Our homes are unique places, which should make us feel happy, relaxed, and safe. If you’ve recently moved, or you’ve decided that it’s time to get around to the interior makeover you’ve been planning for years, here are some simple tips to design a home you love.
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Table of Contents
1. Break down your plans
Decorating an entire house and taking on renovation projects is a huge task. If you have ambitious plans, it’s best to outline your priorities and work through a list. Break down the master plan into manageable jobs and tackle the most important rooms or projects first.
For many people, the kitchen is the star of the show. If you’re planning to revamp your kitchen, set a budget, start gathering ideas and think about the look you want to achieve and the vibe you want to create.
There are myriad styles to choose from, and it’s wise to start the process of renovating or redecorating with a clear vision. List your jobs in order of importance and make sure you have a total budget in mind. Once you know how you can afford to spend, you can allocate funds to each room or task.
When you’re deciding which jobs to take on first, it’s helpful to consider how you use each room and whether you’ll be able to continue living at the property while work is underway.
In the case of major renovations that involve kitchens and bathrooms, for example, you may need to think about moving in with a friend or family member for a few days or weeks or renting an apartment on a short-term contract.
2. Personalize your designs
The most crucial aspect of any interior design project is to create spaces that work for you and your family. Resist the temptation to follow others or copy designs you’ve seen in magazines or on TV shows.
It’s a great idea to take inspiration from places you’ve been or images you’ve seen, but let your personality, creativity, and taste shine through.
Personalize your living spaces to create rooms that look amazing and fit in with your lifestyle. And, when considering the finishing touches, mid-century modern wall decor can be a timeless addition, perfectly marrying nostalgia and contemporary design. These clean lines, geometric shapes, and bold colors can serve as captivating focal points, adding a dash of sophistication and a touch of history to your home.
Opt for colors, patterns, prints, soft furnishings, artwork, and furniture that you love, and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. There’s nothing wrong with going against the grain or combining different trends.
When you’re working on ideas for your home, focus on aesthetics and functionality. You want your house to look amazing, but it’s so important that it also works for your family on a practical level. Think about how you use the space, how the layout will work for you, and how the house will work for each person. Open-plan spaces, for example, are ideal for families with your children.
3. Focus on the details
When you embark upon a mission to spruce up your interiors and put your stamp on your home decor, it’s tempting to get carried away with choosing paint colors, bathroom wall tiles, kitchen units, and flooring. These are priority jobs, but it’s equally important to focus on the details.
Pay attention to accents and features that will make your home stand out and give it a sense of style and personality. From soft furnishings in cozy living areas and opulent lighting for a luxurious, vintage boudoir to restaurant quality tablecloths for a formal dining space and plant pots for a secluded covered patio, which brings the outdoors in, you can use simple touches and accessories to turn a house into a home.
Opt for accessories and items that complement the design style, and take your time to have a look around and browse stores, websites and antique shops, and salvage yards to find the perfect pieces for your home.
4. Nourish your mental wellbeing
The environment in which we live can have a major bearing on our mental health and wellbeing. Your home should be a sanctuary, which makes you feel content, energized, and secure.
If your home is more hectic than heavenly, or it feels cold or clinical, make it your mission to design a home that nourishes your wellbeing and makes you feel good. Freshening up the decor is a great place to start, but you can also boost mental health by creating areas that celebrate your passions and allow space to indulge your interests and hobbies.
It’s also beneficial to set aside zones for specific activities. You may want to socialize in the kitchen and have fun with friends and family in your living room, but what about when you crave solitude, or you want to curl up with a book or listen to music in the bath? Creating private, tranquil spaces, as well as areas for work, play, and socializing will help you strike a healthy balance.
5. Solve problems
For many of us, the perfect home either doesn’t exist or it’s out of our price range. One of the key tasks to cross off your list when you move house or you decide to undertake work on your home is to identify and solve problems.
Addressing pain points will make your home more functional and create a happier, healthier environment. If you have a number of small living spaces, for example, and your family is scattered across several different rooms, changing the layout could make a huge difference.
You could explore options like knocking down walls or opening up spaces to cater to your needs. Turning a dining room and a separate kitchen into a large, open kitchen-diner will enable everyone to spend more time together.
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Do you have any simple tips to design a home you love?
Have you recently moved house, or does your home still feel like a blank canvas? If you’re eager to design a home you love, take these simple tips on board. Break down your plan into manageable tasks, set a budget, gather ideas, and personalize your design. Create a home that works for you, inject your style and personality and try to solve problems, and address pain points. Set aside areas to relax, unwind and enjoy hobbies and focus on the details. The smallest touches can make a huge difference.
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It’s nice to have a place for gathering and a place for solitude. Those things matter more than you can think when you’re first getting a house.
I’m almost at the end of a major home renovation. Your budget is the most important issue and unfortunately, most things are more expensive than you think!
Great tips, breaking plans helps a lot in designing a home. I will follow these tips when I want to design my home.
I agree it is important to focus on details as well as the bigger things. They can influence the look and feel of a room.
It’s crucial that you have a cool head while focused on the specifics.
Ooh, I love the mental well-being tip. It’s important that you keep a cool head while focusing on the details.
I love this post. I think we too often forget the small details when we look at the room as a whole, and that’s where we get tripped up.