Want to make a home that you love and is unmistakably you? Well great, you’re in the right place. In today’s blog, I share with you my top tips on how to make your space beautiful, magical, and meaningful.
1. Forget the Trends
Photo by Becca Tapert
Don’t get me wrong, trends can be great and fun to incorporate in to your design to keep it new and fresh. But they should by no means be what dictates the design of your space.
Unless your staging to sell your home (which is a totally different story), basing your home design of off trends is a bad move. Black kitchens might be hot right now, but does it fit your style? Once the trend has passed, will you still love it? If you’re not truly suited for whatever is the latest and greatest, you’ll probably be itching for something new sooner rather than later. And if you are not somebody that just loves redesigning and decorating your space all the time, you’ll most likely be annoyed with yourself for jumping on the bandwagon. So just don’t.
The big take away is- have fun with trends and incorporate them in small, easily changeable ways, but when it comes to really designing and defining your home, take the time to find your vibe (see below) and figure out what you really like.
2. Find Your Vibe
Photo by Alexandra Gorn
Between Boho Chic, Farmhouse Rustic, Ethnic Modern, Scandi, and Japandi- there are a 1000 and 1 styles out there to confuse you. But putting a label on what your style is not really what’s important. What is is finding out what’s meaningful to you. Taking the time to figure out your style or your vibe can be one of the most empowering things that you will ever do. Why? Because to know your vibe is to know yourself.
So you may be asking, if a specific style isn’t what we’re trying to nail down, then what the hell are we doing here ? It’s pretty simple. Remember, it’s all about the vibe, which let’s us know the emotional atmosphere of a space . Just ask yourself -how do you like your space to feel? How do you want to feel? To get to this answer, try asking yourself the questions below.
7 Questions to Ponder
Do you like things simple and uncluttered or does more = more resonate with you?
Do you prefer soft and muted colors, deep and dark, white and bright or is bold and colorful more your thing?
Are you more attracted to cool blues and grays or warm rusts, terracotta, and tan?
How do you see your home? Is it warm and cozy, sophisticated and elegant, calm and serene or playful and whimsical?
Will you host parties, entertain family and friends or is your home a sanctuary only for you and a chosen few?
What inspires you? Beautiful artwork, your kids, nature?
Who do you want to be? What kind of home would this person live in?
Photo by Toa Heftiba
Some of these questions are pretty basic, while others are a bit more abstract, but I challenge you to ask- you might be surprised at some of your answers.
Once you’ve answered these questions and discovered your vibe, figuring out your style becomes a lot more clear.
Maybe you have a chill vibe or an outgoing vibe. Just remember, it may not necessarily be black or white or this or that. It may be that you resonate with some opposing ideas and that’s totally normal. If it’s the case, go with it.
You don’t have to decide because you are most likely a mix of styles, feelings, and emotions and it’s what makes your style uniquely you. Frankly, it’s a lot more interesting that way.
So how does your vibe translate into a style? Let’s say you like soft muted, cooler colors, are inspired by nature and like things simple and uncluttered. You definitely don’t have a fiery vibe, you most likely have a chill/ tranquil vibe. Knowing this, it’s a good bet that you could decorate your home with clean-lined furniture, a cool, soft color palette, and add in pieces from and inspired by nature and be really happy. These sensibilities lend themselves to contemporary and modern styles. Is it Scandinavian inspired or Mid-Century modern or Minimalist? I don’t know, it doesn’t really matter. What does, is that you now have a basic road map to get to where you want to go- and from there, you can fine tune to those details and discover your true style.
3. Plant One On
Photo by Kari Shea
Ok, I know that the first thing I told you was to forget the trends and as I’m sure you know, plants are totally trending right now… However, I do believe that having plants around is a pretty important factor to make a space feel like home. Now, you don’t have to have 300 plants and counting like some millennial Youtuber (no shade, I have A LOT of plants myself), but bringing nature inside will literally give your space life.
We humans are naturally drawn to plants, it’s in our DNA. And since these days, we spend 80% of our time indoors, it’s a no-brainer to add some to your home.
It’s debated whether or not plants can provide increased air quality (recent studies suggest no), but there is no doubt that they brighten up a space. Not only are are plants sculptural and interesting to look at, when we put them in beautiful pots, planters, hangers, and baskets, their decor cred skyrockets.
Photo by Sven Brandsma
In most major cities, tons of new plant stores are opening due to their resurgence in popularity. But don’t worry if there aren’t any cool boutique stores near you- take a look at your local big box store or garden centers to see what catches your eye.
Now, I can hear some of you- But I can never keep my plants alive! I’ll always advocate for real, living plants, BUT it’s ok- if you ‘re a bonafide plant killer, there is hope for you. There are a lot of great fake plants out there that can do the job. Just make sure you get the best quality and add finishing touches like a new pot or basket with some moss on top to help pull off the look.
4. Display What You Love, Hide What You Don’t
Photo by Radu Marcusu
This one is pretty self explanatory.
Hate to get all KonMari on you, but you should only hold onto the things that you love and spark joy. When we are surrounded by items that are meaningful to us, we become emotionally connected to our environment. If you have an amazing book collection, old albums or maybe even a guitar that someone special gave to you- show it off.
Things that might not be traditionally considered decor can make your space special and feel like home. Depending on what you have, you can display them with built-in bookcases, hooks, hangers, and floating shelves for a thoughtfully curated look.
And don’t limit yourself to collections, you may just have stuff that you love and want around you. Just be mindful of placement so that it comes off as intentionally decorated rather than just a hodge-podge of whatever. Gather your things and take a look at what works well together and how you can arrange your pieces. Play around with it and try different things. Remember, even professional stagers don’t always get it right the first time. We often have to move things around, add and edit until something feels right. Just take your time and have fun with it.
Photo by Ella Jardim
So what about the stuff you don’t love? Well, following Marie Kondo’s method is a good idea, but if you don’t have the stomach for all that, just go through and see what you can quickly give away to charity or what needs to be tossed. Buy some display-worthy storage boxes for papers, bills and documents to keep them neatly organized and looking good.
Beyond that, box up unwanted and unsightly things, mark what they are and put them away, out of sight…for now. You will eventually have to deal with them, but at least this will give you a quick fix and improve your space dramatically.
If it’s something like a hideous chair that is making you cringe, but you can’t get rid of it yet, paint it or get a nice throw and a pillow to cover it up. Another possibility would be to move it to an area that is less visible to you. If you have books that you want to keep, but aren’t that great to look at, buy nice looking storage with doors so that you can keep them tucked away, but still easily accessible.
You see where I’m going with this… there are tons of ways you can tweak your space so that you are surrounded by things that you love, but don’t have to deal with the things you don’t.
5. Incorporate a Statement Piece
Photo by Dane Deaner
In my humble opinion, every home needs a statement piece. A statement piece doesn’t have to pricey or flashy- it just has to, well, make a statement. If you think about it, a statement piece is what we usually notice first about a space- some might call it the focal point of the room. It’s the same idea when you are putting together an outfit- maybe the earrings become the statement piece or perhaps, a tie. Without it, you’ll still look pretty good, but your outfit just won’t have the same impact. It’s the same with a room we are decorating or designing.
A statement piece (or focal point, if you will) gives our eyes a place to go. It almost adds a certain order to the room because we know exactly what to focus on, then our eyes can wander and discover from there. Your statement piece can often set the design direction, but it doesn’t always have to - an unexpected addition to the space can make it more interesting and dynamic.
Don’t get it twisted, even the most minimalistic or zeny-ist of spaces can benefit from a statement piece. Maybe it’s a statue of Buddha , a fountain or an incredible orchid… it doesn’t have to be showy, it just has to be impactfull.
Still not sure what your statement piece should be? Here are some ideas-
Fireplace
Artwork
Lighting
Couch
Rug
Boldly painted wall
Plant
Mirror
Kitchen Island
Bathtub
Cabinet and door hardware
Crystals
Shelving
Faucets (tapware)
Wallpaper
Door
Range hood
Chair
Sculpture
If you are having difficulty trying to decide how you want to decorate your room, choosing a statement piece can often put you on the right trajectory, giving your design direction and focus.
I hope you try out some or all of these tips and see how they can take your home to the next level. And remember- you are designing your space for you! It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks you should do or have- just make sure that you are honest about the things you do and do not like. Trust yourself and enjoy the journey.
x Debbie x