Whether you’re moving into an old house full of character or a newly built property, decorating a new home is a daunting task. To make the process a little less overwhelming, we’ve put together a little guide to decorating a new home from scratch.
Step 1: Discover your style
The first thing you want to do when you start decorating a new home is getting a crystal clear view of your own style. An easy way to do this is to hop onto Pinterest and start saving everything you like. When you’ve saved enough pictures you can start noting down the themes that emerge in them. Have you been saving a lot of colourful interiors? Or do you notice a theme of neutral colours? Write down the recurring themes and use these as a starting point for the choices you make in terms of colour, furniture pieces and decorations.
Step 2: Sketch a floor plan
Step 2 might feel a little less inspiring than step 1, but it’s an important step that you don’t want to skip. Sketch a floor plan (online or on paper) of the space you want to work on and note down all measurements. A floor plan gives you insight into the possibilities and limitations of your space. It also will help you see that you might have to opt for a smaller or bigger sofa or table than the one you might have had in mind.
Step 3: Make a lighting plan
Something that is often underestimated is the effect of light in a room. When you make a lighting plan, you create a plan based on basic lighting, ambient lighting and functional lighting (for example, where do you want light in order to read a book?). Choosing curtains is “officially” not part of a lighting plan, but curtains also play a big role in the way light works in your space.
Do you want heavy curtains that let little light through? Or would you rather opt for inbetween curtains? If you find it difficult to choose, we can help you. We can come to your home or you can get online or in-shop advice from us!
Step 4: Choose your colours
One of the most important choices you make in your home is the colour palette. What colour will you paint your walls? And what colour do you want your curtains and furniture to be? You can simply choose colours that appeal to you, but you can also choose based on the atmosphere you want to create in a room. Do you want the room to exude positivity? Choose yellow! Do you want a space that is calming and serene? Then you can opt for neutral colours, or calming colours like blue and green.
Step 5: Planning
When you start thinking about the bigger jobs that need to be done it’s a good idea to plan the phases. For example, it is wise to paint the walls before you lay a floor and ideally you shouldn’t buy any furniture before your floor is laid. Once you know what jobs to do and when you will do them, you can really start decorating the space.
Step 6: Shopping
Now that you have an idea of your style, the jobs that need to be done, your style and the colours you want to be using it’s time for the fun part! You can now start shopping for furniture and decorations that fit your style and your space. You can opt for new furniture but keep in mind that you can always opt for vintage pieces that will give your space that unique and personal feel.
