4 Simple Steps to Decorating a Room

For years, I struggled with decorating and would always end up frustrated with my design decisions.  I always felt like things didn't flow together and I was never "in love" with a room.  Because of this, my house has seen many transformations over the past 8 years as my design style and choices in decor have changed.  I am forever changing wall color (yes, every room in my house has been painted at least 2 or 3 times) or swapping out pictures and throw pillows.  I can now say,  I am finally happy with the style of my home and direction I am headed.  Of course it's always a work in progress, but that's all part of the fun, right?

This may not be the "by the books" way to decorate and design a room, but this is what process I work through and thought it might be helpful to you as well.

1. FIND INSPIRATION

When I first start thinking about redesigning a room I'll look online, read design blogs and browse magazines for inspiration.  I get a ton of magazines and store catalogs in the mail and frequently tear out pictures and articles that I find interesting.   Another great source for inspiration is Pinterest.  I could spend hours pinning ideas to my many boards, especially my Home Inspiration board.  I'm also a very visual person and find it extremely helpful to create design/mood boards.  This is a great way to get a sense of your style, likes, dislikes and see the big picture of a room design.  

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2. START WITH A FOCAL PIECE

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In my opinion, the best way to start off a room design is with a focal piece.  It could be a rug, picture, duvet cover or whatever you find that can jump start the design and style of a room.   Once you have your focal piece you can start picking paint and other accessories that coordinate.  Let me tell you, It's SO MUCH easier to match paint to a picture or rug than it is to have your paint picked out and have to hunt for that perfect picture to match.

3. PICK YOUR PAINT AND ACCENT COLORS USING THE 60-30-10 RULE.

Now that you have your focal piece it's time to pick your paint!  I could quite possibly be the most indecisive person when it comes to paint.  It's not uncommon for me to go to Sherwin Williams and get 4 or 5 sample paints and have them painted all over the walls.  Do you know how hard it is to determine a paint color off a tiny little swatch?  Trust me, spend the extra money, get a few samples and paint swatches on multiple walls in your house.  Make sure you look at the color during the day and at night, it's amazing how much a color can change depending on the lighting. 

Here's how I used the 60-30-10 rule in my daughter's recent room makeover. 

The 60% dominant color in her room was a pretty off-white (Sherwin William Pure White) that went on three of her four walls.  It was also the dominant color in her bedding, curtains and rug.  The 30% Secondary color was coral and was featured on her paneled accent wall as well as in her bedskirt, gallery wall and fun decor accents.  The 10% accent colors were yellow and navy and and were split between her bedding, curtains, pillows and wall art.   

4. ACCESORIZE

Take your time and find pieces that represent your style and personality.  I frequent HomeGoods, Marshall's, Tuesday Morning and local vintage shops almost weekly.  I love the hunt of finding just the perfect pieces that will work in my home.  I also enjoy going to Goodwill, thrift stores and searching Craig's List for those unique items that can be transformed and updated.  The worst thing you can do is rush this process and try to pull a whole room together in one shopping trip.  Take your time, have fun and hold out until you find just the right pieces that make your house a home!