know this may be hard for some of us, I’ve received many emails about drapes. Yes, they might have been expensive and yes, they might be custom made but you have probably gotten your money’s worth. Take down those ornate drapes and opt for simple ones, especially if you have great windows!
Window treatments can say a lot about your home! What are they saying about yours… and do you like what they are saying?
The hard truth is if your window treatments are over 10 years old they are probably not doing your home any favors!
You might want to think about taking down window treatments all together as I did in my dining room and breakfast nook!
I love the bright, open look!
You can see 10 RULES FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT CURTAINS HERE.
ANOTHER BEST DECORATING TIP ABOUT CURTAINS
If you are deciding to go with store-bought drapes to dress your windows make sure they at least touch the floor. Better yet let them puddle a little. This will give them an expensive, designer look. And the higher you can hang them above a window the better. You want drapes to look long and lush and full!
This may mean that you buy drapes that are longer than you normally would. No “high water” drapes, please!
When it comes to curtains my mantra is “hang em hight and swing em low, partner!”.
INVEST IN A SOFA
A sofa is the largest and most visible piece of soft furnishing you have in your home. And it gets used more than anything else as well.
Here’s MY best decorating tips when it comes to choosing a sofa…
If there is one piece of furniture to invest in it is a good, durable and well-made sofa! Unless you can replace it as the styles change choose a solid, neutral colored sofa. You will get more years for your investment.
You can add pillows and throws to a sofa to add color, pattern, and style!
MIX METALS IN YOUR HOME
Here’s the next best decorating tip.
Years ago the rule of thumb was to stick to one metal when decorating a room. If you had a brass chandelier then the rest of the metallics in the room should also be brass. Some rules are not only meant to be broken but thrown out! And this is one.
Mixing metals makes a room a more interesting and adds a great designer look!
I love love love the look of mixed metals. It’s rich and fun and sassy!
PILLOWS PILLOWS PILLOWS
Pillows are the jewelry of the decorating world.
A bevy of beautiful pillows on a sofa, chair or bed have the ability to change the look of a room!
It’s true! This best decorating tip is music to my ears. Adding lots and lots of pillows to a sofa or bed equals a luxurious look! Just do it… you will love it!
DECORATE WITH TEXTURE
I know you may not believe this but I am wild about color! I love mixing patterns! I love using bold color together too. My home does not reflect that, however. After decades of color, I’m finding I like to LIVE with neutrals and I don’t get tired of them. Now, much of my furniture is not room or color palette specific and can be changed around!
A designer would tell you, don’t add more color to your home unless you can easily change it when it runs its course. Instead, add texture! Texture is the life breath of interesting decor. It may be subtle but it is powerful. The next time you think a room is missing “something” try adding some more texture!
No wonder adding texture is one of my best decorating tips, right?
BE DETAILED ORIENTED
Add accents and details to a room like a pro. But don’t overcrowd a room with lots of collectibles and “stuff”. Go for a streamlined look! I am THE embellishment queen, but I know that often less is really more! Add layers to a room to give them a designer look. Go for accent pieces that really make a statement in a room.
There you go! My top 10 best decorating tips! These are ones any designer would share with you too!
Now, what are some of your best decorating tips you are willing to share?
I love to hear that we can mix metals! I love gold and silver! I don’t want to have to choose just one.
I love your Blog!
Thanks so much Terri! I’m so happy you are a part of the StoneGable family!
What about live plants? i notice that you don’t seem to have them in any of your rooms.
I love live plants. I just am not good at growing them indoors.
Thanks for the great tips.
Love your home and the wonderful tips here. A lot to think about…and do!
Do you have a good source for quality, neutral slip covers for a sofa?
I have them made for my sofa.
all excellent tips! I have a daughter just settling into a small home (rental, so she can’t do much) but these tips will help her! Wish I had the same help 35 years ago!I made more decorating mistakes than there are ants in an anthill!
Great tips! I have been painting my home lighter and lighter and I love it!
I like when you add pops of color. Keep up the good work and fun tips.
Terrific suggestions! I think a neutrally decorated space is soothing, a bonus to it being pleasing to the eye. Thank you for sharing!
Lots of great tips here, I especially agree with updating window treatments and pale neutral colours. Your posts always make me want to take a long look at each room in our house and reconsider things!
You certainly adhere to the tips from the decorators (yet you are one of the best) as it shows in your gorgeous home!!!
Have a great day Yvonne!
Great Tips! I have added borders of coordinating fabric to drapes to make them longer. It’s a quick fix if you don’t have money for new ones. If you don’t sew you can use a sewing tape to adhere the fabric. For instant change of throw pillows cut a piece of fabric large enough to amply cover the pillow fold over & tape. I have even used a table cloth to make a kitchen curtain with enough left over for a runner for my table.
And this is really cheating: I have taken pretty scrap book paper & covered things to make things coordinate, even tall pillar candles ( of course these were never going to be lit). I have some now on mercy candlesticks that look beautiful!
Fantastic Tips!
I don’t understand about the rule of no mirror over a mantel. Why would it reflect the ceiling? It seems it would reflect the opposite wall.
Hi Kathy;
I have a mirror over my fireplace. When I placed it there last spring it made such a difference in my living room which is a small room. The fireplace is angled & I have a cathedral ceiling. The mirror made my LR appear larger I wouldn’t dream of removing it.
I agree. If your ceilings are high and it reflects a pretty view, i.e. the outdoors, an amazing chandelier, etc. then go for it. I think Yvonne just wants us to be aware of what it is reflecting back to the viewer.
Me either, Deb! My mirror reflects a chandelier and the garden! I would never remove it. Also don’t understand re a sofa going “out of style in seven years”. If a sofa has classic lines (and classic sofa arms), a quality, hand-tied sofa never dates. I wonder if Yvonne might be referring to fabric choice(?) perhaps.
Love your idea of slipcovers,the only problem I have is every time I buy them I don’t like the fit, where do you buy yours, they always look so good. Another problem is I do not sew, any suggestions would be very appreciated. Thanks Yvonne.
Have them custom made to “glove fit” your piece
That is exactly what I do!!! They will last years if they are well fitted.
Yvonne, can you get slip covers to fit a sofa with recliners? I would love one for mine!
I would very much like to have the same answers. I would like to change looks on my loveseat.
and I can sew, but prefer not to have to sew such a huge project in my small space right now.
Any help would be appreciated as well.
Your tips are great. I love the mirror idea.I like mixing metals and I think every room needs a touch of black.
You’re right, Ellie. I’ve taken many semesters of decorating and design and the teachers always say a touch of black “grounds a room”. There was another teacher who was fond of saying: “a little bit of blue in everything you do”. Since I love blue, I had no difficulty following that adage! 🙂
I. Love the neutral colors in your home. Im slowly trying to change over to neutrals in my home. Thank you for all your inspiration and ideas .
I love every tip that you share, makes me want to go to every room and remove something, lol. But, my problem is getting rid of things that I have had for so many years and they each have such special memories. So, I just keep trying to work with them. Then want to add something new, like the small black table beside the French Doors in your FR, can you please share where you purchased it as it would fit perfect in my FR. Thanks
You could add a new touch to the old things. My daughter is into owls, so I found some owl figurines from the 70’s or 80’s at a yard sale. They were brown with yellow eyes. I just danced them and spray painted them with metallic silver paint. I’ve also painted old candle bras to match their new bedroom.
I also have some things I don’t want to part with, or update. I have a box that I keep in a closet and I rotate and mix up the decor seasonally, although not everything gets to come out of the box as often as other things, my memorabilia goodies are safe and waiting for me when I’m ready.
Hope this helps!
You are AMAZING Megan!!! What great upscaling! YOU GO GIRL!
I do the same thing, Megan! I’m always looking at “shapes” of things – whether it be a child’s toy or whatever, if the scale and shape please me, then out comes the spray (or chalk) paint and I’m off rejuvenating my newly found items. An ugly bright orange plastic bird, for example, can look stunning painted all black or creamy white and included with other goodies in a vignette or placed in a nest under a glass cloche. Like you, I have many decor items that I like and just couldn’t part with when I moved into my condo so I have a little “store” (aka, the den’s closet!) where I store many, many items constantly rotating throughout the year.
Thank you for the great tips. I am helping my daughter decorate her home and we used your decorator ideas. It looks great?
Good morning Yvonne…thanks for the tips…they are spot on and makes us mindful of what we do to make our home welcoming and a true reflection of our style…I love putting bouquets of flowers ..large and small throughout the house ! Happy Day !…Smiles…Anne
Great tips Yvonne! What about displaying family pictures? I don’t see any in your photos. I have 2 darling little granddaughters and love having lots of their pictures around.
Good tips
I would LOVE to slipcover my favorite chair which is a modern wing with a high back and rather large, umm, wings. Do you have yours done professionally? I have no idea about such things. Great post, as always.
Thanks Yvonne for the tip about the mirrors! I do have a mirror in every room except the office and now that gave me an idea!! Love it!! Thanks!!
I too have a problem finding slipcovers for chairs. I have one chair in particular that I would love to change but I don’t sew (on that level anyway)! Any slipcover sources you can share with us? Great tips! Love your look!
Love all of your tips! An extension of updating to nutrals is don’t be afraid to paint! Chairs, tables, lamps, vases, picture frames, etc. Give things a lighter, fresh look and possibly save an ‘outdated’ piece you don’t want to part with.
Jolee, thanks for this great tip!
Your home is so gorgeous it looks professionally decorated. You have excellent taste. Thanks for the tips. I wish I had your eye for what accent pieces to add to rooms.
So glad to see that tip about a mirror in every room! I love to have mirrors around to bounce light into dark spaces but sometimes I wonder if it’s overkill. Happy to hear that it’s not! I’m currently working (slowly) on making a mirror out of an old window I got on a farm in Gordonville. I plan to hang in my dining room to brighten things up in there. Thanks for all your tips!
I am glad to read about removal of heavy, dated drapes! In prepping to sell our home I did just that. What a difference. Now my rooms look roomy and open. I live in mile high northern Arizona and have beautiful blooming desert views from the living and bedroom windows. Thanks for the tip about mixing metals. I’d never thought of it!
God bless
Teresa
I am beginning to appreciate mirrors and not having furniture used from a ‘set’ provided at the store. Love the visual eye candy and the inspiration.
Unsure about slipcovers. I always picture a sheet tucked into the crevices of chairs that inevitably after sitting upon the item come loose and a virtual mess.
I love all the tips especially using mixed metals and adding more texture ones! Enjoy your time at Haven. Can’t wait to hear about all the new ideas and trends!!
I love these tips! I actually use most of them! However, when I bought my sofa and loveseat two years ago, I chose an ornate design. (I was going more for french country at the time.) Now I’m stuck with a dark sofa that would require custom slipcovers, not happening right now! So I have just changed out the throw pillows to give more neutral look.
One tip I would add, is to add a little greenery to your room. It gives it a fresh, neutral look and feel. I went with a few topiaries and moss balls in a bowl.
Great tips
Love the tip about mixed metals in the same room. Maybe you could do a blog about adding texture to a room?
Yes I would love a blog about adding texture to your room. l know u did a blog once about adding texture when u had a chair then kept on adding more things but could you do one about adding texture to the whole room. Thanks I love all your tips.
Until Yvonne, has the time to answer your wishes, Lorri, just think of the various “textures” that are out there, such as: shiny, dull, satiny, fuzzy, nubbly, furry, looped then look for items with those textures. By that I mean, a satiny/shiny pillow (perhaps with some beading on it), a thick bumpy throw (**), a faux goat fur pillow, shiny silver tray, a capiz shell finished bowl – all sorts of shine and matte – whether it’s visual or tactile (i.e,: you can feel with your hand).
Re (**) if you knit, there’s a real easy knitted throw that’s done with 4 balls of yarn – used at the same time – and knitted on large needles. Michael’s has patterns. It’s easy, fast and looks REALLY textural – I made one for my very decor-fussy daughter and she loves it.
Love the ideas. There are a couple of rooms in my home that do not have mirrors, but I have mirrored backsplash in my kitchen. I love it because it “pushes” the walls out. Other rooms have floor to ceiling mirrors and I’m trying to get ideas to cover some of the wall space. 🙂 Have a blessed day, Yvonne.
Oh WOW! That sounds wonderful!
My friend has mirrored back-splashes; they look great as long as she remembers that whatever is on the counter is reflected back so the cereal box goes back in the cupboard fast!! lol! . My sink faces a wall which bothered me so I hung a mirror above it which now bounces light around the room, and – yes as you said – your eye “goes through” … it doesn’t just suddenly stop at a wall. My previous home had a small living room and we had one wall completely mirrored; I loved it!
Wonderful ideas in this post. My favorite tip is to remember you live in your home not a decorator. Love your style and your home!
I would love to hear more about finding and choosing good slipcovers. I love the look but have not been able to achieve it. Where should I start?
Kay, I found a lady in my areas that makes my slipcovers for me. I bet if you look slipcoverers up in your area you can find someone too. She comes to my home and cuts and pin-fits the slipcovers on my furniture.
I use a heavy cotton duck fabric and I was and dry it before she comes so it will not shrink. I’ll be doing a post soon about how I slipcover my furniture!
Thank you always Yvonne for these wonderful tips. I hadn’t thought about using texture–makes so much sense and looks fabulous. Would love some tips on decorating a mantel.
Thank you!!?
SUCH great tips! The timing couldn’t be more perfect since we are building a new house and I’m currently working on my window designs. Thank you.
Love all of the tip! I’m going to be trying the lighter paint colors as I slowly update our house. Thanks for the encouragement!
Such great tips, Yvonne! I’m starting to incorporate many of them into my own design.
I was wondering where you got the angel wings, they’re beautiful!
Yvonne -these are great tips ! I never thought about putting mirrors in every room. Going to give that a try ? Hugs, Dorinda
I’ve heard that wallpaper is totally out of style now. Is this true?
Well, If your wallpaper has been up for a decade then yes! Wallpaper is making a comeback. But it us very very different than several years ago. Also, wallpaper is used pretty sparingly now. Hope this helps.
Yes! Thank you.
Yvonne, I am on the verge of jumping on the slipcover bandwagon for both the couch and loveseat. Can you talk more about what kinds of slipcovers work well? I’m concerned about white and or beige solid colors in our great room.
I loved hearing your best tips! I read while looking over my kitchen/great room area to see what areas need help. I need a mirror for sure and I was glad to hear that mixing metals works and is ok now since I have been doing that lol. Always love your posts!
Love to use mirrors in every room and even have one in my garden. Reflects the sky and flowers making the garden look bigger. Also a great fan houseplants in my rooms and fresh cut flowers when available. Like neutrals so my seasonal accents always go with my base colors. Right now looking forward to fall decorating we have had a really hot summer here in N.C..
As always, excellent tips in decorating. I am one who doesn’t change anything. Your ideas have inspired me to change some things, such as buying pillows that add color to a room or changing out my accessory or perhaps buying new ones. You are such a hospitable host and not pretentious.
Thank you so much for your advice! I used to be so nervous about making decorating decisions for our forever home, but you make everything seem easy. You and your home are definitely an inspiration to your readers. Thank you again!
Hi Lisa, There is no way you can decorate a home and not make mistakes. We learn from them. So do your best and when you make mistakes… move on! We all do it!
I tended to get in a rut with my decorating and was an impulse buyer. I am trying to make wise decisions with our new house and these tips are so helpful. I am saving this to my ‘New Home Ideas’ Pinterest file. Thanks, as always, Yvonne!
Sounds like I am going to be doing some slip-covering!
love your tips… and got to see your burlap trimmed sheers again! They’re still on my to-do list 🙁
Great tips. I will be filing this post away for some future room redo’s
I too have a rectangular mirror over my mantle. I repainted it to a whitewashed look and I think it looks great! In the summer I have a wreath made from greenery mounted on it and I love it. I may change it out sometime, but for now that look works wonders for my room and for me!!
Great tips Yvonne! Have you ever slipcovered leather furniture? I’m thinking of doing this with a club chair & ottoman. If anyone has done this & had great success, please let me know.
All great ideas and reminders, Yvonne! Some I already do and the others I will try to incorporate into my rooms! I look forward to your answers to many of the questions asked in the comments.
Thanks for the great tips. My favorite tip is to look closely at your light bulbs. There is a lot of difference between incandescent, CFL and LED, between soft white, bright white, and daylight bulb tones, and the number of lumens each cast in regards to how they make your walls and fabrics look. I was afraid I was going to have to paint our large, high ceiling kitchen and dining area. It has light colored walls but seemed dark and dingy. New brighter LED daylight bulbs transformed the room for under 50.00!
Thanks for the tips Yvonne. In the middle of remodeling the kitchen and dining room and these help especially the ones on mixed metals and drapes
Yes, where to get beautiful slipcovers that fit weird shaped furniture? I’ve searched high and low….
Love the tips!
http://www.queenieslittlekingdom.com/2016/08/01/i-can-do-anything/
These are great tips. I did (until a week ago) have a mirror above my mantle. It faced directly down my front entry and to the front door. It had a great reflection and really made the room seem larger. I think it just depends… Mirrors are almost always a great idea though!
Best & Bisous,
Michelle from Simply Santa Barbara
I have a funny story about mirrors. My mom had one in almost every room, including one at the end of the hallway outside our bedrooms. We girls and my dad would check ourselves in it before leaving to make sure we looked presentable. LOL so what was. The first thing my son did when he bought and moved into my parents home? Yep, removed that mirror because he thought it was freaky! I love all these hints and would love to do over our house in neutrals but don’t think I’d be happy. We had neutral for a while after we moved in but I’m happier with color. Pillows are my FAVORITE decorating accessory.
If you love it, buy it…you won’t regret it and it’ll fit in your home.
Love these tips. I hadn’t heard about a ‘Mirror in every room”, but I love it!
Love these ideas! Gives me lots of good inspiration to try in my home.
The biggest change I have made to our house is our wall color. We went from a dark taupe to a light cream. WOW!! What a difference. It makes me smile everyday when I wake up!
Good for you!
Great tips Yvonne! I love how you have incorporated the soft neutrals in your home. I have just moved into a home that I am now decorating as Farmhouse/Cottage/Chic, and can really use some of your ideas. Thank you for your wonderful blog and the hours that I know you put into it. God Bless always.
Yvonne, pleeeeeze tell me the name of the paint you used on your walls in your living room? …. the room that was featured when you discussed the tip re., draperies. I love it!
You are in my top 3 favorite blogs!!!! You are a lovely lady!!
As usual your advice is spot on! We all need to be reminded that we are decorating our own homes with things we love, creating our own styles. Thanks 🙂
Yvonne, what color of paint is on the walls in the room with the oval shaped windows and the round clock? You were discussing drapery tips. I love the color! Not your average neutral.
You are in my top 3 favorite bloggers! You are a lovely lady with a lovely home!! You are so fortunate and blessed!!!
Denise
Always love reading each day’s post, glad you said we could use mixed metals..I’m always resistant to change from silver to brass n visa verss!!! But love the mixed metal look !!
Another great blog post..love all the tips
Thanks for the great tips. Looking forward to your post about slip covers.
What a great post. All terrific ideas to decorate by..thank you! I am now in the process of repainting all my rooms from french country reds, yellows, etc to all soft neutrals…it truly is an instant update!!
Those were my colors too Karen, but with a Tuscan twist.
Great advice as usual. I was n my email and saw your blog and couldn’t wait to open it. I said “what has she done now” and oh all the great advice. Thanks.
Heed worthy information as always!
~Tracey
Hi Yvonne, love your blog. I could literally stay on it all day and learn something new constantly. Thank you.
So glad StoneGable is inspiring you!
Lamp finials! When it’s all said and done, when it all comes together in any room, check out your lamp finials! Most are ho-hum; hardly noticeable, but finials can be fun . Check out older lamps in antique and thrift shops…in lamp aisles in home
Improvement centers…or create your own . Spray paint or glue can turn ho hum into finial fun.
Thank you for these helpful tips! You have a beautiful home.
Thanks for all the great tips!
I am thinking of repainting within this year and your favorite colors “Sonnet and Atrium white” are on the top of my list. What color do you suggest painting the ceiling? I do not have crown molding. I have an open concept living(10’ceiling), kitchen and, dining room(8′ ceilings). I have always painted the ceiling the same as the wall color or maybe one shade lighter. Looking at your pictures it is hard to tell what color you used on the ceiling.
Thanks again for all the great ideas and inspiration!
I am in the process of building our own version of a barndominium! These tips were so very helpful and came at just the perfect time to help me in my decision making process. Thank You!!
As always, great advice from a gal who knows her stuff.
Your pics as examples = awesome.
Have always loved your style and talent. Thanks for the reminders!
Fabulous tips to help everyone out! Your pictures are so gorgeous too. For me, I love a little contrast in with my neutrals. My favorite is to add a dark element or piece of furniture up against a light wall. Mixing in a dark pillow with the light and neutral ones even does it. Every girl needs a little drama.
Have a great day.
Hello Yvonne! Just wanted you to know how much I enjoy your blog.
Great decorating advice!
Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks, Jennifer!
Great tips – thank you for sharing
Love all your decorating post,especially about the mirrors on the walls. I hve a large mirror on my living room wall opposite from our large leaded glass window,in the afternoon the sun cast rainbows all over the room. I also laid a mirror on my dining room table and placed some of my pieces of crystal vases on the mirror, it makes for a pretty display. Thanks ,Yvonne your the best!
I have always preferred light, neutral colors. I just never could get with the trend of painting bold colors on the walls, even though I love bright colors in small amounts. I feel like I now am in step with the current trend!
The tips on decorating were very helpful. Thanks so much!
Hello, where did the drapes come from? They’re fantastic and I’ve never seen anything like them before. Is the bottom linen and the top a heavier material? It’s the one under the remove outdated window treatments picture.
I made the drapes. Here’s the easy tutorial: https://www.stonegableblog.com/update-sheer-curtains-easy-diy/
great helps! Thanks! Can you have more than one mirror in a room? I’m not speaking of a gallery. I am speaking of one on more than one wall? Thanks
Yvonne your decorating tips are perfect and your home is gorgeous! I love the burlap border you added to your den curtains. Did you use some of the burlap border to cover some books you used on a vignette?
Yes, you have a good eye Christine!
I LOVE that we aren’t matchy-matchy anymore!
Wonderful suggestions. Have been neutralizing my decor, more and more as I follow your blog. So much more calming, and adding textural accessories looks less cluttered. Have actually used hemstitched tablecloths, hung by clips, as drapes. They are light and yet provide privacy for a bedroom when closed. They are inexpensive, and no sewing involved. Enjoying my blog mates’ ideas as well as yours, Yvonne.
Thanks for this blog post. I only wish I’d had this advice 37 years ago. I do not naturally know how to pull a room together, so need all the advice I can get.
My best tip: do not have anything too “precious” in your living space; let them be places that one can actually live in without too much worry about breaking or ruining something.
I would like to add, replace dated light fixtures. We found a front porch fixture at Restore for $15.00.
I have found a couple reasonable chandeliers at World Market. I splurged in our open concept kitchen, with Restoration Hardware pendants, which is where we live! Home Depot and Lowes have great lighting also.
Don’t forget replacing dated kitchen hardware. This can be a first step in a kitchen redo, and it makes a world of difference!
Thank you for the ten tips a designer would give you. Moving day October 7th and I’m storing up ideas.
Great tips! I am getting ready to redecorate our guest bedroom and I love these tips! Thank you
Love, love, love your living room curtains! So light and airy…my next project. Thank you for sharing.
We are getting ready to build an all season sunroom this spring and plan on a lot of windows to the floor to enjoy our private back and side yards way down to the woods. It will have French doors off the dining room and walls on each side about 6′ or 8′. I was thinking about white ship lack on those two walls. After that I may need a professional. Do you have any ideas. I’m thinking a few distressed pieces. A good couch I found. I want the room light, airy, welcoming, I was thinking a few nautical pieces for accents. Do you have any ideas or can you point me somewhere? Many thanks. Just love your site and have used so many of your ideas.
Great tips. We’ll be moving soon so I’ll be able to use some of this when I set up in the new place.
I will be looking at the rooms in my home a little differently. Got to do a check off list.
I remember this post me I was happy to visit it again. I need to work on the pillows and a few more things. I am wintering in warm weather now, so shopping is a must for some of these things.
Thanks for the great reminders..
Love my white walls because I want art work to stand out!
Thank you for the great ideas and reminders!
I love your eye for design and your heart for the Lord…..God has blessed you for sharing both your eye and your heart.
Seeing your FB post is always a highlight for me. Thanks. You are inspiring!
Great tips! I would also add: add some green plants. That always seems to improve a space.
Thanks Linn! Great suggestion.
I really like all that is shown. So many beautiful ideas that one can easily put to use.
Love your blog. Trying to renovate my bathroom. Should I paint it same color as bed room or different color?
Why not paint is a different hue of the bedroom color. Either a little darker or lighter
Beautiful home!! Which white flowers did you use in the gray/cement? vase on the dining room table in the first pic? Thanks!
Hi Shannon, that urn is really popular. I found it years ago at HomeGoods. Sorry I don’t have a source for you.
Thanks for responding. No worries on the vase, I found something similar! But I was wondering what type of small white flowers you used in the vase. Wisteria, Dogwood, something else? I love the look!