Let’s go “shopping”….. at home!

You have decided it is time to give your home a new look but your budget just isn’t up for a complete makeover.  In times of tight budgets, not to mention all the attention to the four “R’s” – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, Re-invent - it can be fun to “shop in your own home”.  You probably have many good pieces that can be re-purposed. Home Re-styling without Spending Money is a great way to redecorate a room.

Pick the room that needs a makeover.  Look at the space carefully; decide what you like about the room the way it is now, and what you would like to change.

The next step is to take pictures of your room and you will see it in a totally different way.  Any flaws will stand out right away and this will assist you in your makeover. Be objective.

Now remove everything from the room including pictures and wall art.  If painting is on the agenda go ahead.. You have a blank slate to work with.

When you have a general idea of how you want the room to look, decide what stays and what goes.  Remove any pieces of furniture that will not fit in with your new design. For example, if you’ve decided on a more sophisticated look, the country style pine pieces will not work in the new design. Make a list of what needs to be done to make the room look the way you have visualized it.

You are now ready to go “shopping.”  From the list you made, walk through the other rooms of your home and go through stored items to see what will be useful to you. To save yourself time and effort, measure any potential furniture pieces to see if they will fit in the intended space in the room you are redoing.

Once you have prepped the room and chosen the furniture pieces that will stay and the ones that will be moved from the other rooms of your home, you are ready to place the furniture. View the room as you would like to use it, and keep in mind what worked in its former set up.  Before you start moving around furniture, draw up a floor plan on paper to decide where you want each piece to go. 

Take into account any pieces of furniture that need to be near a power source like the end tables or the TV stand. Also, take into account the room’s traffic flow, heating vents, etc.  Your room must not only look pleasant but it must be functional.

When everything has been placed in the room according to your plan, including decorative items rescued from other parts of the house, you are ready for the fun part – adding the finishing touches. You don’t want to spend very much, so prioritize the items you want to add. New accent pillows, decorative candles and picture frames don’t have to cost much if you get them on sale. Make a list and stick to it. The whole purpose of the exercise is to give your room a new look – you don’t want to end up spending a fortune.

Accessories and Lighting…..

Accessories and lighting are two of the most important factors in good design.  A space can be completed with the best furniture, however without the correct lighting and some well-chosen accessories, it is flat and without personality. Think of the accessories as the jewellery we add to a nice outfit.  When pairing our ‘jewellery’ to our outfit we keep the proportion and theme consistent.  The same goes with accessorizing your home.  It is more than just adding tshotchkes and some wall décor at the end of a project.  It’s about well thought out design details that are put into the plan before completion.  After all, finishing details are what make a well dressed home.

Too often with decorating projects, available funds are allocated to large-scale furnishings.  Necessary to be sure, however, in my experience the ultimate satisfaction doesn’t arrive until the finishing touches are firmly in place.  I suggest that you save 20% of the total budget for styling and accessorizing.  If you do not allocate money to cover the cost of accessories, you will end up with a space that’s completed but devoid of character: lackluster and disappointing.

A room is boring and bland without the embellishments.  It’s the extras that bring a room to life and make it warm and welcoming.    Accessories transform a space and inject it with character.  They should also be representative of your own individual personality and perhaps reflect your interests and travels.

Lighting is the other important factor in creating the perfect atmosphere in your home.  It offers functionality as well as mood.   For the most effective lighting scheme, you need a combination of all three types of lighting, comprised of task, ambient and accent.  The ambient light will provide a general even balance of light throughout a space such as a chandelier.  Task lighting will focus on a specific area such as a lamp positioned for reading.  Accent lighting will draw attention to a particular area and add depth and drama, such as a picture light or a recessed pot light directed toward a piece of art.

When planning your overall lighting you need to consider the mood you want to create and the tasks to be performed in each specific room.  When selecting your fixtures, obviously you would want to compliment the style of your room’s décor.   The type of lampshade can also affect your lighting.   The shape, material and opacity of the shade will affect the direction and diffusion of the light by sending it up or down and reducing glare.  Using dimmers gives you more control over the brightness and mood. 

When planning your lighting, it is important to speak with expert lighting suppliers in order to be certain that your final plan will serve your needs.

Accessories complemented with lighting!