New Home: How to Decide Decor!

When I decorated the first room, I hired a friend who was a decorator. I picked out the fabric for the window treatments and she picked out the rest.

The decorator pulled out the green from the fabric for the walls, the tassels for the window treatments, the rug, etc... The room is traditional and timeless. I learned so much about decorating from this friend.

I would hire a decorator for the 1st room and go from there...

For example: When she chose the green for the walls, she chose a green w/ gray tones. I had no idea that the green should carry gray tones to look elegant in this room. If I had chosen the green, it would have looked to "grassy" green. (It would have been an oops color) ! Then, the rug she picked out pulled the whole room together !

I love the light browns and I would have never chosen green for the walls. All my friends love this green, too.

I agree to look at Pinterest and find ideas you like. Also magazines and other decorating sources.

Honestly, if you get to start from scratch, I would consult with a decorator. I LOVE bright, fun living areas... But I'm much too timid to make the decisions. With a decirator's advice, I think it would help break the shell.

I grew up in Idaho... It's a great state. Hope you enjoy the snow! ;)

Pick up 5 decorating magazines, make sure they include Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and Architectural Digest, and tear out everything you like, including the ads.

Go through your tear-outs and you will see a pattern in color and style. You could try to be a little adventurous, but you should stick with the colors and style you have chosen because that is your taste.

Don't buy anything that is super expensive, because you taste will probably change somewhat over the next decade.

reading with interest, as i have zero taste and my own interior decorating ideas are, apparently, either dead boring or too weird for words. fortunately my husband has an excellent sense of decor style and so he pretty much makes all the decisions. theoretically i have veto power, but i have to complain loudly if i want to exercise it<G>.
in your situation i'd enlist the help of a friend (have you had a chance to make any??) and run things by them first. maybe someone you can throw a vague idea at ('i like vibrant jewel tones and a baroque feel, but i don't want it to look like a bordello. help!') and have them run with it.
on the other hand, just buying what you like, while it has the potential to go horribly wrong, could just work out brilliantly. i am totally charmed by a friend's house where nothing matches, it's all put together with individual pieces that she fell in love with. 6 gorgeous antique chairs, all different, around a rescued-and-refinished dining room table. eclectic and odd living room furniture, some simply covered with bright throws. wild and offbeat accents. i think it's fun and exciting. my tasteful husband says it makes his eyes bleed<G>.
:) khairete
S.

First of all, don't get bent on doing it all at once. Gather ideas, and go from there. Plus, if you do it in baby steps, it can be done more financially feasibly. Don't buy into the furniture deals with zero interest, blah blah blah and get yourself trapped into deep debt.

No home HAS to be fully decorated from the get go.

Find a couple of pieces you love and go from there.

My daughter is having a time with this right now because she is moving into her condo and wants to paint which is perfectly fine. She has a knack for décor and is good at it. However, while shopping with her, she finds all the little things she "needs" but can be down the road pieces vs things she really NEEDS now. She is learning how to budget for everything because there is no question that this will be done with no debt incurred.

We did the same thing when we built our home in 2000. Believe me, for a while this 4000 SF place looked bare but as the years went by and we found pieces we loved, we built around the pieces we loved and now we are very pleased with our set up and don't owe anyone anything. Delayed gratification works wonders and while you are delaying that purchase, you can check out all the great sites and magazine for the styles you love and build a little portfolio of things you like.

Best wishes in your new home!

Start a notebook.
Get a ton of magazines, print out pictures from online (pinterest, Houzz, etc), and take the ones you like and put them in the notebook (binder).

Just keep adding. Everytime you see something you like.

After a while, you will be able to see some sort of pattern when you flip through. Either colors you are gravitating towards, or styles. Maybe both. When you can distinguish either, try to figure out what it is you like about it. Most likely it will be how it makes you "feel" when you look at it.
I love white fabrics and shades of blue in wood together. But I detest the idea of white furniture that I know will not stay pristine white. So I have to try to recreate that same FEEL in other ways.

I get a similar soothing vibe from earthy limestone and white. So my bathroom is limestone, creamy marble, warm mocha walls, and white trim. I change between lavenders, peaches and mint as my accent/towels, etc. It gives me the same feeling as the white furniture and airy blue accents in the pictures.

For sleeping, I like darker. Crisp, dark cherrywood furniture, and muted, mossy greens on the walls. I found the combination in a magazine. It wasn't even a bedroom... but the colors gave me a peaceful, cozy feeling.

Put together your binder/notebook, and keep adding. If you decide to go with a decorator before it is all said and done, it will be helpful to show them what you like.

Start looking online at decorating sites and pinterest. Bookmark the rooms and decor you really like, and take it from there. The more images you see, the easier it is to decide what styles you like and want, and to build a picture of decor for your new home.

I have gotten the creative and interior decorating gene from my mother and my grandmother. Their taste and eye for decor is stunning. What a great move you made to Idaho! I bet is is breathtaking out there! Here's what I would do now that you are living in such a beautiful state with such wide open spaces.....take your decorating cues from nature and the environment around you. When I think of Idaho, I think rustic charm. Easy, comfortable, warm and inviting. Like a modern mountain cabin or rustic hideaway. You can't go wrong unless you bought a loft in the downtown section of Boise! Give yourself some time to see other people's homeS around you and also what the stores have to offer you out there. Rome wasn't built in a day so go slowly and pick timeless pieces that can fit into any decor. Neutrals are always good and rich, dark woods are in right now for furniture. I think you will have a ball finding good stuff out there. No matter what...make it your own. Have fun and enjoy your new digs!

Updated

I just don't have the decorator gene.
I know what colors I like (blues/purples/greens (but not olive green)) but I don't need any room swimming in those colors and although red/orange/yellow are not my favorites, they are fine in moderation as accent colors.
I've seen a few decorating shows that used dark brown (chocolate?) on walls.
It just did not appeal to me.
Brown is great if you're talking about dirt or tree trunks but on walls? - it doesn't work for me.
I also tend to think along the lines of 'how difficult will it be to dust/keep clean'.
I think you'd have to shoot me before I'd ever use a white carpet in any room for any reason.

Yep, find what you love.

I am very frugal and not set on traditional. That means finding good furniture like tables at antique stores (stay away from Upholstrey) and painting them a shade you like.

Look for ideas on pintrest.

Don't do it all at once. Live in your house for awhile. Maybe a yr before you do really big things. Be patient. Figure out your style by looking at things on Houzz.com. And making a clipboard of the things YOU like. Then connect with your family to get their input.

Watch the light as it changes, figure out what needs lighter colors rather than dark.

Your family's needs and uses of rooms will evolve and you can assign more function to rooms and that will give you direction.

Have fun!

My entire downstairs decor came from the couch and ottoman in my living room. It is a floral pattern with navy background with vibrant golds and reds and more muted greens. From there I picked the paint color (plaied gold) for the living room and dining room since they are connected. The foyer, kitchen and family room are done one shade lighter on the color swatch than the LR/DR. My morning room and powder room I picked a cranberry red (from the couch). My study is in a neutral darker beige but to add interest we painted the trim (crown molding, base board and chair rail black which goes beautifully with our new iron railing in the foyer) In my family room I picked 2 navy couches with nail head trim that goes with the LR couch even though there is not a sight line.
Bottom line...pick something you love whether it is fabric from a couch, pillow, or drapes, or it could be from art that you love and build from there. You can do this yourself.
Also check out houzz for decorating ideas.

I, too, vote for looking at magazines tearing out pages you of rooms you
like
Then watch HGTV! Great ideas on that channel.

Start noticing what colors you like.

Also, walk through "model homes" in your area to get ideas of what looks good & furniture placement.

Since the walls have been painted, I would get a few mags for ideas. Find one bright color red/orange/blue and go from there. If you are near a college, see if there is a student who would be interested in helping you with your color scheme.

I am visualizing a café a lait color with a brown. A true red, even yellow would go. You could get a pillow or two with these colors to see if they are what you want and not invest in much money. Once you find the color you want, then add other things with prints that have the bright color in it to go with walls and accents.

Keep us posted on what you decide. You could possible use blinds that are off white with the walls or a light brown. Just make sure you don't turn your house into a cave with too much dark color.

Welcome to the world of decorating and homeowner ship.

the other S.

PS I remember when the grey taupe color was the range and everyone had to have it and the real dark wood plank floors and white baseboards. The baseboards would never work with me in the desert because they would always have dust on them and show it. That's another thing to consider.

Do you have a food that makes you happy and looks good on a plate? what about a favorite sweater, mug, painting, pillow etc? Use it for inspiration.

Suppose its nachos grande-
yellow corn tortilla chips, bright yellow cheddar, green cilantro, creamy green avocado (guac), creamy white sour cream, medium red tomato, purplish black olives, purple red onions, med brown re-fried beans, deeper brown browned ground beef.

Not every color has to be used in each room. If you use two or three as the predominant colors, and then, carry over colors between rooms, it can work.

JC had some really good ideas, I'll just spin off that for the bedroom. We had to do a whole remodel (house fire) and I don't have the "decorator gene" either. One mistake we made was, my husband picked some paint colors he liked for the bedroom, but I had a heck of a time decorating (basically, the bedding) within those colors! It would have been much smarted to pick an idea of what you like - a bedspread or pillow - and then pick paint colors and stuff afterward.

We had a friend advise us, and it was helpful, but her ideas weren't necessarily our ideas (much as we appreciated her enthusiasm). Don't be afraid to go with what YOU like, you can always add a pop of bold color with throw pillows or bold paint on one wall. Believe me - with all the changes you'll be going through, you'll want comforting colors and decor that feel good to you - not new things you think you're "supposed to" have.

Hire a designer to help you.
You'll be amazed at how they just "get" you and your style.
It takes some time, but it is well worth it. I had a lady come into my home ages ago to help me with my family room. She told me what size couch, what size cabinets, and what colors...
She was amazing!

I have a friend who did this too. She looked at all the magazines and decided to go outside the box. She is more chickens and cows. She picked lions, tigers, cheetah print fabrics, zebra print fabrics, all the safari stuff.

It's so uncomfortable to go into her house now. This is so not "her" style. She's down to home, mother nature from the country, she had a cute style before but now it's like she's trying to be someone else.

I suggest you look at those magazines over and over, which pictures do you like each and every time.

For instance. When I get to redo my kitchen I do not have a single doubt that I won't pick solid white cabinets and a dark counter-top, probably the darkest sage green I can get. I love dark sage green. It's always been my favorite color but I didn't know it....everyone always said olive drab green/Marine green was my favorite color but as I came to realize I hated that color I acknowledge that it has too much yellow in it, sage greens are a grey green not a yellow green.

I also know that I don't like frilly cabinet doors. I like a very simple basic minimal trim door style. I want a soft shine but not glossy shine too.

SO I know what "I" like and want. I know that I will get that and love it.

The way I came to make this decision was to go online and visit all sorts of sites where they show kitchen redecorating. I right clicked on every kitchen picture I liked and when I renamed them I labeled them Kitchens I like A then Kitchens I like B and so forth. After the alphabet I did Kitchens I like 1 Kitchens I like 2.......

I had the pictures in a folder in my downloads so they were side by side. Since every picture in the file started with the same letters it was easy to find them if they showed in the whole download file alphabetically.

I looked in this folder a few times and realized almost every single picture had white cabinets. Almost exactly the same door style, almost always the shaker front.

And almost always they had a super dark counter-top. So I had found what "I" liked and wanted.

I did the same thing with bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, etc..... I left the study up to hubby because it's his man cave. He has the doors blocked off and the only entrance is through our master bedroom. It's his domain, I don't even go in there. The black light blocking curtains help the room to be very dark. So I don't like it.

Don't give in to the urge to do the neutrals that everyone is doing. Make your home your own. To do this in a way where you can feel more confident try my save a picture way. This way you can start narrowing down what you really want to do. If any picture appeals to you then save it under a name that will put them side by side.

Do this over a week or so, pick one room this time then another room when you sit down later. You don't want to do the same room all at once.

If you do it all in the same day they'll all be the same, you won't get the influence of several different moods, you know what I mean....one day you might feel down in the dumps so you might pick all pictures that are somber. Another day you might be really happy and laughing all day, you might pick all sunshine yellow room decor. Then you might have had an argument with hubby and pick all red decor styles.

Our moods influence our choices. So if you get a wide variety of pictures then go back through them you'll find some that are hideous! You won't believe you ever picked those to begin with. Those you just delete. As you go through and fine tune the choices you should start to see your own themes, likes and dislikes.

I think this is a great way to get to the bottom of it all, to find what we really like and to work our way through other people's and fads and habits so we can truly find what we really really like and want.

I can totally relate. We moved from a 1200sf home to a 3400sf home. It currently has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 family/living rooms, and 2 dining/eating areas, and an office. Needless to say, much of our home is empty. But it's ours!

Our plan is to actually remodel so the floorplan makes better sense. We're going to take one of the huge family rooms and the office and make it into a master suite.

I've decided to decorate/furnish one room at a time. That's my method. And I think it's important to use timeless styles that aren't going to look ridiculous or outdated in 2 years.

Congrats on your new home!