SECRETS TO BE A BETTER HOME DECORATOR

To be a better home decorator you don’t need a degree from the Parsons Institute. But what you do need is the desire to learn and time to practice. Believe me, even the decorating mistakes I’ve made have made me a much better decorator! Anyone who loves their home and wants to create a beautiful, comfortable and welcoming environment can hone their skills and be a better decorator.

I’ve been blogging for almost thirteen years and along the way have picked up some secrets that have helped me learn how to decorate.

These easy-to-do secrets have trained my eye to know good design. I’m sharing a few of those secrets with you today so you will be a better home decorator!

NUMBER ONE THING… LEARN YOUR DECORATING STYLE

I believe over seventy percent of all your decorating ills would be gone if you just could define, know and use your decorating style to decorate your home.

Do you peruse magazines and blogs for ideas and find amazingly lovely things in stores but for some reason (many really) have a hard time making your home look cohesive and curated and flow together and be the comfortable beautiful home you want so badly! Does this sound familiar?

Or do you have beautiful things but think they look tired and outdated? Do you wish you had a way of taking what you have and creating something beautiful with it?

Many decorating problems stem from not knowing your decorating style! And to learn how to decorate you MUST KNOW YOUR DECORATING STYLE!

You can solve these and so many more issues by learning and understanding your style!

TAKE PICTURES TO LEARN HOW TO DECORATE

One thing that will make you a better decorator is taking pictures of what you decorate. Use your phone to take lots of images and then go back through them. You will be amazed at how the camera picks up what your eye can’t perceive! It’s really quite astonishing!

It takes just a few extra minutes and your camera works as your assistant to tell you what doesn’t look right and what’s out of place. I bet you never knew you had a little personal decorating helper to help you decorate your home!

This is a secret I use all day long! Taking pictures of anything I have just styled gives me a clear “picture” of what’s out of place or a little wonky. Then it’s an easy fix!

Most of us carry our cell phones around so why not put them to use!

KEEP PLAYING WITH DECOR

Another thing I’ve learned from blogging is that you and I will probably not get decorating right the first time! Even the professionals have to play and tweak and rearrange their decor to get it looking its best!

When I’m creating a vignette or mantel or styling shelves I need time to “play”. That’s my buzzword for spending time creating a curated, cohesive, and interesting look.

I add and edit and change things around lots and lots of time until I think I have it just right. Then I take pictures and look at what I’ve decorated with a critical eye and go back again and make a few changes.

I’ll often leave something I’m decorating for a while and come back to it too. Just walking away for a little bit gives me a fresh perspective.

We want what we create in our homes to have an effortless look. But we know just how much time and energy it really takes to be a better home decorator.

LEARN FROM THE BEST

Here’s another tip I’ve learned and if you learn this too it will up your decorating cred immensely! I’ve learned to almost surgically pick apart an image I love and pinpoint the elements that are so attractive to me. And not only that, but I have also learned to translate what I love from an image to my own home.

Here’s an example. I LOVE this image…

This is from my friend Ann’s blog On Sutton Place.

Her style really appeals to me. It is clean and welcoming and pretty!

I knew the minute I saw this vignette it would look pretty in my home too. Sigh!

So I studied this beautiful vignette and picked apart each detail of this image to unlock decorating gems! I broke down the entire image into sections.

This is such an important tip! It will help you be a better home decorator!

I get lost in the fabulousness of an image and I usually am not able to see all the individual elements that work together to make a room or a vignette or an arrangement so attractive until I consciously pick the image apart.

HERE’S HOW TO BREAK DOWN AN IMAGE YOU LOVE

To “break down an image” I mentally divide it into thirds. I study each third and make note of…

  • things I love in the image
  • what was used
  • colors
  • ideas of things I could use from my home
  • and how the decorator used every element

If I can print out an image or see one in a magazine I literally take out a pen and mark up the image!!!! If you see an image you love on Pinterest, print it out!!!!

Give it a try!

Once you’ve mined out all the decorating secrets in a picture start creating! Find a place to use it in your home! And keep reworking it until you love it and it becomes your creation!

LEARNING TO BE A BETTER HOME DECORATOR TAKES PATIENCE

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from having a decorating blog is decorating a room does not happen overnight.

So I’ve learned a whole lot of patience. Give yourself permission to have an “undone” room or tablescape or dresser or whatever you are working on. I’ve been living in an undone home for 24 years! Decorating is an ongoing process.

When we ogle over the pretty rooms in a magazine just remember they have been styled for THAT MOMENT!  They may look amazing but they have had a team of professionals working on them.

Real life is messy. Stuff happens. We don’t live in one snapshot! We LIVE in a home! Things get dirty, wear out, break and get untidy and go out of style!

The end goal of decorating should not be a perfect home, it should be a well-loved and well-appointed home!

And this lesson is probably the biggest lesson to becoming a better home decorator! Love where you are and keep working on your home!

TABLE WITH FERNS IN WHITE POTS ON IT

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28 Comments

  1. Love! Love! Love this article, Yvonne! I will cut this out and re-read It and begin to use my camera for assistance in decorating. Thanks for the great tips!!

    1. Paula taking pictures of what you decorate will give you a good “critical eye” and help you! Also, it will give you a record of how you decorate from year to year.

  2. Sharonbutler says:

    Hello Yvonne.These are all good ideas. I have been weading out things in my apartment to have less clutter. This will help me see what else to get rid of or keep.I will give this a try with the pics. Wish me luck. I have a bad habbit of holding on to things and letting go.?Thank you for your professional advise.

    1. Kathy Menold says:

      Today on the last day of January with the weather, cold rain all day I spent my time changing my familyroom decor. As I was working on the mantle I tried explaining to my husband how I had to sit back and look at it and change things around till I felt comfortable with it. He looked at me as if I was crazy . Like you said it is half the fun of decorating. ?
      Hope you are not getting snowed in where you live.

      1. We have lots of snow Kathy and I LOVE it! Bring on the snow!!!! I’m one of those rare people that delight in the white stuff! And I love your story. I tell Bobby he does not have to “get it”. LOL!

  3. Sharonbutler says:

    Hello Yvonne.I had posted a comment earlier,dont know what happened to it.So I apologize for another one should you receive two.Love the ideas and lessons you give us. I have been weeding out my apartment to have less clutter. The pic.suggestion will help.Thank you for all the advise and unselfish tips .Your a special and kind person.Wish me luck in weeding out my apartment.Im unnot one that likes to part with things. But I’m trying.Have a Blessed day.lots of Love

  4. Jina Sheppard says:

    Having worked in a retail home store, I agree with your advice whole heartedly. Your advice to look at magazines, and online is priceless. We had a customer that declared her style was modern. As we looked at wall art, she gravitated towards very traditional artwork! Only then did we know to steer her towards more traditional furnishings, and she seemed pleased. So learning one’s general style is important. BTW, your home is gorgeous!

  5. I’m crushing on the rug you have in, I believe your sunroom, can you suggest where to find one like it?
    Beautiful room!

  6. Taking a picture of your space before decorating it is a very interesting tip! Not something that I would have thought to do. I will give it a try!

    1. Hi CJ, I think what you meant is taking images after a space is decorated, right? Yes, taking pictures after a space is decorated will show you so much! I hope you give it a try!

  7. Where is your living room rug from? Thank you!

  8. Ha, I agree with you on everything! I had an undone room for 14 years. because I couldn’t find a piece of art work I liked. I too am a huge proponent of using pictures for inspiration. I wish I had thought of circling the portion of that picture that inspired me. Thank you for your post!

    1. Hi Ana, decorate that room NOW! Sweet friend, don’t get stuck!!!!

  9. I think this is one of your best posts ever! It made me feel that it is okay if things don’t look right at first try when decorating a room. Mostly, it is good to hear a decorating blogger say that our homes are meant to be lived in and things will get dirty and wear out.

  10. Im not a home decorator. Im actually a home stager and an interior designer and staging requires some decoration skills as well. And i have learned lots of decoration tricks from your article. Thank you so much for sharing. I enjoyed reading it.

  11. Chloe Ward says:

    I have always loved the white chair with white cushions. Do you know if it is still available ? I am looking for new chair that is not overstuffed. Always enjoy your design tips. Thank you, Chloe Ward

    1. Hi Chloe, the white spindle chairs came from Ethan Allen. Hope this helps.

  12. Rhonda Tillman says:

    This was very helpful, been trying to figure out my style for years and I think I have narrowed it down to Farmhouse. I definitely have a hard time taking an idea and putting it together in my home and feel like it looks put together like what I have in my mind, but I keep trying and every once in a while it comes together! The tip to break an image down sounds great, will be trying that 🙂

    thanks!

    1. I’m thrilled this post has helped you. Knowing your decorating style is the best thing you can do to help you be a better decorator.

  13. I. recently moved to a new house that has a very large living dinning room combined. I wasn’t sure how to decorate it and have been looking on line for help. I found this article offered the best sound and specific advice that I have come across. Thank you!

    1. Congratulations on your new home, Susan! StoneGable is full is ideas and posts that show you designer secrets you can use at home!

  14. I like the darker shaded accessories you have added to your home…the fern pictures in your living room and your new rug in the sunroom. They ground the look and give depth also. I love all the items you have chosen!??

    1. Thanks, Jan! I’m still on the fence with a few things. I’m glad you like a little bit of black in the living room

  15. Wendie Bergendahl says:

    I appreciate the photos with ideas but am I the only one who notices that almost all of the settings are white on white? I have a mostly neutral palette but it’s not all white.
    I also notice that magazines and posts are encouraging people to add color to walls, etc but when it comes time to decorate for a season, we’re back to white on white.

    Sorry, pet peeve.

    1. Wendie, each to his or her own. I’m glad you feel you can air your “pet peeve” here. I won’t do the same about readers’ comments who feel it’s okay to air their pet peeves. Even if my readers are not fans of my home at least they appreciate my effort and tips.